304
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

should be found to arise from lax supervision, by
his superior officer.

59. In transferring registered letters from hand
    to hand, the check should consist in each officer
    obtaining a receipt or acquittance from the person
    to whom he transfers the letters; and it is the
    duty of every Postmaster to see that this essential
    check is not neglected.

60. In every office there should be a registered
    letter locker for the secure deposit of registered
    letters which await despatch or delivery; the key,
    during office hours, to be in possession of the officer
    appointed to this duty, but it must be in the
    custody of the Postmaster when the office is closed.
    The careless detention of letters in the locker will
    be regarded as a serious offence, and punished
    accordingly.

61. Letters may be registered at any Post Office
    during the ordinary office hours, and for despatch
    by any mail until within one hour before the
    closing of such mail. It is the duty of the officer
    who registers a letter to see that the proper amount
    of postage and registration fee in postage stamps
    is affixed to the letter.

62. To the person who presents a letter for
    registration a receipt must be given on the proper
    form (No. 20), a transcript of which must be made
    in a book to be kept for that purpose. The letter
    must be date-stamped, and the word "Registered"
    written in red ink at the left hand top corner on
    the front side: the letter must then be tied with
    green tape (see Rule 68), and deposited in the
    locker until it is time to make up the mail in which
    it is to be despatched; and the despatching officer
    will be responsible that he obtains the letter from
    the locker.

63. Registered letters for places beyond the
    Colony, and for Chief Post Offices and Post Offices
    within the Colony, must be enclosed in registered
    letter bags or covers, and accompanied with the
    proper lists, on which must be entered the addresses
    and registry numbers of the registered letters.
    Registered letters for sub-offices must be enclosed
    in the lists containing their addresses, and tied
    with the letter-bill; in each case the total number
    of registered letters must also be entered in the
    proper place on the letter-bills. The lists must
    be dated and signed by the receiving officer, and
    returned to the despatching office by the first
    opportunity.

64. Postmasters will carefully collect all letters
    unquestionably containing coin, and which have
    not been registered; the addresses of such letters
    as may be directed to places within the Colony
    must be entered in the registry book, also the
    names of the officers who first observe them, and
    how they are disposed of. The letters must then
    be subjected to compulsory registration, and taxed
    with a double registration fee of one shilling, and
    treated in all other respects as registered letters.
    Letters of this class addressed to places beyond
    the Colony must not be registered, but the words
    "supposed to contain coin," should be written in
    red ink on the front of the letters, the addresses
    entered on the letter-bills as property letters, and
    the letters themselves pinned or in some other
    way attached to the letter-bill.

65. Postmasters are not allowed to comply
    with any application for the return of the com-
    pulsory registration fee charged on a letter, which
    on delivery may be found not to contain coin,
    without the authority of the Secretary, to whom
    the facts of the case must be specially reported.

66. If it should be necessary to erase or alter
    the entry of any letter on the list or letter-bill,
    the erasure or alteration must be attested by the
    initials of the officer who makes it; but, when
    practicable, it is better to substitute a fresh list
    or bill with the entries correctly made.

67. An officer who despatches or who opens a
    bag containing registered letters should so com-
    pletely satisfy himself as to the agreement
    between the entries on the list and the bill and
    the registered letters to which they refer, as to
    be able, if required, to make affidavit on the
    subject.

68. Registered letters must be distinguished
    from ordinary correspondence by having the word
    "Registered" legibly written in red ink on the
    left hand top corner of the front side of the
    letters (see Rule 62), and by being tied with green
    tape. The tape must be tied over the ends and
    round the middle of the letters, and after being
    looped wherever it crosses, must be tightly tied
    in a fast knot at the back of the letters, so that
    the knots may not interfere with the addresses.
    Letters containing money or postage stamps,
    passing between a Chief Postmaster and a Post-
    master or Sub-Postmaster, must not be registered
    nor tied with green tape, but must be entered on
    the letter-bill as property letters.

69. When a letter which ought to be tied with
    green tape is observed to be without the tape it
    must at once be properly tied, and the report
    to the Secretary of the omission must state that
    this has been done.

70. The tape must not be used wastefully or
    for any other purpose than that for which it is
    supplied. Each letter will require, on an average,
    twenty-four inches of tape. Postmasters and
    Sub-Postmasters are supplied with green tape
    by their Chief Postmasters, who must keep an
    account of the quantities supplied to each Post-
    master and Sub-Postmaster.

71. Registered letters are not liable to be sur-
    charged on account of deficient postage; the
    officers who receive them being responsible that
    the proper amount of postage and fee is prepaid
    at the time of registration. With the exception
    therefore of letters registered under the provisions
    of Rule 64, and of re-directed registered letters
    (see Rule 57), all registered letters must be
    delivered free.

72. When a registered letter is received from a
    Post Office not subordinate to the receiving office,
    not bearing stamps sufficient for the postage and
    fee, the letter must be delivered, and the case
    reported to the Secretary, stating the deficiency.

73. When a registered letter is received from a
    subordinate office to the receiving office insuf-
    ficiently prepaid, the requisite additional stamps
    must be affixed to the letter, and the deficiency
    obtained from the despatching Postmaster.

74. A forward registered letter, in passing
    through an office, must be carefully checked from
    its receipt to its despatch, it should be date
    stamped on the back, and the address entered
    in a book provided for the purpose, which should