2094

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 60

and are to be returned promptly to Registrars. Every letter so dealt with must have superscribed on the front, in red ink, the reason for non-delivery. Chief Postmasters must see that all unclaimed electoral notices are promptly returned.

SURCHARGES.

490. (a.) A Postmaster is required to see that insufficiently pre-paid articles which pass through his office are correctly surcharged. The checking of postage is to be carried out at the stamping-table. When letters are being faced up ready for postmarking, all open packets bearing less than letter-rates should be separated and systematically examined to see whether the postage is fully prepaid; and special attention is to be given to automatic stamping-machine impressions. Supervising officers are to give the matter of detecting short-paid articles close attention, and are to make systematic checks at frequent and irregular intervals. Special vigilance is to be exercised at times of pressure of business, particularly during the Christmas season. Officers generally are required to make every possible effort to prevent loss of revenue being occasioned by the passing as sufficiently prepaid of articles not sufficiently prepaid; and negligence in this respect when detected must be reported to the Secretary. When an officer has examined a postal packet for irregular enclosures, he must place his initials alongside the cancelled postage-stamp as an indication that further similar action is not required.

(b.) Officers must not strain the regulations in the matter of weighing letters. The plate holding the letter must depress its pillar until it touches the platform before the letter can be said to be chargeable.

491. All surcharges must be boldly marked on the face of the unpaid articles in black ink. Any case in which a surcharge is marked in ordinary lead-pencil or otherwise than in black ink is to be reported.

492. For the treatment of unpaid and insufficiently prepaid correspondence from abroad see Rule 416.

493. Supplementary postage due for redirection is collectable on delivery. For instance, if a registered letter weighing not more than 1 oz., originally posted in New Zealand for inland delivery, and prepaid 2d. postage and 3d. registration fee, were subsequently redirected to a country to which the initial rate is 2½d., it would be charged the simple deficiency of ½d. (See Rule 546.)

494. Should postage-stamps not recognized for prepayment be used, no account is to be taken of them. This circumstance is to be indicated by the figure “0” placed by the side of the postage-stamps. Letters not sufficiently prepaid in New Zealand postage-stamps are to be treated as such in the usual way. (See Rules 394 and 395.)

495. (a.) Postage-due stamps are to be used for the collection of unpaid or insufficiently paid postage on all classes of correspondence. They are in no case to be received by any Postmaster in payment of postage.

(b.) A quantity of postage-due stamps sufficient to meet requirements must be kept in hand by every Postmaster. Postmasters will obtain supplies of postage-due stamps in the same manner as they do ordinary postage and revenue stamps.

496. (a.) Postmasters, before delivering surcharged postal packets, must cause to be affixed, and cancelled as ordinary stamps are cancelled, one or more postage-due stamps equivalent in value to the amount of postage and surcharge due. Official postage-stamps received from Government Departments in payment of surcharges