罗兰·希尔与近代英国邮政改革

Rowland Hill and the modern British postal reform

19世纪30年代,罗兰·希尔开始在英国进行邮政改革。改革的主要措施是降低邮资,实行统一的便士邮政,以及邮资预付的制度。希尔的邮政改革是19世纪上半叶英国改革时代的一个侧影,他希望以邮政改革促进信息的传递,进而推动经济发展和社会交往,提高民众的受教育水平,实现社会公平。通过希尔的改革,英国的邮政逐步变成了廉价高效、普通百姓能享受的公共服务,促进了英国经济与社会的发展,奠定了英国乃至世界现代邮政的基础,为其他国家的邮政发展提供了可资效仿的经验。

In the 1830s, Rowland Hill started his postal reform in Britain. His major measures includ-ed postage reduction, uniform penny post and prepaid postal system. HilPs postal reform exemplifies the British reform era in the first half of the 19th century. He hoped that the reform would help the transmission of information for further promotion of economic development and social interaction, raise people,s educa-tional level and achieve social justice. The reform had turned the British postal service gradually into a cheap but efficient public service which ordinary people can enjoy. And it had promoted the economic and social development, laid the foundation of modem British postal system, and provided example for other countries.