314
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

• XXII.-RETURNS.

186. Every Chief Postmaster, and certain Post-
     masters, must transmit to the Inspector the
     following periodical Returns.
     (1.) Monthly.
     A Return of the number and weight of letters, newspapers,
     book-packets, and pattern parcels despatched to and
     received from the United Kingdom via Panama and
     Suez.

(2.) Quarterly.
(1.) The number of letters and newspapers despatched and
received, as follows:-
To and from the office generally.
To and from offices within the Province, in detail.
To and from Chief Post Offices and Post Offices in
other Provinces in detail.
To and from the United Kingdom via Panama and
Suez.
To and from the Australian Colonies, in detail.
To and from all other places, in detail.
(2.) The number, weight, and amount of postage on letters,
&c., transmitted free from prepayment of postage to
places within the Colony, and to places beyond the
Colony, as follows:-
On General Government service.
On Provincial Government service.
On Imperial Government service.
(3). The number of letters registered during the quarter,
with a similar Return for the corresponding quarter
of the previous year as follows:-
Letters addressed to places within the Colony.
Letters addressed to places beyond the Colony.
(4.) The number, commission, and amount of money
orders issued and paid, with a similar Return for the
corresponding quarter of the previous year, as
follows:-
Orders issued on places within the Colony.
Orders issued on the Australian Colonies.
Orders issued on the United Kingdom.
Orders paid, issued within the Colony.
Orders paid, issued in the Australian Colonies.
Orders paid, issued in the United Kingdom.
Number and amount of Orders issued and paid at
each Money Order in the Province.
Number of unissued Money Orders at each office.
(5.) Number of letters posted at each wall or pillar
receiving box
(6.) A. Report of any infringement of the law, or of these
Regulations, which may have come under the Post-
master's observation.
(7.) A Return of all unauthorized persons who may have
been admitted into any Post Office, with a statement
of the circumstances,
(8.) A. Report of any circumstances or occurrences which
the Postmaster may deem worthy of special notice.

(3.) Annually.
(1.) A. Return for the year of the articles enumerated in
the quarterly Returns, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4.
(2.) A. Return of all Post Offices and Postal Officers
within each Province, stating the officers' names,
salaries, dates of appointment, and the increase or
decrease of the correspondence to and from each office
as compared with the previous year.
(3.) A Return of all officers under bond, showing the
amounts, and whether the sureties are alive, solvent,
or resident in the Colony, or the premiums on
guaranteed bonds are paid.
(4.) A. Return of all mail contracts within the Province,
the length in miles of each one way, the offices served
by each, the frequency and mode of conveyance, the
cost of each service, the rate per mile, and the cost of
the previous contract. Also, the number of miles any
run into another Province.
187. Printed forms are supplied for each of
these Returns, and they must be compiled and
forwarded as early as possible after the expiry of
the month, quarter, or year, as the case may be.
Should there be no particulars to record under
any of these heads, a blank form must nevertheless
be signed and sent.

XXIII.-MISCELLANEOUS RULES.
188. No information must be given respecting
letters, &c., which pass through a Post Office
except to the persons to whom they are addressed.
No officer must make public any official commu-
nication whch he may receive, unless he should
be directed to do so, nor must he make known
information which he may obtain by means of his
office.
189. Any Post Officer who shall receive in any
form a reward or gratuity for affording preferential
advantages in the delivery or posting of letters,
&c.; and any Post Officer cognizant of such
practice, who shall connive at, or fail at once to
report the same, shall be liable to a fine not
exceeding ten pounds, and may in addition,
should it appear necessary, be summarily dis-
missed.
190. No unauthorized person must be admitted
into the interior of any Post Office, nor into any
part of the Post Office building, unless on business
relating to the Post Office; and any Postmaster or
other Post Officer permitting or conniving at the
infringement of this rule shall be liable to a
penalty of five pounds on account of every person
so admitted, and shall incur the serious displeasure
of the Postmaster-General.
191. Any letter or packet observed to be open
or imperfectly sealed, excepting, of course, those
which are obviously intended to be sent open,
must be carefully refastened with wax, which
must be impressed with the office seal, care being
taken that the wax is not placed upon the original
seal or fastening of the letter; and the words
"Found open," or "Imperfectly sealed," with the
initials of the officer who deals with it, must be,
written near the seal.
192. Any money, jewellery, undefaced postage
stamps, or any article of value found loose in the
letter box or in a mail bag, must be transmitted
forthwith to the Dead Letter Office, with a report
stating precisely where and how it was found;
and any such article, not the property of the
Postmaster or of his officers, found in any part
of the office, must be treated in a similar manner.
The letter in which it is sent must be entered on
the letter-bill as a property letter.
193. A Postmaster is required to see that all
bags and pouches used at his office are in proper
repair. When requisite, he must cause them to
be mended by his messenger, if he have one. A
careful record should be kept of all bags in use at
the office, so that each Postmaster may be able to
account for the bags he may have received.
194. Pillar and wall letter boxes are erected
for the convenience of persons living at a distance
from a Post Office; and when a Postmaster is of
opinion that it is necessary to establish new
boxes, or to remove existing boxes to more
convenient localities, he should report to the
Secretary. Care must be taken that the hours of
collecting are correctly stated on the boxes; and
on no account are they to be cleared before the
appointed time. The hour of collection should be
regulated by the town clock. One of the two
keys which are supplied for each box must be
kept by the Postmaster, while the other should
not be left in the hands of the collecting officer
longer than is absolutely necessary, but should be
hung up in the office in a place appointed for the
purpose.