Dec. 8.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 4169

(1.) New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, His Majesty’s Birthday, Dominion Day, Christmas Day, and the day following.
(2.) Whenever any of such days falls upon a Sunday the next following Monday shall be a holiday in lieu of such day :

Provided that any post or telegraph office on the days aforesaid shall, in the discretion of the Minister, be open to the public for a half-hour or any longer time in the morning from the usual time of opening, and for a half-hour or any longer time in the evening to be duly announced; and that, in respect of the Saturday preceding a holiday falling on a Monday, any delivery of letters by any letter-carrier which on another Saturday would be made once shall be made twice on that day.

2. Nothing herein shall prevent the Minister from requiring the services of any officer during any such holiday in case of emergency; but in that case such officer shall be entitled, in lieu thereof, to a holiday upon such other occasion as shall not interfere with public business, and in such case no overtime shall be payable.

3. Every officer in the Post and Telegraph Department may be granted by the Minister leave of absence for recreation on the following scale:—

(1.) When an officer has served for fifteen years or upwards, not exceeding twenty-one working-days in each year.
(2.) When he has served less than fifteen years, not exceeding fourteen working-days in each year.
(3.) Telegraph message-boys, seven working-days in each year, after one year’s complete service.

4. The granting of any such leave of absence shall be subject to the express conditions,—

(1.) That the behaviour of the officer has been in every way satisfactory;
(2.) That the total intermittent leave during the previous twelve months has not exceeded five days;
(3.) That absence from illness or accident has not exceeded one week; and
(4.) More generally, that his official duties have been properly performed.

Any or all of the days of absence in excess of the number of days allowed for intermittent leave or sick leave may be deducted from the annual leave of absence granted for recreation.

5. In the case of officers holding positions superior to that of telegraph message-boy, any time served as telegraph message-boy will be reckoned in computing the length of service for annual-leave purposes.

6. No officer shall be entitled to claim leave of absence as a right, and if for any cause the Secretary thinks such leave ought not to be granted, he may refuse the same in any case, subject to the approval of his action by the Minister.

7. An officer failing to avail himself of the annual leave provided will not on that account be entitled to a more lengthened leave in any subsequent year, unless under special circumstances approved by the Minister.

8. In cases of absence from illness or accident for any period extending beyond two days, a medical certificate shall be supplied, but the Secretary or other responsible officer may require that a certificate be supplied forthwith. The certificate should state the nature of the illness or accident.

9. In cases of illness or other pressing necessity the Minister may grant to any officer such extended leave, not exceeding twelve months, and on such terms, as he thinks fit.

10. The Governor may, on the recommendation of the Minister, grant to any officer in the Department of at least ten years’ continuous service twelve months’ leave of absence, and to any officer of lesser period of service any time not exceeding six months’ leave of absence, on half salary. During such period of absence no officer shall be entitled to receive any annual increment.

11. Where it has been decided to dispense with the services of any officer, he shall not be entitled to any leave of absence, either at the time or in contemplation of his services being so dispensed with; nor shall any officer who retires from the service upon a superannuation allowance be granted more than three months’ leave of absence immediately prior to or in contemplation of such retirement, except in case of physical or mental infirmity, when the Governor may grant such further leave as the circumstances justify.

12. Officers voluntarily retiring shall not be granted more than three months’ leave on or immediately prior to retirement.

J. F. ANDREWS,
Clerk of the Executive Council.

Altering Private-line Regulations.

ISLINGTON, Governor.
ORDER IN COUNCIL.

At the Government House, at Wellington, this fifth day of December, 1910.

Present:

His Excellency the Governor in Council.

WHEREAS by Order in Council dated the seventeenth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ten, and published in the New Zealand Gazette of the eighteenth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ten, regulations were made under the authority of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908 (hereinafter termed “the said Act”), inter alia, prescribing conditions and fixing fees and rates for the construction, supply, and maintenance of private lines: And whereas it is expedient to alter and amend such regulations in the manner hereinafter set forth:

Now, therefore, His Excellency the Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand, in pursuance and exercise of the power and authority conferred upon him by the said Act, and acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the said Dominion, doth hereby revoke the regulation numbered eleven under the heading “Private Lines” in the schedule to the above-mentioned Order in Council, and in lieu thereof doth hereby make the regulation set forth in the Schedule hereto, and doth order that such regulation shall be read as part of the regulations first herein mentioned, and shall have effect on and after the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred and eleven.

SCHEDULE.

11. WHEN a private line is connected with a telephone-office in charge of a permanent officer a switching fee, to be paid in advance, of £1 10s. per annum for each telephone, is to be charged for switching the private line to another private line. The service of switching the private line to the bureau, and the transmitting and receiving of telegrams on the private line, will be given free of charge, but the usual charges for use of the bureau and the cost of the transmission of telegrams over the public line from the bureau must be paid.

J. F. ANDREWS,
Clerk of the Executive Council.

Insurance of Letters to Places in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

ISLINGTON, Governor.
ORDER IN COUNCIL.

At the Government House, at Wellington, this fifth day of December, 1910.

Present:

His Excellency the Governor in Council.

WHEREAS by section eleven of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, as amended by section four of the Post and Telegraph Amendment Act, 1910, it is enacted that the Governor may from time to time, by Order in Council gazetted, make regulations for the insurance of registered postal packets of any description (whether for delivery within or beyond New Zealand), the payment of premiums in respect thereof, and the payment of the amount of insurance, provided that the maximum amount payable in respect of the insurance of any such postal packet shall not exceed four hundred pounds:

Now, therefore, His Excellency the Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand, in pursuance and exercise of the powers and authorities for that purpose vested in him by the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, and of all other powers and authorities enabling him in this behalf, and acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the said Dominion, doth hereby make the regulations contained in the Schedule hereto, and doth hereby declare that such regulations shall come into force on and after the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred and eleven.

SCHEDULE.

INSURANCE OF LETTERS.

1. LETTERS addressed to any place in the United Kingdom or in New Zealand may be insured up to an insured value of £400 on the conditions mentioned below, and, subject to