A FUTURE FOR THE GLEBE 329 



no second mail arrives at the post-town, there would 

 be difficulty in justifying on purely postal grounds a 

 second despatch to the villages. There are, however, 

 I believe, in England and Wales only two such 

 towais. 



The parcel post recognises a uniform rate of postage. 

 I own that in the past I have seen, and I still see, 

 great difficulties in departing from uniformity ; but in 

 a national emergency difficulties must be made to 

 vanish, and they should in my view be brushed aside 

 in this case. 



An eleven-pound parcel costs in postage eighteen- 

 pence. The rate for one of similar weight between 

 post-towai and village, served by a road conveyance, 

 under these suggestions may be fixed as low as six- 

 pence, and yet be made profitable. Lighter parcels 

 might pass at low^er charges. Such would be the 

 distmction — by rail one rate, by road another and 

 much lower one. It would, in my judgment, be im- 

 practicable — in fact, under this plan, unnecessary — 

 to distinguish between the contents of one parcel and 

 another; and that with the object of sending one 

 class of produce at a low^er rate than another class. 



The telephone, which I regret to see a statesman 

 of weight regards as a luxury of the rich, is, from my 

 point of view% a necessity of the poor. The public 

 have little idea of its enormous social and commercial 

 importance to all classes, nor how cheap and easy 

 telephonic communication can be made if the State 

 choose to give its mind to the matter. 



