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The Franking Privilege

The Franking Privilege image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
March
Year
1870
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

lhe Fostmaster General in reply to a Seuuto reolutioii says Iho uuniber of blank petitiooa for tbo abolition of the franking pmüege sent out was 75,000, and the nninber of tcoompanjing eircu la's, 28,000. Total oost 8499.C6, which was defrayed by tlio offiuu of tho Con gi-.s ion:il Printer. No part of tlio oxpense wns oharged ogainst uny fund appropriatcd for líie uso of the Postoflice Departmetir. Tbo petitions and circulara wore prepared uüder the direction of tbe Postmaster-General in accordance with bis late message, and in response to wliai wns believcd a very general wish of the people that the frankjng privilege should le abolished. He has returnsf.-oro 454 postofficcs for January, 8'iowins: the number of free letters sent therefrom to have been 606,901. The postage thercoti at tho regular ratea would Lave been 8117,399.73. The weight of free printed matter sent was 316,194 ponndi, and the posrage tbereon at regular ratas would have been 842,334.30. Total oost of freo matter sent frona 451 postoffiees, 8159,734.09. He Baja t is safe to estímalo that it full returns had been received frnm nll the offices for Jut.uary the agaregate amount would have excecded 8200,000, or at the rato of S2 400,000 por annum Al thougb uni.ble to give the faets in de toil, ho says it is notorious that fhs frauds whioh have been perpetrated under c iverof tbe frankiog privilege have beeD euormou. ín timee of excited political oampaigns vaiious parlies Lave not besitated to eaiploy it to transmit whatever of printed matter they may bave wished tú dinseminate. Tlie Postmaster-General adda that tha recent ngitation for repeal luis ncreased tho sales of stamps and stamped envelopos n January $311,332 over the same motnh in 1869. He closes by reiternting bis recommendations for repeal.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus