2000

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

or sender, or for any other lawful purpose; and that I will not divulge to any person whatever, except so far as lawfully required, any of the contents of any such postal packet which may come to my knowledge in course of opening and examining the same for any such purpose as aforesaid, or any information which may come to my knowledge with respect to the business of the Post Office Savings-bank or any other business of the Post Office.

"And I make this solemn declaration under the provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908."

Telegraph Officer's Declaration.

"I, [Name in full], do solemnly and sincerely declare that I will be true and faithful in the execution of the trust committed to my charge, and that I will not, otherwise than in the due performance of my official duties, willingly or knowingly divulge the contents of any telegraphic or telephonic message or communication, or the purport thereof, coming to my knowledge in my official capacity, or suffer any other officer in the service wrongfully to divulge the contents of any telegraphic or telephonic message or communication, or the purport thereof, coming to his knowledge in his official capacity; and I do further declare that I will not detain or delay, or willingly or knowingly suffer any other officer in the service to detain or delay, any telegraphic or telephonic message or communication entrusted to the charge of the Department for delivery, except in such cases and to such extent as may be lawfully provided in that behalf.

"And I make this solemn declaration under the provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, and its amendments."

(b.) The declarations must be made by any Customs officer, or any other person who may be appointed under section 33 of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, to witness the examining, opening, and disposal of letters, &c., under sections 27 and 29 to 32 of the same Act; also by Railway operators or other employees of that Department, and by the employees of mail-contractors, whose duties afford them cognizance of postal or telegraph matters, or who are required to handle mails. In the event of the re-engagement of temporary employees by the Department or mail-contractors, the declarations must be made at the commencement of each fresh term of their engagement. A Customs officer examining parcels for the assessment of duty only need not be required to make the declarations.

(c.) Chief Postmasters have the custody of the declarations of all officers under their control within their respective districts, and are responsible for obtaining such declarations. District Telegraph Engineers and Superintendents are responsible for requiring officers under their control to make the declarations, and for filing the declarations when made.

(d.) When an officer is removed from one district to another, his declarations must be forwarded to the District Telegraph Engineer, the Superintendent, or the Postmaster concerned. After being noted, the declaration must be sent by a Postmaster to his Chief Postmaster.

(e.) The declarations of officers no longer in the service must be sent to the Secretary (Staff Division).

52. No Postmaster may take statutory declarations under the Justices of the Peace Act unless he is authorized to do so by warrant, and then only in respect of the office for which he is named. When a Postmaster leaves the office for which he is authorized by warrant his power to take statutory declarations immediately lapses. A person under twenty-one years of age cannot be appointed to take and receive statutory declarations.

53. Customs declarations made before officers of the Department are to be attested by the Chief Postmaster (or Postmaster) only, or, in his absence, by the officer next in rank. In the latter case the officer must add to his signature the words "Officer acting for Chief Postmaster" [or "Postmaster"]. The declarations are also to be imprinted with the post-office date-stamp. They are exempt from stamp duty. No such declaration must be knowingly received from any person under the age of eighteen years.