Jan. 9.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 33

Addressing Correspondence.

14. Much difficulty is experienced in the delivery to their right owners of letters imperfectly addressed, and the Post Office has frequently incurred unjust censure either for unintentionally delivering such letters to wrong persons or for declining the responsibility of delivering them at all. The address of every letter ought to be full and distinct; and, in the case of the larger towns, the name of the street and the number of the house should always form part of the address. The practice of addressing letters to a town only prevails to a large extent, and in such cases the letters are not only liable to suffer delay, but to be lost altogether through being delivered to wrong persons.

Examination of Packets.

15. It is the duty of Postmasters, whenever they have ground for suspecting an infringement of any of the conditions relating to commercial papers, pattern- and sample-packets, newspapers, and printed papers generally, and occasionally even where there is no ground for suspicion, to open and examine packets posted at or passing through their offices.

Exceptional detention of Postal Packets other than Letters.

16. To prevent obstacles to the regular transmission of letters, a Postmaster may, when necessary, delay forwarding any book-packets or newspapers, samples, and parcels until the following despatch.

Circulars.

17. Circulars should be tied in bundles, with all the addresses in one direction, and should be posted early in the day.

PROHIBITED ARTICLES.

1. Any indecent or obscene print, painting, photograph, lithograph, engraving, book, or card, or any other indecent or obscene article, or any letter, newspaper, publication, packet, or card having thereon any words, marks, or designs of an indecent, obscene, libellous, or grossly offensive character; matches of any kind; also any explosive, dangerous or noxious substance, any living creature, excepting live bees and harmless entomological specimens for delivery in the colony, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or anything likely to injure the contents of the mails or any officer of the Post Office.

(Under the Inland Parcel-post, however, fish, meat, game, eggs, &c., razors, scissors, needles, knives, forks, or other sharp instruments, are permitted to be forwarded if so packed as to prevent all risk of injury to other parcels or to the officers of the Post Office. Liquids, or semi-liquids, such as paint, &c., or glass in any form, are also received if so packed as to be secure from breakage.)

2. The transmission by post of gold, silver, precious stones, jewellery, &c., is prohibited in all countries mentioned at Table B, next page, which are not marked (b). Such articles may, however, be sent to such of the countries not so marked as have parcel-post exchanges with New Zealand, except in cases where the Parcel-post Regulations specially exclude their admission. Vine-cuttings, except such as are addressed to the care of the Agricultural Department, are not permitted to be imported into New Zealand; any received through the post, unless so addressed, will be delivered to the Customs.

3. Tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, or snuff cannot be sent to the United Kingdom or New South Wales by letter- or sample-post. The United Kingdom, however, admits samples of unmanufactured tobacco not exceeding 4oz. at a Customs duty of 8d. per package. The introduction into New South Wales of opium by post is prohibited.

4. Pure spirit, articles containing spirit or into the manufacture of which spirit has entered, cannot be sent to the United Kingdom by sample-post.

5. In Luxemburg the registration of packets containing gold, silver, jewellery, &c., is compulsory, and everything of value, except coin or bullion, is liable to duty.

6. In the under-mentioned colonies, viz.,—

Bermuda, Gibraltar, Malta, Sierra Leone,
Ceylon, Hongkong, Montserrat, and
Falkland Islands, Labuan, Newfoundland, Straits Settlements,
Gambia, Lagos, St. Vincent,

articles of value are transmissible, and, with the exception of jewellery addressed to Ceylon, Newfoundland, and St. Vincent, are exempt from Customs duty. Their transmission is also permitted in

Cyprus, Grenada, and Jamaica;

but they are liable to Customs duty, with the exception of gold and specie in Cyprus, gold, silver, and diamonds in Grenada, and diamonds in Jamaica.

7. In France engravings, prints, drawings, and chromo-lithographs are liable to Customs duty, and cannot be sent by post to that country in quantities sufficiently large to have a saleable value, but small quantities can be sent as bonâ fide specimens.

8. In the Dutch East Indies articles of value are admissible, except wrought gold and silver, but the packets containing them must be registered.

9. Special prohibitions in Queensland, the Cape of Good Hope, Italy, Norway, Servia, Transvaal, Dutch East Indies, and United States of America: Anything relating to lotteries.

10. In Italy or other countries sent forward on Italy, letters, if containing gold or silver money, jewels or precious articles, registered or otherwise, are opened, the articles confiscated, and the letters sent on to destination.

11. In Spain and Victoria jewellery is dutiable, and liable to confiscation. Samples of cloth, woven fabrics, felt, and paperhangings addressed to Spain by post must not exceed 40 centimetres in length or width, unless the latter be well defined by a border, when it may be the full width of the piece.

12. Roumania.—Stitched or bound books, being liable to Customs duty, cannot be sent at printed-paper rates.

13. Russia.—Printed matter in the Russian language is prohibited; and even such trifling articles as photographs and Christmas cards are liable to duty, though a single photograph may be sent to Russia by post. All letters or packets containing prohibited or dutiable articles of any kind, however small the value, are confiscated in that country. Russian Government bonds cannot be enclosed in ordinary or registered letters to Russia, and if discovered in correspondence 25 per cent. will be deducted from their amount in Russia as a fine.

14. Sweden and Russia.—Papers impressed for the use of the blind cannot be sent at printed-paper rates.