332 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



fact there is no lack of power ; it is national senti- 

 ment alone ^Yhich needs to be aroused. 



As regards postal distribution, it is merely a question 

 of cost in each case whether a line of post shall be left 

 to be walked by a foot-messenger, or made a mounted 

 post at the extra outlay of a few shillings a week. 

 As regards the telephone, difficulties are presented 

 by a paper (No. 267) laid before Parliament last year, 

 according to which the Postmaster-General has 

 parted with his rights in the provinces — at any rate, 

 to the extent of assigning 213 districts, urban and 

 rural, to other authorities. 



Whether this arrangement has been ratified or not, 

 and whether it is susceptible of modification, I do 

 not know. Parliament, which binds, can, however, 

 loosen ; and it may be that the arrangement which 

 seems to shut out the Post-Office from telephonic 

 action in rural parts, really lets it more easily in. I 

 do not profess to judge. My preference would be for 

 telephones m a hand which is directly controlled by 

 Parliament, and that the hand of the Post-Office. 

 Such a view seems, also, to be favoured by the bulk 

 of the evidence taken by the Select Committee. 



But no insuperable difficulty occurs to me, in the 

 working out of such a scheme, as is presented in this 

 chapter, by the Post-Office in conjunction with any 

 telephone company. A company could contract for, 

 supply, and maintain telephone-lines either on its 

 own responsibility or as the agent of the department ; 

 and to the advantage of both. 



