Dec. 20.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3287

5. The “Official” overprinted stamps shall on no account be used for prepaying other than official correspondence or telegrams, and no officer or other person shall exchange “Official” stamps for cash, or for stamps of the ordinary issue. Any officer disposing of unused “Official” stamps for stamp-collecting purposes or otherwise shall be liable to a fine of £5 for the first offence, and to dismissal for any subsequent offence. This regulation shall not, however, apply to officers of the Post and Telegraph Department, who may, in the execution of their duty, supply “Official” stamps to the International Bureau of the Postal Union at Berne for distribution to Postal Administrations, or to such officials and persons as may be specially authorised by the Postmaster-General.

6. Unpaid or short-paid official letters, &c., addressed to Government Departments shall be surcharged the actual deficiency without fine. Such matter, and also “Collect” telegrams, shall be delivered on an acknowledgment of the sum due on a form to be provided for the purpose, and the amount subsequently claimed by the Post Office.

7. “Collect” telegrams on public business addressed to His Excellency the Governor or His Majesty’s Ministers shall be delivered in ordinary course; the envelopes to be marked “Official,” and initialled by His Excellency, or the Minister, or by an officer designated by him, and then handed to the message-boy delivering the telegram.

8. Government Departments receiving from the public large numbers of letters which should not be prepaid by the senders may, by arrangement with the Post Office, issue printed envelopes bearing, in place of a postage-stamp, the words “Official, Paid,” and the value of such mail matter shall be paid by the Department concerned as under clause 6. Any such envelope issued shall bear besides the words “Official, Paid,” a printed or written address, or a suitable superscription, and shall be used only for such address, or in respect to the business indicated by the superscription.

9. Letters, ordinary or registered, posted by or to the public, which are permitted to pass free under any Act of Parliament shall be marked “Official, Paid” at the office of posting.

10. Government and public-service telegrams not complying with these regulations may be refused transmission.

11. The special stamps now in use by the Government Insurance Department shall cease to be issued, and replaced by the stamps overprinted “Official.”

12. In lieu of prepayment of letters and telegrams by adhesive “Official” stamps, the postage may be indicated by an imprint made by any automatic stamping and recording machine which shall be approved by the Postmaster-General. The use of such machines shall also be subject to such conditions as the Postmaster-General may prescribe in each case. By direction of the Postmaster-General.

W. GRAY,
Secretary,
General Post Office,
1st December, 1906.

CROWN LANDS NOTICES.

Rural Lands in Southland Land District open for Sale or Selection.

District Lands Office, Invercargill, 6th December, 1906.

NOTICE is hereby given that the undermentioned lands will be open for sale or selection, at this office, on the 13th March, 1907, under the provisions of Part III of “The Land Act, 1892,” and section 2 of “The Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1903.”

1. The said lands may be purchased for cash, or be selected for occupation with right of purchase, or on lease in perpetuity: provided that in the case of lands containing or supposed to contain any metal, mineral, or valuable stone, they shall be selected on lease in perpetuity only and shall not be purchased for cash.

2. For the purposes of “The Bush and Swamp Crown Lands Settlement Act, 1903,” the said lands shall be deemed to be “light-bush land.”

3. No general rate shall be levied or collected by any local authority from the said lands for a period of three years from the date from which in each case respectively such lands are disposed of, and no local authority shall have power to levy or collect any such rate from such lands during such period.

4. After the first half-year’s rent has been paid by the selector, the further instalments of rent payable by him for a period of three years shall not be demanded: provided that if at any time during the first five years of his occupancy the selector disposes of his interest in the land, the rent so conceded shall be paid by him in full, and thereupon the Land Board may remit such instalments of rent payable by the incoming tenant, not exceeding in the aggregate the amount of rent previously conceded to the selector, as the Board shall think fit.

SCHEDULE.

SOUTHLAND LAND DISTRICT.

Second-class Light-bush Land.

All level land. Altitude, 30 ft. to 40 ft. Sections 43 to 46, inferior land, all swamp, mostly covered with manuka scrub, Maori-heads, &c. Sections 46A to 49, inferior land, mostly swamp, partly covered with manuka scrub and mixed bush that has been worked out. Section 60, fairly good soil; about 12 acres cleared and in grass; northern portion swampy, with manuka scrub, &c.; mostly covered with mixed bush, worked out. Section 61, about one-half good land; northern and western portions swampy, with manuka scrub and flax; mostly covered with mixed bush, worked out. Section 62, soil fairly good in places; eastern and northern portions swampy, with clump of light mixed bush in north-eastern corner; a good deal of dead timber in places. Section 63, mostly cleared of bush, soil fairly good, swampy in places; patch of light mixed bush in north-west corner. Section 64, mostly cleared of bush, soil fairly good, low-lying and swampy, with clump of worked-out bush towards northern boundary. The whole block is distant from one mile and a half to three miles from Makarewa Post-office and school, and is accessible by metalled road for about two-thirds of the way, balance by unformed road.

JOHN HAY,
Commissioner of Crown Lands.