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1
435
Her Majesty's Mails
·
William Lewins
189
Again:
It
was
strongly
and
frequently
urged
that
correspondence
was
less
secure
than
under
the
old
system.
It
was
said
by
the
Post-Office
officials,
that
the
system
of
prepayment
operated
prejudicially
against
the
security
of
valuable
letters.
Under
the
old
régime
it
was
argued,
the
postman
was
charged
with
a
certain
number
of
unpaid
letters,
and
every
such
letter,
so
taxed,
was
a
check
upon
him.
"What
security,"
it
was
now
asked,
"can
there
be
for
the
delivery
of
letters
for
which
the
letter-carriers
are
to
bring
back
no
return?"
With
prepaid
letters,
it
was
said,
there
was
great
temptation,
unbounded
opportunity
for
dishonesty,
and
no
check.
To
some
extent,
and
so
far
as
letters
containing
coin
or
other
articles
of
value
were
concerned,
there
were
some
grounds
for
these
remarks.
It
is
a
great
question
whether,
in
the
case
of
valuable
letters,
the
dishonest
postman
would
be
discouraged
from
a
depredation
by
the
thought
that
he
would
have
the
postage
of
the
letter
to
account
for;
but
still,
freedom
from
all
such
considerations,
under
the
new
system,
would
clearly
seem
to
increase
the
risks
which
the
public
would
have
to
run.
Previously
to
the
penny
postage
era,
all
letters
containing,
or
supposed
to
contain,
coin
or
jewellery,
were
registered
gratuitously
at
the
Post-Office
as
a
security
against
their
loss.
Under
the
new
system,
it
was
considered
impracticable
to
continue
the
service,
and
the
Post-Office
authorities,
with
the
sanction
of
the
Treasury,
dropped
it
altogether.
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