Dec. 17. THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2603

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Privilege of Postmaster-General.

13. Any person conveying (otherwise than by the post) a letter not exempted from the exclusive privilege of the Postmaster-General incurs, by law, a penalty of £20 for every letter so conveyed.

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, grossly offensive, or objectionable character (including in the term “objectionable character” the word “Debt,” or any other word or words indicating that the postal packet relates to a debt or liability for money, except the usual form of invoice or account); 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 (see section 17, page 11, “Patterns and Samples”), or anything likely to injure the contents of the mails or any officer of the Post Office, are detained and transmitted to the Dead Letter Office, to be there dealt with as undelivered. Bottles or packages of liquid as clinical specimens for examination or analysis cannot be admitted into the post for the United Kingdom. If any such are detected passing through the post they will not be sent on. (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.)

Every person who posts fire, or a match, or light, or any explosive, dangerous, or destructive substance or fluid, or any matter or thing likely to injure any postal packet or any person, is liable to imprisonment for seven years.

2. The transmission by post of gold, silver, precious stones, jewellery, &c., is prohibited in all countries mentioned (at pages 25 to 29) in the “List of British and Foreign Countries,” &c., following, 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.