Excerpt from Household Words, 1852, Vol. 5: A Weekly Journal
The Money-order system has opened up an enormous amount of small traffic. In many country places it has superseded the pedlar, and has lessened the number and variety of those commissions with which any member of a country family is loaded, when he happens to be going into town. Whatever articles may be required by private families, by small manufacturers, or by petty shop keepers, can now be ordered at once from headquarters in apenny letter. The goods are sent, through various conveyances, by the town shopkeeper; and payment for them is made per Post-office orders. Thus, we find that in all the great centres of trade or manu factures, there is a great excess of orders paid, over orders granted. During the year ending on the thirtieth of last September, the excess of payments over receipts, in Birmingham, was ninety-five thousand pounds; in Liver pool, eight thousand pounds; in Manchester, thirty-six thousand five hundred pounds. Th 6 great excess of payments is in the manu facturing towns; for, by the medium of Money-orders and penny postage, the watch maker at Cheltenham or Plymouth can as readily write for, pay for, and obtain by re turn of post from Birmingham, any tool he may require, as if the maker were his neigh hour in the next street. In places, therefore, where trade and manufactures are not the staple; where fashion resorts; or where - as in cathedral cities - pursy respectability vege tates, the excess is the other way. The year’s transactions, at Cheltenham, for exertiple, leave a large balance of orders issued, over orders paid. It is found, in effect, that all small Money-order offices issue more orders than they pay.
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