THE POST OFFICE OF: INDIA GROUI' OF SENIOR on·'leERS OF THE I'OST OFFICE l~ 1884 1'. SHE)UDAS n. c. ,,' IlIHF.S" w. J. 11.\\[- 1': .\1 11:\ II .U) ": f.! Sl'~'I)J~[\ 1. ,\1. THE'POST' OFFICE" OF . , INDIA AND ITS' STORY' BY GEOFFREY.',·CLj\RKE,;:'·' . ~ INDIA~ CIVIL -SERVI~E -+ WIT» SIxtEEN ~LUSTRATIONS" LONDON .:. JOHN LANE THE BODLEY'HEAD . - ' NEWYQRK: JOHN LANE COMPANy'MCMXXl' . PREFACE HEN I first decided to write a short a.ccount of the Post Office of India my intention was to close my story with the amalgamation .of W the Post Office and the Telegraph Depart-' ment, which took place in 1913. Publication has been delayed for various reasons, chiefly owing to the outbrejlk of the war in 1914> and since then many strange things have happened. Consequently I have had to revise several chapters and felt compelled to write One upon the won­ derful work done by the Indian Post Office in the Great War. I have also brought the statistical information up to the year 1918. ;Much of the matter referring td the early posts in India has already been given in Mr. Hamilton's book, An Outline of Postal History and Practice. This is only natural, as we have both drawn· from the sallle. sources-namely, the records of the Postal Directorate iii Calcutta. I have tried to tell the ~t'ory of the Post Office in such a way as to be interesting to the general reader as well as useful to the student. The ordinary routine of' post office work is not exciting, but the effect of the work, the benefits it confers, the dependence of the public upon its proper execution, are themes to inspire the pen of a romantic writer. .. The Romance of the Post Office" was the title of a delightful article in" y vi PREFACE BlackwootPs Magazine by Sir Arthur Fanshawe, tat1 Director-General of the Department, and to this articl1 I must acknowledge my obligations for several paSSagel -~ in the book. '. , I am much indebted to Mr. R. W. Hanson and Mr, F. F. Shout, Assistant Directors-General of the POS! Office of India, for their assistance in producing thi! work. Mr. Hanson is responsible for the chapter OD "The Post Office in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf," I and Mr. Shout for the chapter on "The Sea Post I Office" and the paragraphs dealing with the District Post, as well as for the Index. The chapter upon Indian stamps is based largely upon <fbe Postage and 'Telegraph Stamps of British India, by Hausburg, Stewart-Wilson and Crofton, published by Messrs. Stanley Gibbons, and I am greatly indebted to Messrs. Stanley Gibbons for the loan of their blocks and for permission to use them in this book. CONTENTS c ........ PAGE I. -THE POST OFFICE OP INDIA II. THE OIlIGIII OP THE Pori- OFFICE 10 III. EARLY POSTAL REGULATIONS z6 IV. LATER POSTAL REGULATIONS 38 V. P AIlCEL POST • +8 VI. THE RAn.WAY MAIL SEJ.VICE S8 VII. MONEY OIlDEBS 71 VIII. SAVINGS BANI: 81 IX. THE PEOPLE AND THE POST OFFICE 88 X. THE lIIDIAN POSTMAN- 97 XI. POST OFFICE BUILDINGS 106 XII. THE POST OFFICE IN INDIAN STATES liZ XIII. THE OvERLAND ROl1TB 119 XIV. THE SEA POST OFFICE 127 XV. THII POST OFFICE IN MESOPOTAMIA AND THE PU- llAN GULl 137 XVI. THE POST OrnCE D1I1UNG THE INDIAN MUTINY lSI XVII. THE INDIAN FIELD POST OrnCE 16S XVIII. THE INDIAN FIELD POST OuICE DUI!-ING TOIi GIlEAT WAIl 171 XIX. INDIAN POSTAGE STAMPS 178 vii vi PREFACE Blackwood's Magazine by Sir Arthur Fanshawe, late Director-General of the Department, and to this article I must acknowledge my obligations for several passages I in the book. I am much indebted to Mr. R. W. Hanson and Mr. F. F. Shout, Assistant Directors-General of the Post: Office of India, for their assistance in producing this I work. Mr. Hanson is responsible for the chapter on "The Post Office in Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf," and Mr. Shout for the .chapter on "The Sea Post Office" and the paragraphs dealing with ,the District Post, as well as for the Index. The chapter upon Indian stamps is based largely upon 'lhe Postage and 'lelegraph Stamps of British India, by Hausburg, Stewart-Wilson and Crofton, published by Messrs. Stanley Gibbons, and I am greatly indebted to Messrs. Stanley Gibbons for the loan of their blocks and for permission to use them in this book. CONTENTS .- I. TBl! POST OFPICB or lKolA ll. TBl! ORIGIII or THE PosT OFPICB 10 1lI. WLY POSTAL REGULATlOIIS z6 IV. LATER POSTAL REGULATlOIIS 38 V. P AIlCBL POST • 48 VI. TBl! RAn.WAY MAIL SUVICE 58 VII. MOllET OEnERS 71 VllI. SAVlIIGS BA.II~ 81 IX. THE PEOPLB A1fO TBB PosT OFPICE 88 X. THB lKolAlI POSTYAIf 97 XI. POST OFFICE BtJILOllIGS 106 XII. TBl! POST OFPICB III lKolAIf STATES liZ XIII. THE Ovut.uIo ROlJTl! 119 XIV. THE SEA POST OFFICE 127 XV. THE POST OPFICE IH MESOPOTAMIA AIIO THE PEa- IIAIf Guu 137 XVI. THB POST OPFICB OURIIIG THE lKolAIf MUTlIIY 151 XVII. THE IKDIAII FIELD POST OFPICB 165 XVIII. THE IKOIAH FIELO POST OPFICB O~HG THt! GREAT WAIl 171 XiX. IKDIAIf POSTAGB STAMPS 178 Yii APPENDICES A. PERSONNEL OF THE POST OFFICE B. EXTllAcrs FROM THE EARLY REGULATIONS REGARD- ING THE MAIL SERVICE 191 C. METHODS OF TIlAVEL IN EARLY DAYS 195 D. STATEMENT SHOWING THE Won OF THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK FROM 1882 TO 1918 197 E. STATEMENT OF INLAND MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN INDIA SINCE 1880 F. HISTORICAL AsSOCIATIONS OF THE CALCUTTA GENEIlAL POST OFFICB :zoo G. ErnACT FROM THE NARIlATIVE OF THE INTERRUP- TION t'N THE MAIL AEIlANGEMENTS IN THE N.-W. P. AND PUNJAB SUBSEQUENT TO THE MUTINY AT MEERUT AND DELHI OIC THE 10TH AND 11TH MAY, 1857, BY ML G. PATON, POSTMASTER-GENEEAL, NORTH-WEST PIlOVINCES ZO+ H. THE Won OF THE FIELD POST OrnCE BETWEEN 1867 AND 1912 • 210 J. THE POST OFFICE INWIlANCE FUND 232 viii ILLUSTRATIONS Group of Senior Officen of the Post Office in 188+ F,Dfltispi,CI Sir CharI.. Stewart Wllson, K.C.I.E. Fanng pagt 2+ Group of Senior Officen in 1898 . +6 Sir William Maxwell, K.Cl.E. 56 Combined Passenger and Mail Motor Van 98 General Post Office, Bombay General Post Office, Madr.. Post Office, Agra Group of Senior Officen in 1907 • Early Stamp' . Sheet of Four-Anna Stamp., 185+ Block of Ha1f..Anna (Blue) Stamp' of 185+ Victorian lun.. of Postage Stamp. Edwardian and Georgian luue. of POItage Stamps General Post Office, Calcutta 200 Site of Black Hole, Calcutta 200 ill THE POST OFFICE OF INDIA THE POST OFFICE OF INDIA AND ITS STORY CHAPTER I THE POST OFFICE OF INDIA o anyone connected with the work of the . Post Office of India it is almost inconceivable that the present institution, with its vast T organization and its elaborate system, has grown up in the course of litde more than half a century. Previous to 1854 the Post Office was a medley of services in different provinces, each having separate rules and different rates of postage. Regular mails were conveyed over a very few main lines between important towns, and Collectors of districts were responsible for the manage­ ment of their own local post offices. There were no postage stamps, and since rates were levied according to ' distance, and distances were often unknown, the position of a postal clerk in a large office was a distincdy lucrative one. In large cantonments a military officer with plenty of other duties was usually postmaster, and his super­ vision was at best sketchy, especially during the snipe shooting season. In 1850 a Commission. of the kind with which we are B 2 THE POST OFFICE OE INDIA now so familiar both in India and England was apPOinte~ to consider the state of the postal services, and the resul of its deliberations was the Post Office Act of 1854 an the conversion of the Post Office into an Imperial Depart ment under a single head called the Director-General. Uniform rates of postage were introduced and postage, stamps instead of cash payments were brought into use.! That marvellous set of rules known as the Post Office J Manual was prepared, which has since grown into four healthy volumes. Every Official in the Department is supposed to have the contents of these at his fingers' ends, but in reality few have ever read them through, and anyone who attempted to obey all their instructions, would find himself sadly hampered in the exercise of his duties. The appointment of a Director-General, by bringing the separate services under a single administrJr tion, laid the foundation for fu.ture progress. Suitable officers were recruited and were taught their duties, better pay and improved prospects of promotion wer~ a great inducement to the staff to take an interest in the work, and through communications which -tool:: no account of district or provincial boundaries were'" established. - ;. # The gradual growth of the powers of the Director- I General has largely depended on the needs of the Depart-. ~ent, and also, to an appreciable extent, upon his own strength of will and his personal relations with tlu: Member of Council, who controls the Department of Government to which the Post Office i, subordinate.1 The Director-General is assisted by two Deputy Directors, who are, in fact, the Secretaries of the Post Office, and under these again are four Assistant Directors 1 Thia iI at present the Department of Commerce.