476
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 23

the whole or greater part of which is produced by means of ordinary type, engraving, lithography, or any other mechanical process.

May be posted with or without a cover. If sent without a cover, the address to be written on the face of the circular, and, if folded, to be folded in such a manner as to admit of its being easily examined (it shall not be fastened with anything adhesive). If enclosed in a cover or envelope the cover shall be entirely open at one end or side, or the fly of the envelope turned inside instead of gummed over.

If posted unpaid, or addressed to any place requiring delivery through a second post office (not a branch suburban office), or otherwise not complying with these regulations, shall be detained and sent to the Dead Letter Office for disposal.

PATTERN AND SAMPLE AND PACKET POST.

Inland.

(1.) The postage is one penny not exceeding two ounces; twopence not exceeding four ounces; and one penny for every additional two ounces or fraction of two ounces.

(2.) No packet shall exceed two feet in length or one foot in width or depth, nor shall it exceed five pounds in weight; any packet exceeding these dimensions or weight will, if it cannot be returned to the sender, be advertised for one month, and, if not claimed then, be sent to the Dead Letter Office.

(3.) A pattern sample or parcel packet may contain patterns, samples, or articles of merchandise, goods sent for sale or in execution of an order, or any articles sent by one private individual to another, except such as are forbidden by section (8), and by the two last paragraphs at end of these regulations; seeds, cuttings, bulbs, roots, and scions may also be forwarded.

(4.) There must be no writing or printing on the packet or its cover in addition to the address of the person for whom the packet is intended, except the address of the sender and the nature of the contents, a trade mark and numbers, and the prices of the articles; otherwise the packet will be charged double letter postage. The name and address of the sender of any parcel should invariably be given, so that, if for any reason the packet cannot be forwarded or delivered, it may be returned to the sender.

(5.) There must be no enclosure other than the articles themselves. The particulars which are allowed to be furnished under the preceding rule, as to the trade marks and numbers, and the prices of the articles, must in all cases be given, not on loose pieces of paper, but on the covers, or on small labels attached to the articles or the bags containing them. Should this rule be infringed, the packet will be charged double letter postage.

(6.) A pattern, sample, or parcel packet must be sent in a stout and durable cover, open at the ends, so as to be easy of examination. Seeds, drugs, &c., may be enclosed in tin boxes, or in bags of linen, or other material, fastened in such a manner that they may be readily opened, or, in the case of seeds, in bags entirely closed, provided that they are transparent, so that the officers of the department may be able to satisfy themselves as to the nature of the contents. If this rule be infringed, the packet will be charged double letter postage.

(7.) Insufficiently paid or wholly unpaid packets will be charged with double the deficiency and forwarded.

(8.) Packets or parcels containing gold, silver, jewellery, &c., cannot be forwarded under the inland pattern and sample and parcel post regulations, but they may be sent as registered letters.

Foreign.

(1.) The rates of postage to the United Kingdom, Australian Colonies, United States, Canada and other British-American places, India, &c., are those given in the Table of Rates of Postage, Postal and Telegraph Guide No. 50, of 1st April, 1866.

(2.) A foreign packet is a bonâ fide pattern or sample of merchandise. Goods sent for sale or in execution of an order, or any articles sent by one private individual to another, which are not actually patterns or samples, are not admissible, except for the United Kingdom, India, and Victoria. No package can be transmitted containing fluids or articles of similar nature except under the rules of inland pattern post, nor may anything dangerous or offensive be sent.

(3.) No packet shall exceed eight inches in length, four inches in width, and two inches in depth, and eight ounces in weight, for places within the Postal Union, except the United Kingdom and India. Packets, however, for Belgium, France, Greece, Luxemburg, Portugal, Switzerland, the Argentine Republic, and the United States are accepted up to one foot in length, eight inches in width, four inches in depth, and twelve ounces in weight; shall not exceed two feet in length, and one foot in width or depth, and five pounds in weight. For New South Wales, Queensland, and Fiji the limit is three pounds in weight. Packets exceeding these weights and dimensions shall be detained, advertised, and returned to the sender, if possible; otherwise sent to the Dead Letter Office after being kept a week.

(4.) There must be no writing or printing on the packet or its cover in addition to the address of the person for whom the packet is intended, except the address of the sender, a trade mark and numbers, and the prices of the articles; otherwise the packet will be treated as a letter.

(5.) There must be no enclosure other than the samples or articles. The particulars which are allowed to be furnished under the preceding rule must in all cases be given not on loose pieces of paper, but on the covers or on small labels attached to the samples or the bags containing them, or the packet will be treated as a letter.

(6.) The articles must be sent in covers open at the ends, so as to be easy of examination. Samples, however, of seeds, drugs, &c., may be enclosed in boxes, or in bags of linen, or other material, fastened in such a manner that they may be readily opened, or, in the case of samples of seeds, in bags entirely closed (see section 8), provided that they are transparent, so that the officers of the department may be able to satisfy themselves as to the nature of the contents. If this rule be infringed, the packet will be treated as a letter.

(7.) Insufficiently prepaid packets are charged with double the deficiency and then forwarded; and wholly unpaid are detained and sent to the Dead Letter Office.

(8.) Bags entirely closed, even though they be transparent, must not be used for the transmission of seeds to any foreign country except the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Holland and its possessions, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and its possessions, and Switzerland; and samples of intrinsic value must not be sent to foreign countries.

In order to prevent any interruption to the regular transmission of letters, a packet may, when it is necessary, be kept back by any Postmaster until the following despatch.

The rule which forbids the transmission through the post of any article which might injure the contents of the mailbags or the officers of the Post Office is so far relaxed as to permit the transmission of scissors, knives, razors, forks, steel pens, nails, keys, watch machinery, metal tubing, pieces of metal or ore, and such-like, provided that they be packed and guarded in so secure a manner as to afford complete protection to the contents of the mailbags and officers of the Post Office, while at the same time they may be easily examined. If any packet containing such articles as these be posted which is found not to be sufficiently guarded, it will be detained, and a notice of its detention will be sent to the person to whom it is addressed or to the sender, who may then obtain it upon personal application. If not claimed within one month, it is sent to the Dead Letter Office.

Packets containing gunpowder, glass, any perishable substance such as leeches, game, fish, flesh, fruit, vegetables, &c., any liquid (except liquid medicine), matches, or other inflammable or explosive substance, or compound poison, or whatever is dangerous to the mails, or offensive or injurious to the persons dealing with the mails, shall not be transmitted by the post whether as a parcel or otherwise. Postmasters must refuse to transmit by post any packet which shall contain, or be reasonably suspected to contain, any such articles. Liquid medicines strongly packed in tin cases, and marked “Liquid Medicine,” may, however, be posted.

Book Post.

Inland.

(1.) The postage is one penny not exceeding two ounces; twopence not exceeding four ounces; and one penny for every additional two ounces or fraction of two ounces. Book packets which may be insufficiently prepaid, or be by inadvertence posted wholly unpaid, will be forwarded charged with double the deficiency.

(2.) An inland book packet may be sent either without a cover (in which case the book packet must not be fastened, whether by means of gum, wafer, sealing-wax, postage-stamp, or otherwise), or in a cover entirely open at both ends or sides, so as to admit of the contents being easily withdrawn for examination. For the greater security of the contents, the packet may be tied at the ends with string, but in such case Postmasters are authorized to cut the string, even