The post office and its story an interesting account of the activities of a great government department

Some years ago, in a discussion on the attitude of the Church of Rome towards the Church of England, Mr. Gladstone wrote a letter to the Times on the subject which was very much quoted in other journals. Several poor foreigners from the East End called at the Money Order Office in great distress. They had sent money abroad in postal notes and orders, and inquired anxiously as to their safety, as they had been alarmed by hearing that the Roman Catholic Archbishop had denied in the papers “the validity of Anglican orders.” This is a good story even if it is not true. I am reminded of a joint application to the Department by a clergyman and an official of the Bank of England. The occupations of the two were described as “Clerks in Holy Orders and in Bank of England.” In justice to the clergyman, the description is in the writing of the Bank of England clerk. Telegraph Money Orders were first introduced in 1889, and several years later the system was extended to most of the European countries. Postal Orders were first issued in 1881, and from the first were a huge success. Nearly 650,000 were sold during the first three months, and the immediate effect was a reduction in the issue of Money Orders. The Postmaster-General in one of his reports was able to say that “Money Orders are often lost and often stolen, but the departmental check is so complete that not more than one in every hundred thousand of the Orders issued is paid to other than the lawful owner.” That was a proud but justifiable boast, but of course it is a different matter altogether with the Postal Order. Still its cheapness and handiness outweighed all risks, and its popularity has never diminished. The total number of Orders issued during 1910 was 125,855,000, and the commission on them realised £483,421.