2090

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 60

(2.) If the same is not so delivered within two months after the receipt thereof by or on behalf of such licensee or other person as aforesaid, and if instructions to the contrary are not received from the person to whom the same is addressed, the licensee or other person as aforesaid shall return the same to the nearest post-office, with the reasons therefor.

(3.) Every such postal packet shall be transmitted to the Dead Letter Office, and shall be there dealt with as undelivered.

(4.) If any such licensee or other person as aforesaid omits or fails to return any such postal packet as aforesaid, he is liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds.

(5.) This section shall extend and apply to telegrams transmitted by electric telegraph.

471. (a.) All lists of articles received without addresses or with the covers damaged in such a way that the addresses are not legible are to be made out on form Mail 1 in triplicate. One copy should be exhibited to the public, and the second copy forwarded to the Secretary by first mail. The third copy is to be retained at the local office for one clear month, at the expiration of which time it should be sent to the Dead Letter Office with the relative articles. Any entries relating to articles which have been delivered during the month must be clearly struck out. If the sender of any such article can be identified, he is first to be communicated with. Newspapers, unless illustrated or bearing a special request, are to be kept at chief offices for reference and delivery; but if not applied for in the case of newspapers posted in New Zealand within one month, and in the case of those received from abroad for the same period as unclaimed letters, they are to be destroyed. It is not required that any special examination be made of a newspaper before its destruction in order to remove therefrom any letter or other enclosure. Unclaimed illustrated and special-request papers and magazines must be sent to the Dead Letter Office at the expiration of three clear months, except unclaimed special-request newspapers received from places beyond New Zealand, which must be sent to the Dead Letter Office at the end of the prescribed period. This rule is to be read as applying to unclaimed newspapers, both addressed and unaddressed. (See Rule 361 for instructions regarding the disposal of undelivered New Zealand newspapers posted from newspaper offices.)

(b.) Articles received at sub-offices without addresses are to be advertised by notice prominently exhibited, and sent by first mail to the Chief Postmaster for disposal.

472. In the case of address-covers or envelopes received without contents, the addressee should be communicated with on form Mail 15, with a view to the identification of the probable contents.

473. (a.) No letter is permitted to be returned to the writer or sender, or to any one else, or to be delayed in being sent to its destination according to the address. A letter once posted ceases to be the property of the writer. The power to authorize the return to the sender of a posted letter (except an official letter) otherwise than sending it at once to its address is vested by law in the Governor-General alone. For official letters and for postal packets other than letters the power is vested in the Postmaster-General, who exercises it personally only. (See sections 8 and 37 of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908.) A request for alteration of the destination of a letter must be referred through a Chief Postmaster to the Secretary, and may on no account be acted upon on a Chief Postmaster’s or a Postmaster’s own responsibility. If there is no time to refer to the Secretary by paid telegram, the letter must be sent forward to the destination given upon it. Application for the return of a letter which awaits delivery must be sent to the Secretary through the Chief Postmaster, and it must be stated whether the letter is still undelivered, and, if so, how long it has to remain, thus: “The letter is here, and has to remain .”