1142
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 29

518. When a mail consists of more than one bag, special care must be taken to indicate the class of correspondence contained in each bag, either by using bags stencilled “Letters,” “Newspapers,” &c., or by marking the labels. No bag of correspondence should weigh more than 80 lb.

519. With the object of avoiding as far as possible a multiplicity of partly filled bags in mails to United Kingdom offices despatched by P. and O. steamers via Suez, officers are to note that any partly filled bag of letters should be placed with any partly filled bag of other articles, for the same destination in another outer bag, and, in addition to the address label, a label affixed bearing the letters “S.C.” (“sac collecteur”), which will be an indication to the receiving office that this outer “S.C.” bag contains two bags —one of letters and the other of other articles. The gross weight of the bag containing letters and the gross weight of the bag containing other articles are to be taken before placing them in the outer “S.C.” bag, and advised on the letter-bill and on the Foreign Mails Despatched Statement. The weight of the outer “S.C.” bag is to be ignored. This system is followed by the United Kingdom in despatching mails to New Zealand, and officers are warned to be on the watch for bags labelled “S.C.” when separating letter-bags from bags of other articles, so that no unnecessary delay may occur to any portion of the letter mail.

520. Stencilled bags belonging to the British Post Office, when used for mails from New Zealand to the United Kingdom, must not be reversed, except for use by the Vancouver route or by direct steamers. Ordinarily to distinguish the outward mails from inward mails the special labels supplied to despatching offices must be used. For mails via Vancouver the labels are printed with a red border, via San Francisco with a black border, and via Suez with a yellow border. The label for Dover via Suez is also crossed with two vertical red lines.

521. Loose correspondence received from non-Union countries, such as Tonga, or certain other South Pacific islands, for despatch to Union countries, should be stamped with the stamps applicable to correspondence posted in the Dominion, such as “T,” “R,” &c.

522. Particulars of “forward” mails are not to be written on the ordinary canvas labels, but on the special parchment labels provided for advising the contents of such mails. These parchment labels should be tied under the canvas neck-label.

523. The weights of letters and post-cards, and of other articles, contained in bags posted by the Governor are shown on labels, and should be embodied in the general weights.

ARRIVAL OF INLAND MAILS.

524. Postmasters are required to personally superintend the sorting of mails, and to see that prompt delivery of their contents is made.

525. The hour of arrival of a mail should be entered in the Mail Register, or checked by the standard list, and the bags, hampers, &c., checked off from the waybill one by one, in order to ascertain that none are missing. Before cutting the string, the officer who opens a mail must satisfy himself that the seal is perfect, and is that of the office from which the mail was despatched, and that the bag is in good order. On emptying the bag, which must always be turned inside out at once, search must first be made for the letter-bill, and the receiving officer must carefully check the receipt of any registered or remittance letters or express articles that may be entered thereon, placing his initials against the entry. He must also satisfy himself that