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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
159
The
Commissioners
of
Post-Office
Inquiry,--consisting
of
Lord
Seymour,
Lord
Duncannon,
and
Mr.
Labouchere,--who
were
charged
with
an
"inquiry
into
the
management
of
the
Post-Office,"
had
already
concluded
their
sittings,
and
had
decided
upon
recommending
Mr.
Hill's
plan
as
far
as
it
concerned
the
"twopenny
post"
department;
that
being
the
only
branch
then
under
consideration.
"We
propose,"
say
they,
and
the
words
are
significant,
"that
the
distinction
in
the
rates
and
districts,
which
now
applies
to
letters
delivered
in
the
twopenny
and
threepenny
post,
shall
not
in
any
way
affect
correspondence
transmitted
under
stamped
covers;
and
that
any
letter
not
exceeding
half
an
ounce
shall
be
conveyed
free
within
the
metropolis,
and
the
district
to
which
the
town
and
country
deliveries
extend,
if
inclosed
in
an
envelope
bearing
a
penny
stamp."
With
these
important
recommendations
in
its
favour,
the
scheme
was
submitted
to
Parliament.
It
had
met
with
so
much
approval,
and
the
subject
seemed
so
important,
that
the
Government
took
charge
of
the
measure.
The
Chancellor
of
the
Exchequer
had
the
project
of
a
uniform
rate
of
postage
embodied
in
a
Bill,
which
passed
in
the
session
of
1839.
This
Act,
which
was
affirmed
by
a
majority
of
102
members,
conferred
temporarily
the
necessary
powers
on
the
Lords
of
the
Treasury.
Many
of
the
Conservative
party
opposed
the
Government
proposals.
Sir
Robert
Peel's
chief
argument
against
the
change
was,
that
it
would
necessitate
a
resort
to
a
direct
tax
on
income.
In
order,
however,
to
strengthen
the
hands
of
the
Government,
now
that
the
question
was
narrowed
in
all
minds
to
the
single
one
of
revenue,
the
majority
in
the
House
of
Commons
pledged
themselves
to
vote
for
some
substituted
tax,
if,
upon
experiment,
any
substitute
should
be
needed.--(Hansard,
vol.
xlix.)
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