1286
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 64

Inland Letters.

Letters for places within New Zealand, insufficiently prepaid, are forwarded charged with double the deficient postage.

Late letters, whether posted at the Post Office, on board steamers, or in railway vans, must bear the full postage and late fee. If posted unpaid, or insufficiently prepaid, they will not be despatched from the Post Office till the next mail, but if posted on board steamers or in the railway vans they will be charged, on delivery, with double the deficient postage, or late fee.

Letters redirected from one part of the colony to another are chargeable with fresh rates of postage, as if posted for the first time—prepayment optional.

Consignees’ Letters.

Consignees’ letters, when received loose from vessels for delivery through the Post Office, are forwarded at the Inland rate of postage (twopence per half-ounce), whether for town or country delivery.

If posted altogether unpaid, will be taxed at the rate of twopence per half-ounce, and, if insufficiently prepaid, simply the deficiency.

The words “Consignees’ Letter,” or “Consignee,” must be superscribed on the face of such letters.

Letters for Places beyond the Colony.

For the rates of postage to British Colonies and Foreign Countries see page 1275.

Letters for

Canada
Cape Town
Ceylon
Hawaiian Islands
Hongkong
India

Japan
Mauritius
New South Wales
Queensland
Seychelles
South Australia

Straits Settlements
Tasmania
United Kingdom
United States of America
Victoria
Western Australia

although insufficiently prepaid, but if bearing postage stamps of the value of at least one single rate, are forwarded charged with the deficient postage, together with an additional single rate as a fine. Insufficiently prepaid letters for the United Kingdom marked “via Brindisi” or “via Naples,” unless bearing postage stamps of the value of one single rate for such route (i.e., one shilling), are forwarded via San Francisco or by direct contract steamer, charged with the deficiency and fine.

Letters re-directed to

Canada
Cape of Good Hope
Ceylon
Hongkong
India
Indian Archipelago

Japan
Mauritius
Natal
New South Wales
Queensland
Singapore

South Australia
Tasmania
United Kingdom
United States of America
Victoria
Western Australia

are charged with a fresh rate of postage—prepayment optional. The postage on re-directed letters for all other places beyond the Colony must be prepaid.

Re-directed letters received from places beyond the colony, on which the re-direction fee has not been prepaid, are charged full postage rates on delivery.

Letters, &c., from places beyond the Colony, which have not been regularly posted at the place of despatch, are charged with full postage, according to the rates fixed in the Table of Postage Rates for the places from which the letters are received, unless they are letters which it is not compulsory by law to send by post, in which case the Inland letter rate of postage only is charged.

No letter (whether registered or otherwise) containing either gold or silver money, jewels, or precious articles, or any other article whatever liable to Customs duties, can pass through the post to any of the countries comprised within the Postal Union (the United Kingdom excepted), a list of which appears at the end of the table of rates of postage published from time to time in this Guide. Letters for Italy or other countries for delivery through Italian post offices, containing articles in contravention of this rule, are opened, the articles confiscated, and the letters sent on to destination.

Inland Book and Packet Post.

The postage is one penny not exceeding two ounces, and one penny for every additional two ounces or fraction of two ounces.

A packet may be sent either without a cover (in which case it must not be fastened, whether by means of gum, wafer, sealing-wax, postage stamp, or otherwise), or in a cover open, 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 though it be sealed, but if they do so they will again tie up the packet.

Packets exceeding twelve ounces in weight may be sent under the Inland Parcel Post rates.

The following matter is admissible for transmission at packet rates:—Patterns or samples of merchandise, seeds, wedding cake, &c., or articles of any kind (excepting coin and bank notes, which can only be sent in letters that can be transmitted without requiring to be specially packed to guard against breakage or damage to other packets. Packets containing watches, jewellery, and other articles of intrinsic value should be registered for greater safety. Books bound in any form; printed papers of all descriptions, bills of lading, pass-books, insurance forms filled up (except forms of letter not in identical terms to a number of persons), circulars, i.e., letters intended for transmission in identical terms to several persons, whether wholly printed, engraved, lithographed, chromographed, or produced by other mechanical process (when produced otherwise than by ordinary type, or by engraving, the word “Circular” must appear both on the circular and cover), invoices (i.e., advices of goods sent at current date), printed rate notices and receipts from Road Boards and other local Government bodies, legal documents, and any similar papers which do not contain comments or remarks of an actual personal correspondence, valentines, or festival cards, manuscript of books or pamphlets (if plainly superscribed as such on the covers, together with the name of the sender), printers’ proofs (marked as such on the covers), press manuscript intended for publication (provided it be addressed to the office of a newspaper published in the colony and marked on the outside “Press Manuscript”); and packets of old letters in manuscript, provided they are registered, but not otherwise.