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

This man had, no doubt, painted from his own model a picture of the ideal country postmaster as conceived by the poet and the literary man who, writing in Fleet Street, dream of the sanctifying influence of the countryside. But the inhuman Department declined to take the man at his own valuation, and his qualifications were not considered sufficient. Here is another:— “DEAR SIR,— I rite to aplie for the applacation for the Post Office seeing the Bill out an I have sold the stampes now as good five years now an I should be please to take the Office up from yours truly——” I now give an application from a woman who was conscious of her educational failings but suggested a way by which they could be circumvented:— “SIR,— I hear that E—— T—— is done with the care of the Post Office and I ofer myself as a candate for the ofice through the Rev. —— i am a widow and as a shop and I have a grand daughter stoping with me a good scholar. “I remain &c.” This is an application which would be seriously considered by the Department: the grand-daughter would be the stand-by of the post office. It is often asked, Why does not the Post Office demand Civil Service certificates from all its officers? The question, of course, is simply one of expense. The employment of persons with a higher standard of education would mean a higher rate of payment, and this would lessen the annual contribution which the Post Office makes to the Treasury. There can be little doubt, however, that the multifarious duties which are now thrown on the village post office are a severe strain on the uneducated official, and he causes an infinitude of trouble at the Head Office, which has to rectify his mistakes. This is the sort of thing which frequently occurs. A sub-postmaster was asked why he accepted the signature of a certain Nurse Jones as witness to an important document. His instructions were that the document must be signed in the presence of a commissioner for oaths or a notary public. He replied: “Nurse Jones is one of a body of nurses who is well known in the neighbourhood. Nurse Jones was therefore regarded as a notary public.”