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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
313
We
will
mention
one
thing
which,
perhaps
more
than
any
other,
excites
the
public
to
use
the
taunt
of
red
tape.
It
is
a
printed
reply
to
a
complaint,
commonly
spoken
of
as
the
"stereotyped
reply."
The
public
do
not
know
how
carefully
and
conscientiously
delays
and
reported
losses
of
letters
are
investigated
in
the
Post-office.
Inquiries
are
made
in
every
office
through
which
the
letters
would
pass
in
transit,
and
records
made,
lest
an
explanation
should
afterwards
be
forthcoming;
but
after
all,
in
the
eyes
of
some
persons,
the
printed
reply
spoils
all.
These
persons
forget,
however,
that
the
printed
letter
conveys
all
that
is
to
be
said
on
the
subject,
and
that
it
is
used
in
the
interests
of
economy.
It
may
be
admitted
of
the
Post-office,
that
of
all
its
characteristics,
the
most
prominent
is
that
of
its
method,
routine,
or
red-tapeism,
in
the
limited
sense
of
what
is
necessary
for
the
furtherance
of
the
public
service;
but
there
is,
perhaps,
no
concern
of
like
magnitude
in
the
world
in
which
there
is
less
of
the
musty
fusty
red
tape
of
antiquity
that
has
outlived
its
time,
and
no
longer
serves
any
useful
purpose.
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