Jan. 8.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 15

the earnings of men employed by the Government on road-making and other works.

Public Works orders.

32. Public Works orders are printed on paper of pale-green colour, and are issued by officers specially authorised by the Public Works Department. These orders, which are subject to payment of the ordinary inland rates of commission, will be entered by the issuing officer on a statement (Form Acct. No. 27). This statement, together with the advices of the orders and a cheque or cash for their total value, plus commission, will be forwarded to the Postmaster in charge of the nearest money-order office, who on receipt will compare the advices with the entries on the statement, and, when satisfied of their agreement, he will countersign, date-stamp, and forward the advices to the respective paying offices. The Postmaster will then copy the particulars from the original statement furnished to him by the Public Works officer into his Money-order Issue Statement for the period during which they are received.

(a.) Each order must be entered in its proper numerical sequence, with the letters “P.W.” written in the column headed “Country.” The original statement, received with the advices, is then to be filed in lieu of the usual requisitions.

Department of Roads orders.

33. Orders of the Department of Roads are printed on paper of salmon colour, and the issue thereof is governed by the rules applicable to Public Works orders in every respect. The letters “L. & S.” must be written against the entry of each order in the Money-order Issue Statement.

ISSUE OF FREE MONEY-ORDERS FOR GOVERNMENT REMITTANCES, ETC.

Orders issued for Government Departments without commission being charged at time of issue.

34. Free money-orders may be issued by Postmasters subject to the following conditions:—

Description of orders which may be so issued. Land revenue remittances.

(a.) All remittances from the public to the Receiver of Land Revenue on account of land may be made by means of money-orders issued free of commission charge. No documentary evidence of the right to apply for such orders will be necessary, but they must invariably be made payable to the Receiver of Land Revenue in his official capacity, otherwise commission at ordinary inland rates will be payable. The Postmaster must write in the commission column of his Money-order Issue Statement the letters “C.L.” as an explanation of the non-charge for commission on such orders.

(b.) To facilitate the refund of the deposits made in connection with applications for land under “The Land for Settlements Act, 1894,” the orders should be made payable at the same office as they are issued at. The Postmaster at the issuing office should explain, as the reason for doing so, that repayment will thereby be facilitated in the event of the applicant being unsuccessful.

Post and telegraph remittances by free money-orders.

(c.) Free money-orders may be issued on the business of the Post and Telegraph Department, but there must be special authority in each case for such issue. The letters “O.P.S.O.” must be written in the commission column as an explanation of the non-charge for commission on such orders. The registered number (if available) of the paper containing the authority should also be given.

PAYMENT OF MONEY-ORDERS.

Orders not to be paid unless advice received.

35. The Postmaster must not pay a money-order unless he has received the corresponding advice; and, in case of orders issued abroad, payment must not be made unless the advice bears the stamp of the Chief or Head Office of the issuing country, as well as the stamp of the Chief Office in New Zealand at which the advice is first received.

Orders issued in the United States.

36. Upon orders issued in the United States of America, and the relative advices, the amount payable will be found stated both in United States and British currency.

(a.) In effecting payment, however, the Postmaster must be guided solely by the advice, which, if genuine, will bear an impressed certificate to the following effect:—

Value of United States Order.

£ s. d.

San Francisco, Cal.,

……………, 19 .

(b.) The amount in British money thus certified must be paid and claimed, and if it differs from the amount in British money stated upon the order a note must be made under that amount in figures, thus:—

“Paid, as per advice, £ s. d.”

Orders issued in Canada.

37. Upon orders issued in the Dominion of Canada—i.e., in British Columbia, Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Prince Edward’s Island—the amount will be found stated in Canadian money only, but the relative advices, if genuine, will bear an impressed certificate, thus:—

Value of Order in English Money.

£ s. d.

Victoria, B.C.,

……………, 19 .

(a.) The amount in British money stated upon the advice must be paid and claimed, and that amount must be entered on the order in the blank space provided immediately above the amount in figures in Canadian money.

Advices must bear stamped certificate of amount.

38. Should the Postmaster receive an advice of either a United States money-order or a Canadian money-order from which the stamped certificate of the amount in British money is omitted, he must at once forward the advice to his Chief Postmaster, and refuse payment of the relative order until he receives instructions as to the amount actually payable.

Advices received: How to be dealt with.

39. All money-order advices must be examined immediately on their receipt, to see that they relate to orders payable at the Postmaster’s office, and are in all respects regular, and bear the stamp of the office of issue. The advices must then be stamped by the Postmaster on the back with the date of receipt, and kept until the corresponding orders are presented for payment or have become void. (See Rule 54.) The advices must be kept in alphabetical order, according to the names of the issuing offices. Care must be taken to guard against the loss of these important documents. With this view, and to prevent their disarrangement, they should be held together by a letter-clip or by a weight, and kept under lock and key.

Special instructions as to advices of old date.

40. Should an advice of back date be received it must not be sorted away until the advices on hand and the Paid Order Statement or Journal from the date of such advice have been examined, in order to ascertain whether a “second” or “corrected” advice may not already have been received.

“Second” and “corrected” advices.

41. Should a “second” or “corrected” advice be received the original advice must be attached thereto. When more than one advice has been received, payment must be made from the advice of latest date.

Stopping payment of order.

42. Should an application for stoppage of payment be received from the payee or remitter of a money-order payable at the Postmaster’s office, he must provisionally comply with such application; but he must at once report the case, enclosing the application, if in writing, to his Chief Postmaster. To prevent payment being made he should make a clear and distinct note across the face of the advice to the effect that payment is stopped. When the application is personal, unless the letter containing the order is alleged to have been lost in its passage through the post, the Postmaster must demand a second commission, to be transmitted in postage-stamps with his report.

Payment of money-orders.

43. When a money-order is presented for payment the Postmaster must first see that the corresponding advice has been received, and that the date, number, and amount entered on the order agree with those of the advice, and (unless the order is paid through a bank) that the signature of the payee be as full as the name given in the advice, with the exception of the Christian or fore name, which, even when advised in full, may be taken in initial. Thus, an order advised “John Joseph Smith” may be receipted “J. J. Smith,” or in full; and one advised “J. J. Smith” may be receipted “John Joseph Smith”; but, unless the payee is known to the Postmaster, the receipt must always contain, either in initial or in full, such Christian names as are advised, and no others. Any prefix to a signature, such as “Messrs.,” “Mr.,” “Revd.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss,” &c., is irregular, and the payee should be directed to strike out the signature and sign the order afresh without the prefix. Should a prefix to the name of the payee be given in the advice the usual signature may be accepted, provided there is no doubt as to the payee’s identity.