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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
154
The
Post-office
always
had
a
great
deal
of
trouble
in
controlling
and
keeping
in
check
this
system
of
franking;
and
withal,
the
privilege
was
much
abused.
Before
the
year
1764,
members
of
Parliament
had
merely
to
write
their
names
on
the
covers
to
ensure
their
correspondence
free
passage
through
the
post;
and
packets
of
such
franks
were
furnished
by
the
members
to
their
friends,
who
laid
them
past
for
use
as
occasion
required.
Nay,
more,--a
trade
was
carried
on
in
franks
by
the
servants
of
members,
whose
practice
it
was
to
ask
their
masters
to
sign
them
in
great
numbers
at
a
time.
It
was
even
suspected,
and
probably
with
sufficient
reason,
that
franks
were
forged
to
a
large
extent;
and,
had
postage
been
paid
on
all
franked
correspondence,
it
is
estimated
that
the
Revenue
would
have
been
increased
by
L170,000.
In
the
hope
of
imposing
some
greater
check
on
the
evil,
it
was
enacted
in
1763
that
the
whole
superscription
must
be
in
the
handwriting
of
the
member;
but
even
this
proved
inadequate,
and
further
restrictions
were
imposed
in
1784
and
1795.
Some
very
difficult
and
troublesome
questions
arose
from
time
to
time
in
dealing
with
member's
letters.
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