Hill, Sir Rowland

Sir Rowland (1795-1879), the father of cheap postage. He appears to have been a born reformer. He was born at Kidderminster. He was born at Kidderminster. He was educated as a schoolmaster. He became interested in the establishment of a colony in South Australia, and was made secretary of a board of royal commissioners having the project in charge. He was a member of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. A story is current to the effect that his sympathies were very much aroused by seeing a poor woman look earnestly at a letter and hand it back to the postman. On inquiry he found that the letter was from her distant husband, and that she was too poor to pay the postage, but by arrangement with her husband he had made certain marks on the outside conveying the information that he was alive and well. Hill wrote a pamphlet calling attention to the high rates of postage that prevented the general use of the postoffice. He advocated a uniform rate, regardless of distance, of a penny, that is to say, two cents for all letters weighing not over half an ounce. In 1840 Parliament adopted his plan, so far as to make a uniform rate of four pence per letter. Shortly afterward the rate was reduced to a penny. Hill was made secretary to the postmaster general, and had the satisfaction of installing the new system. His prediction that the postoffice department would receive a greater income from a low rate of postage came true. Owing to a change of party in power Secretary Hill was thrown out of office. Public indignation ran so high that a purse of $65,000 was presented to him as a testimonial of the appreciation in which his services were held by the public. He was afterward reinstated. In 1860 Queen Victoria made him a baronet. See Postoffice