The country is delighted because the Post Office Report, just
issued, shows that over 3,030,000,000 postal packages were dealt with within the year. This is an average of seventy-seven to each person. There is an increase under every head except, curiously enough, newspapers, where there is a slight decrease. This does not, however, show that the public is imitating Mr. Balfour's wise neglect of the Press, but rather that the papers are reaching the hands of their readers through other channels than the post. At present the total postal revenue, letters and telegrams, is £14,639,739. The expenditure is 211,007,617. The net revenue is, therefore, 23,632,122. Last year showed a further decrease of the usual telegraph deficit. That item is now only about 235,000. We are glad to note that that useful in- novation, the express delivery service, is growing. It shows an increase of 33 per cent. The boon of having a cheap, safe, and quick messenger ready at every chief post-office is an incalculable one.
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