POST AND TELEGRAPHS
93
III. Post and Telegraphs.
The number of post-offices in the United Kingdom at the end of March, 1898, was 21,197 ; there were besides 30,303 road and pillar letter-boxes. There were then 150,110 persons employed by the department. Of these 84,309 (including 13,069 females), were officers on the permanent establishment, and 65,801 (including 17,465 females) were non-established officers. The following tabular statement gives the number of letters, in millions, delivered in each of the three divisions of the United Kingdom, and the average number for each individual of the population, in 1879 and the last five years : —
Number of Letters delivered Number of Letters per head of | Year ending (in Millions) the Population CO 13 Total CO 13 a o3 Total March 31 -^ +3 a U.K. U^ 4^ <o U.K.
�3
CD l-H Millions Millions Millions Millions 1879 922 99 76 1,097 37 27 14 32 1894 1,549^ 154 108^ 1,812 52 37 24 47 1895 1,502 156 113 1,771 50 38 24 46 1896 1,559 163 112i 1,834 51 39 25 47 1897 1,606-5 168-5 118 1,893 52 40 26 48 1898 1,711-2 177-4 123-7 2,012-3 55 42 27 50
The following are the statistics of post-cards, book-packets, newspapers, and parcels delivered in 1897-98, showing increase per cent, on the previous year : —
— England & Wales as O Scotland Increase per cent. Ireland is United Kingdom
�4J
p t-t p. Millions Millions Millions Millions Post-cards . 308-9 0-7 36-4 5-8 15-1 0-7 360-4 7-1 Book-packets 612-9 5-1 76-9 2-0 37-5 4-3 727-3 4-2 Newspapers . 116-8 0-3 17-2 0-6 16-9 0-6 150-9 0-2 Parcels 66-2 6-5 7-3 6-3 4-4 6-0 67-8 6-4
The number and value of money orders issued by the Post Office in 1890 (ending March 31) and during the last five years were as follows : —
