[166] In April, 1896, Mr. Lewin Hill, Assistant Secretary to General Post Office, stated that on the basis of the staff of 1896, the Fawcett and Raikes schemes were costing the Post Office Department $6,000,000 a year in increased expenditure. The Postmaster General's statement of an increase of $3,750,000 in the expenditure had been made on the basis of the members actually employed in 1881 and 1891 respectively. _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; q. 12,382 and 15,123. [167] Compare _Report of Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897; Mr. Lewin Hill, Assistant Secretary to General Post Office; q. 15,272. On April 1, 1891, there were employed at 57 of the largest post offices in the United Kingdom, 2,614 first class and second class male letter sorters. In the next 5 years there resigned, in all, 95 sorters. Twelve of that number resigned in order to avoid dismissal. On April 1, 1891, there were employed at 96 of the largest telegraph offices, 4,211 first class and second class male telegraphists. In the next 5 years there were 235 resignations. Of the men who resigned, 12 avoided dismissal, 23 left because of ill health, 38 went to South Africa, 28 obtained superior appointments in the Civil Service, by open competition, 11 enlisted with the Royal Engineers, 1 entered the service of an electric light company, 1 became a bank clerk, 2 became commercial travelers, 3 went to sea, 4 emigrated to the United States, and 48 entered the service of the British Cable companies, which pay higher salaries than the Post Office, but work their men much harder and demand greater efficiency than does the Post Office. [168] _Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Post Office Establishments_, 1897, is the official title of the Committee's Report. CHAPTER X THE TWEEDMOUTH COMMITTEE REPORT The Government accepts all recommendations made by the Committee. Sir Albert K. Rollit, one of the principal champions in the House of Commons of the postal employees, immediately follows with a motion "intended to reflect upon the Report of the Tweedmouth Committee." Mr. Hanbury, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, intimates that it may become necessary to disfranchise the civil servants. The Treasury accepts the recommendations of the so-called Norfolk-Hanbury Committee. The average of expenses on account of wages and salaries rises from 11.54 cents per telegram in 1895-96, to 13.02 cents in 1902-03, concomitantly with an increase in the number of telegrams from 79,423,000 to 92,471,000.