We believe Dr. Hancock went somewhat further than this, by calling the attention of the Post Office authorities to the matter though, as he presented no distinct scheme to their consideration, it is not very wonderful that the question should rest where he left it. Though Dr. Hancock does not seem ever to have gone so far as to propose "the opening of banks for the poor in connexion with the Money Order Office," much less to develop a plan which should have that end in view--a construction which has been put upon his references to the Post Office machinery,[157]--it is only fair to that gentleman to say that he was one of the first to recognise the merits of such a measure when it was proposed, and to urge its full adoption. Another name, which has in our opinion been very unnecessarily and erroneously connected with the early history of Post Office Banks, is that of Mr. Ayrton, the member for the Tower Hamlets. To all who remember the strong opposition which Mr. Ayrton offered, not only to the project when before Parliament, but previously to other reasonable reforms in the Savings Bank institution, this association of his name with the origination of the present plan must be very amusing; and yet this is an error into which several have fallen, though traceable, perhaps, to one source.[158] Mr. Ayrton certainly seems to have had a notion, though not till 1858, that the Post Office might be more useful to Savings Banks than it was; and in the Committee of that year, of which he was a member, he asked one of the witnesses--who was actuary to a bank that had several branches in country places--a series of questions, with the object of eliciting the opinion that it would be an advantage to Savings Banks if money orders could be procured in country places at a cheaper rate than 3_d._ and 6_d._, when any person desired to send a Savings Bank deposit to an adjacent town.[159] In the draft report proposed by Mr. Ayrton after the close of the investigation (which was not carried), the following clause appeared:--"That the Committee recommend the Postmaster-General to afford every facility practicable for the remittance of money to Savings Banks, but they do not deem legislation in this respect expedient;" and in our humble view it would have been exceedingly cool if they had! There can be no question that this simple incident has given rise to the misapprehension to which we have just alluded.