Jan. 18.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 185

37

TIMES FOR POSTING CORRESPONDENCE.

1. Seaborne mails, as a general rule, are closed for ordinary correspondence one hour previous to the despatch of the mails from the post-office, but by payment of a late fee (see page 21) letters may be posted until within twenty minutes of the time the mail leaves the office.
2. Late letters may also be posted on board steamers, and in the travelling post-offices and guards' vans of the principal trains. The late fee in all cases is an extra 1d. to be affixed by means of a postage-stamp to the letter.

POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS, POST-CARDS, POSTAL WRAPPERS, ETC.

1. Every Postmaster is required to keep for sale to the public a sufficient stock of the various postage and revenue stamps, post-cards, &c., in use in New Zealand, and to sell them at the following prices:—

Postage-stamps—

Express-delivery Stamp—6d.

Post-cards—Single, 1/2d., 1d.; reply-paid, 1d., 2d.

Letter-card—1d.

Postal-wrappers—

Registered-letter envelopes—

Stamp-booklets—
24 stamps at 1d., 2s. 0 1/2d. per booklet.
These booklets fit the waistcoat-pocket, and the strips of stamps are separated by waxed paper.

Embossed envelopes—
1/2d. envelopes, (3 5/8" x 5 3/8") 6d. for 10.
1d. envelopes, (3 3/8" x 6") 6d. for 5, 1s. for 11.
1d. envelopes, (4 3/4" x 5 1/4") 6d. for 5, 1s. for 11.

Also stamps of such higher value as the work of any office may render necessary.
Envelopes supplied by private persons are embossed with postage at the following charges:—
In quantities of 10,000 or more, per 1,000 or part thereof ... 5s.
In quantities less than 10,000,—
For the first 1,000 or part thereof ... 8s. } Of one value.
For any number over 1,000: per 1,000 or part thereof ... 5s. }

Orders for embossing envelopes and impressing post-cards with postage-stamps should be addressed to the local Postmaster, who will forward them through the proper channel to the Secretary, General Post Office. They should be accompanied by a remittance of the amount due for the postage to be impressed or embossed, and for the cost of the work, according to the preceding table. The envelopes or post-cards are to be sent direct to the Government Printer, Wellington.

2. No person excepting a postal officer may, unless specially licensed by the Stamp Department, sell postage-stamps, post-cards, or postal-wrappers. The penalty for such illegal sale is twenty pounds. Discount-stamps are not permitted to be used for postage, and are sold at money-order offices only.

3. Stamps issued for prepayment of correspondence, including telegrams, on the business of the General Government only, and known as official stamps, are prohibited under penalty from being sold or presented to any person by any Government officer or other person.

4. To prevent the purloining of postage-stamps by persons in large establishments, the stamps may be perforated with the initials of the firms, &c., so as to render the improper sale of such stamps a matter of difficulty. The perforation with initials of the stamps on postcards and postal-wrappers is also allowed. Permission for any perforation must first be obtained from the Postmaster-General.

5. Stamps must be placed on the front or address side of the letter, and upon the righthand upper corner of that side. Stamps placed on the back of a letter will not be recognised, and the letter becomes liable to surcharge as insufficiently prepaid. On redirected letters care should be taken not to place fresh stamps over the stamps which have been previously used.

6. Stamps which have been torn, cut, or otherwise rendered imperfect, except by perforation, cannot be used.

7. Postage-due stamps, discount-stamps, or stamps cut from stamped paper (meaning thereby bill or note forms, share-transfer forms, or any other form on which a stamp is impressed for payment of stamp duties under "The Stamp Duties Act, 1908") cannot be used for prepayment of postage or for payment of telegrams. Such stamps, when identified in the post-office, will not be postmarked. Stamps cut from letter-cards, post-cards, newspaper-wrappers, registered-letter envelopes, and embossed envelopes, may be used as adhesive stamps in payment of postage, but not for any purpose under "The Stamp Duties Act, 1908." Imperfect, mutilated, or defaced stamps will not be accepted for payment of postage. A "registration-fee" stamp cut out of a registered-letter envelope may be used on any registered packet, but not on an unregistered packet. Stamps of Aitutaki, Niue, Penrhyn, or Rarotonga may not be used outside those Islands respectively for prepayment of postage.

8. English, Victorian, New South Wales, and Western Australian postage-stamps may be obtained by persons desirous of sending a stamp or stamped envelope to their relatives or friends in the United Kingdom, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia, in order to relieve them of the cost of the postage when sending replies. These stamps cannot be purchased in quantities of more than sixpence worth at one time, nor are they permitted to be used for the purpose of making remittances.

• Including registration fee of 2d. and postage of 1d. Further postage, if required, to be added by affixing stamps.