§ MR. J. P. FARRELLI beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, in view of the large surplus available principally for postal reforms, he will consider the advisability of recommending that all letters posted from the House of Commons during its sittings by Members of Parliament be sent post free, as the present arrangements entails a large tax on most Members for purely Parliamentary correspondence?
§ *THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY,) PrestonThe Act 3 and 4 Vic. cap. 96 expressly abolished the privilege of franking which Members of Parliament had previously enjoyed. I see no good reason why it should be revived even in the modified form suggested by the hon. Member. There is a special and practical objection to that suggestion—that the Postmaster General would have no means of knowing what letters were for purely Parliamentary correspondence.