and the two offices a mile and a half apart]. It was only the back-stairs influence which had continued things as they were. They might be able to continue it, but it could not be much longer, for the number of letters which were mis-directed and were detained for hours and hours had gone on increasing to a fearful extent. There must soon be an alteration. He might say there had been a gentleman in the town officially connected with the Post Office within the past few days. [Mr. Putland – “We already know it”] who knew it was a disgrace to the place and was altogether derogatory to the public good. Even under a change the west would be supplied with their letters just as early as at present, and as the town got better arranged there would be an end to the present confusion and mis-direction of letters. He believed they were now about to throw off the incubus which prevented their doing right. In this borough people were expecting letters in the afternoon and did not get them till the morning, or else those which should have come in the morning were delayed till the afternoon. Visitors did not know the reason why and St. Leonards people did not tell them why [Yes, they did! They were told at the St. Leonards Post-office, by printed notices, by the St. Leonards Gazette, and by those who were asked, that the St. Leonards delivery extended eastward to Verulam place, and that if letters were simply addressed St. Leonards or St. Leonards-on-sea, without the addition of “Hastings” or “near Hastings”, there would be no delay. But independently of this, the St. Leonards visitors did not complain, and did not desire any change.] Mr. Robertson had, he believed, built the end house in Robertson street for a Post-office, and he (Mr. Ginner) was sorry that it had not been taken there.
Ald Rock repudiated the doctrine laid down by Mr. Gausden that the Council had no right to initiate anything not called for by the public. Mr. Gausden interposed by adding the words “as against the public” By their last expression of opinion, the public were decidedly opposed to the proposed alteration, and without a further expression of feeling to the contrary, he thought the Council should not act against the previous expressed wish. Ald Rock, in resuming said Mr. Gausden had assumed too much when he said the public, as it was not the whole of the public who were against the change. For himself he could say that his letters reached him at Fairlight early in the morning, and that they were sometimes directed St. Leonards, sometimes Hastings, and sometimes Fairlight, of course he felt none of the present evil, because he was well known [and perhaps he still had a private bag or a private messenger as his father before him had, to the latter of whom the present writer when -
