1120

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 29

the duty of the Department to supply any such forms at all, because it is for the contractor to take care that his contract is in such a shape that the Department shall not be prejudiced by circumstances over which the Post Office has no control arising during the progress of the contract.

378. When a mail-service is assigned the incoming contractor must sign the conditions of contract as well as the deed of assignment. The signature may be placed underneath that of the outgoing contractor.

POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS.

379. Postmasters are required to keep on hand, for sale to the public, a sufficient stock of the different postage and revenue stamps, letter-cards, post-cards, international reply coupons, embossed envelopes, registered-letter envelopes, and wrappers. Full information as to the values of the various postage-stamps, &c., in use is contained in the Guide. At offices where telegraph business is carried on at the public counter later than the ordinary postal business, postage-stamps should be sold as long as the office is open to the public. A supply of stamps is to be held by officers issuing postal notes at chief offices, and the stamps are to be sold to persons purchasing postal notes who wish to make up broken amounts. Stamps are not to be sold at postal-note counters for any other purpose.

380. Officers are forbidden to affix postage-stamps to letters for the public.

381. The stock of stamps to be kept at each office will be fixed by the Chief Postmaster of the district, subject to the approval of the Controller of Money-orders and Savings-banks. Requisition must be made, as often as need be, to maintain the stock of the several denominations.

382. Chief Postmasters will obtain their supplies of postage-stamps, &c., by requisition, to be made in duplicate, addressed to the Controller of Money-orders and Savings-banks. The stock of penny embossed envelopes is kept by the Chief Postmaster, Wellington, and such envelopes should be applied for on separate requisitions (in duplicate) addressed to the Controller of Money-orders and Savings-banks.

383. Postage-due stamps are not permitted to be sold by stamp-vendors, who consequently as vendors cannot purchase them or claim commission on their sale at any time.

384. Postmasters on the permanent staff, or under bond to the Crown, are supplied with stamps on requisition to the Chief Post-office, and must account for the same in their periodical Accounts. Chief Postmasters may advance to non-permanent Postmasters, or Telephonists who are not under bond, a supply of stamps equal in value to a quarter’s salary, and take a receipt for the advance on form P.O. 67, which receipt should be renewed at the end of every year; but subsequent requisitions must be accompanied by a remittance in full payment for the supply required. Envelopes for use by Sub-Postmasters in sending cash for stamps are supplied to those Sub-Postmasters who cannot remit through a bank.

385. Non-permanent Postmasters will obtain their supplies of stamps from the Chief Postmaster, or, if more convenient, from the nearest permanent Postmaster. They must on no account purchase stamps from licensed vendors. They will also procure, through their Chief Postmaster, such impressed paper as may be applied for; and Postmasters in goldfields districts must keep on hand a sufficient supply of stamped transfer paper as well. A poundage of 1½ per cent. is granted to licensed vendors and to