2106
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 60

(b.) Business firms advertising in the newspapers and asking for remittances for goods supplied, or to be supplied, should be advised by Chief Postmasters to request their clients to register all letters containing such remittances.

553. If a registered letter be found open or imperfectly sealed the circumstance and full address of the letter must be reported, and the letter must then be closed with the authorized sealing-label in the presence of a second officer.

554. Officers despatching registered articles are responsible for making all the entries required by the headings of the registered-letter list. It is a serious error to omit the number or the name of an office of either origin or destination.

555. Registered articles despatched from one chief office to another, or to foreign offices, must be enclosed in the special registered bags or packets. They are to be counted and checked by a second officer, who is required to initial the letter-bill or list, as the case may be, and to witness the sealing of the bag.

556. If it should be necessary to delete or alter the entry of any registered letter on the letter-bill or list, the alteration must be attested by the initials of the officer who makes it; but, when practicable, it is better to substitute a fresh bill or list with the entries correctly made.

557. (a.) On receipt of a registered-letter bag or packet, it must be carefully examined to ascertain that it has not been tampered with, and that it bears an impression of the seal of the office from which it was despatched. It must be opened apart from all other bags and packets, and at a table where there is no possibility of a letter being secreted. It must then be turned inside out and the letters checked with the registered-letter list and letter-bill. Should the list or letter-bill be missing, careful search must be made, and the folds of every letter or packet examined. The empty registered-letter bag or packet must not be put aside until the examination of the list and letters has been completed. When the articles are being checked against the registered-letter list or letter-bill the entries on the list or letter-bill are not to be struck out, but a pencilled tick is to be placed against each entry as it is checked. The officer checking entries of registered articles on the registered-letter list or letter-bill for the purpose of seeing that the relative registered articles have been correctly disposed of is to initial the registered-letter list or letter-bill, as the case may be.

(b.) The officer who despatches or who opens a bag containing registered letters must so completely satisfy himself as to the agreement between the entries on the list and on the bill and the registered letters to which they refer as to be able, if required, to make affidavit on the subject. In case of any discrepancy, a second officer must at once be called to certify to the articles received, and the fact reported to the Postmaster, or to the officer in charge of the mail-room, or other deputy of the Postmaster.

(c.) It is forbidden to sign a received registered-letter list in discharge of the responsibility of the despatching office without first checking the individual entries thereon against the letters actually received.

558. Letters registered at any office when addressed to any place to which that office makes up mails must be forwarded direct to the delivering office. If the delivering office is a non-permanent office, a receipt from the Registered-letter Delivery-receipt Book should be attached to the letter, and, when signed by the addressee, returned to the office of origin, and refastened to the butt from which it was taken. The serial number is to be entered on the delivery-receipt, in addition to the name of the addressee and the office of posting. In addition, the green delivery-receipts are to be numbered consecutively throughout the year.