You fly past many stations, the names of which you are almost unable to make out, as they are printed on lamps and benches. The walls of English stations are covered all over with advertisements, giving them a rather gay appearance. After a two hours’ run through a country of green meadows you arrive at Victoria station, London.
Taxis in abundance are waiting on the platform just where you get off the train. What a panorama London affords when you see it (for the first time) from a taxi or the top of a bus! One might think that he is at the cinema, with fine motion pictures rolling on. Gigantic palaces, theatres, monuments, bright shops all aglow at night with neon advertisements, road streets with countless pedestrians hurrying to and fro, buses, trams, cars — an endless stream of traffic. The first glimpse of London amazes the visitor.
But if you want to see the life of the working people, you just step down from the top of the bus and go along the southern bank of the Thames. There you will find quite a different world — a world of poverty, unemployment and disease.
Crowding down to the water are rows of houses, dirty and dark, inhabited by countless thousands of poor folk, whose days are spent in unending toil and the struggle to keep alive. It is indeed difficult to imagine that at no great distance from the splendid broad streets, is St. Giles — the heart of the London slums.
XV. Post Office. Telegraph. Telephone. Letter Writing
1. BOOK-POST
A book-packet may contain any number of separate books or other publications, as newspapers, magazines, and the like, photographs, drawings, maps or any other substance in ordinary use for writing or printing upon. But a book-packet may not contain any letter or
communication of the nature of a letter, nor any enclosure sealed against inspection.
A book-packet may be posted either in a cover open at both ends so that the contents can be easily examined, or entirely covered. In the latter case the postmaster has the right to inspect the packet before it is sealed. For greater security of the contents, the packet may be tied up with a string.
2. PARCEL POST
At every Post Office there is a Parcel Post Service which deals with inland parcels and parcels sent abroad. The rate of postage for a parcel depends upon the weight of the parcel and the distance it is to be sent. The Parcel Post Service between our country and other countries is subject to various regulations.
Letters, book-packets and parcels may be registered with or without declared value. The fee for registration and insurance in each case is different. They also may be sent by air; again the fee in each case may be different.
3. MONEY ORDERS
You may send a money order by mail (a postal order) or by telegram (a telegraph order). The sum sent by mail or telegram is unlimited.
A postal order has to be delivered within a month, and a telegraph order within 24 hours. If a postal order is not presented for payment within one month (a telegraph order — in 3 days), the order is sent back to the sender.
4. TELEGRAPH
There are two types of telegram service in our country: ordinary and urgent. The tariff per word for telegrams abroad is higher. The address of the receiver is charged for, but not that of the sender, which, by the way, is written at the foot of the telegram form. You are not restricted in the quantity of words, but as you pay for every word you ought to know how to write a telegram omitting, as much as possible unnecessary words such as prepositions and the like.
Telegrams may be sent:
to be called for;
to be delivered to the addressee in person;
to be delivered to the addressee at an appointed time;
to be delivered by special delivery;
with (a) reply prepaid;
with (a) notification of delivery.
The latter means that the sender should be informed by whom and when the telegram was received.
5. AT THE POST OFFICE
ANN. Hello, Mary! Good afternoon, Mrs. Smith.
MRS. S. Good afternoon, Ann. (7b Mary.) Are you going out, Mary?
MARY. Yes, ma. We want to go to the cinema. Do you mind?
MRS. S. Not in the least. Couldn’t you possibly mail this letter? I don’t happen to have an envelope, otherwise I could have dropped it into the pillar-box.
MARY. Why, yes, ma! To John?
MRS. S. Yes. Here is his address. Have it sent as an ordinary letter.
MARY. All right, ma. (7b Ann.) Do you mind walking with me over to the Post Office?
ANN. Of course, not. I’d be only too glad. I shall be able to ask if there are any letters in my name there.
MARY. (7b clerk.) An envelope, please.
CLERK. Yes, young lady. Any stamps?
MARY. A three-halfpenny one, please.
CLERK. Here you are. Wouldn’t you like to have some nice picture postcards, young lady?
MARY. No, thank you. You might give me a shilling’s worth of stamps and some envelopes, please.
CLERK. Yes. Here you are. One and sixpence, please.
MARY. Thank you. (7b Ann.) Let’s go over to the stand. I shall have to write the address.
ANN. In the meantime, I’ll go over to the “Poste Restante” window and —.
MARY. Just a minute, Ann, and we’ll go over together. My! The envelope won’t stick! What’s to be done?
ANN. But you have some spare envelopes, haven’t you?
MARY. Oh, yes. I shall have to write the address all over again. ANN. It can’t be helped, I suppose.
MARY. Well, that’s done. Where is the letter-box here, I wonder? ANN. There it is. But say, Ann, you are not going to send it blind, are you?
MARY. Send what blind?
ANN. Why, your letter! You have forgotten to write the name of the addressee.
MARY. Indeed, I have. What a stupid thing I am. One moment, Ann. Well, it seems to be all right now.
ANN. Let’s drop the letter into the box first and then go over to the “Poste Restante” window.
7. TELEPHONE
GEORGE (To a passer-by.) Can you tell me where there is a call-box around here?
P. Let me see. There is a booth at — but no, that’ll be too far. Oh, I recollect now that there is one in N. Street. Do you know where N. Street is?
G. Sorry. I’m a stranger in this part of the town.
P. I’m going that way myself. You may come with me, if you wish.
G. Most willingly. Oh, too bad. I have forgotten my friend’s call-number.
P. There must be a directory in the booth. Well, here we are. Step in, please.
G. Oh, yes, here is the directory on the shelf. Thank you.
P. Don’t mention it.
G. I beg your pardon, but haven’t you a decent coin? Mine is too worn and battered; it doesn’t go into the slot.
P. I think I have. Here you are.
G. Thanks awfully.
P. That’s all right. Good-bye.
G. Goodbye. (G. puts a call through.) (This is) George speaking. I would like to speak to Tom, please. — Yes, I’m holding on. — Hello, (is) that you, Tom? — Yes, that’s me. How do you feel now? — That’s good. — Me? Well, I’m toddling along in the same old way. I say, Tom, suppose we go to the football match, eh? — Yes, I have. So, you don’t mind. — Now, where shall we meet? — That’ll suit me. And what about the time? — At six o’clock. But we must meet earlier — Five o’clock? Righto. Well, so long.