JULY 7.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 985

7. Letters, &c., from places beyond the colony, which have not been regularly posted at the office of despatch, are charged on delivery with full postage as from the country of origin, unless they are letters which it is not compulsory by law to send by post, in which case the inland letter rate only will be collected.

8. Letters containing valuable articles should invariably be registered. If any unregistered letter is discovered to contain coin or bank-notes, it will be compulsorily registered and surcharged 6d.

9. Letters addressed to or forwarded by any non-commissioned officer, members of the Cape regular service, army schoolmaster (not of the first class), army schoolmistress, soldier, or seaman, while actually employed in Her Majesty’s service, may be transmitted within the colony, and between the colony and the Australian Colonies, India, British Ports in the Mediterranean, and the United Kingdom, at a charge of 1d. each; and to any post office within the British Dominions, via the United Kingdom, by British mail packet, at 2d. each, provided that the following regulations are observed:—
   (a.) Each letter must not exceed ½ oz. in weight.
   (b.) If sent by any such privileged person, it must be superscribed with the name of the writer, his description or class in the regiment or vessel, and signed by the officer at the time in command.
   (c.) If addressed to any such privileged person, his description or class in the regiment or vessel must be specified thereon.
   (d.) If posted within the colony, the postage must be prepaid.
   Letters of this description posted or received in the colony, not in accordance with the foregoing regulations, or if addressed to foreign countries, will be treated as ordinary letters.

10. For particulars as to letters not accepted for transmission, see “Articles not allowed to be sent by post,” page 991.

POST-CARDS.

1. The rates of postage are—
   For delivery within the Colony, Australia, and the South Sea Islands (see Table A, page 981)
   Each single post-card, 1d.
   Each reply-paid post-card, 2d.
   For delivery in any other country (see Table B, pages 981 to 984)
   Each single Postal Union post-card, 1½d.
   Each reply-paid Postal Union post-card, 3d.

   (Postal Union post-cards will be applicable to any of the countries mentioned at Table B, pages 981 to 984. Until these are printed and issued, the present Inland and Australian post-cards may be used in their stead, by affixing a ½d. stamp next the printed stamp on “single,” and on each half of the “reply-paid” cards).

2. No post-cards other than those issued by the Government, or private post-cards stamped by the Government under the special authority of the Postmaster-General, can be used for the purpose of making a communication through the Post Office, unless such cards be prepaid the ordinary letter rate.

3. Private cards will be received from the public, and impressed with the penny postage-stamp, under the following conditions: A week’s notice is to be given by the applicant, and a sample of the card to be used to be forwarded for the Postmaster-General’s inspection. None but cards of approved quality and colour will be accepted. Each sheet must be of the size of 22in. by 15in., and must not exceed 2oz. in weight. Not fewer than fifty sheets of card can be received at one time. On each sheet presented for impression, the applicant’s name or monogram is to be embossed or printed, and any printing must be thoroughly dry. Cards when impressed will be returned to the applicant in sheets of twenty-one impressions. No fee will be charged for stamping. Cash must accompany all cards to be impressed. No commission will be allowed upon private cards impressed for licensed vendors.

4. Post-cards must be sent unenclosed. The face is reserved for the postage-stamp, for inscriptions relating to the Postal Service — such as “Registered,” “Acknowledgment of Delivery,” etc.—and for the address, which may be written, or shown on a gummed label, not exceeding 2in. in length by 1in. in width.
   The sender has also the option of indicating his name and address on the face or on the back of the card, either in writing or by means of a stamp, autograph-stamp, or any other typographical process.
   On the reverse side, any communication, whether in the nature of a letter or otherwise, may be written, printed, engraved, or designed, except as provided in section 6. Excepting stamps for prepayment, and the address-labels above-mentioned, nothing whatever must be joined or attached to a post-card, unless it be addressed for delivery within the colony, in which case a receipt-stamp may be affixed to the back.

5. The reply-half of a post-card received from any place outside of the colony can only be sent without extra charge to the country in which it originated; if addressed to any other country it is treated as an unpaid letter. Each of the two halves must fulfil the conditions laid down for single post-cards; one half is doubled over the other, and they must not be closed up in any manner whatsoever.

6. Any post-card exhibiting anything of an obscene, libellous, or obviously objectionable character will be detained and sent to the Dead Letter Office.

7. Post-cards infringing any of the above rules, except the last, are treated as unpaid letters.