2124

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 60

659. (a.) It is the duty of any officer who has reasonable grounds for supposing a package contains dutiable articles to bring the package under the notice of the Chief Postmaster, or the Assistant Postmaster. On no account may the duty be assessed by an officer of the Post and Telegraph Department.

(b.) Officers must use discrimination in challenging packets of mail-matter supposed to contain dutiable articles. Parcels are not to be challenged haphazard.

660. Parcels addressed to officers of H.M. visiting ships or to officers’ wives are exempt from Customs duty and redirection charges. Such parcels are not to be examined.

DELIVERY OF PARCELS.

661. A receipt must be taken on the proper form from the addressee on delivery of every parcel. It is to be held at the office of destination for a period of two years for production if required. For the purpose of taking receipts for parcels the following are provided:—

(a.) Delivery-receipt Book, P.P. 5, for use at all offices where parcels are delivered by postman or other departmental officer.

(b.) Counter-delivery Receipt-book, for use in all cases where parcels are delivered at the post-office.

(c.) Contractor’s Delivery List, P.P. 3.

662. (a.) The delivery of parcels will, as far as possible, be made by the postmen in the same manner as other postal matter. It may be necessary to occasionally employ temporary assistance; but the Chief Postmaster must use his discretion in such cases. Every person so employed at a chief office to deliver parcels must give an acknowledgment, by means of the delivery-docket P.P. 5, for those handed to him. The number of parcels handed over for delivery and the amount of charges to be collected must be entered on the docket, which must be filed for reference.

(b.) At a place at which a contractor is paid for the delivery of parcels at an amount per parcel, a parcel is not to be sent out for delivery more than once. If the parcel cannot be delivered when it is first taken out a notice (form P.P. 38) is to be sent to the addressee, and the parcel held for delivery on application at the post-office. A record is to be kept showing the date on which the first notice is sent out, and if the parcel is not called for within two days a second notice is to be posted. Further notices are to be sent out if required. This arrangement is made so that the Department will not have to pay for the delivery of a parcel more than once.

663. When a parcel is returned by a contractor as undeliverable, the parcel clerk will make out form P.P. 54 to ascertain from the postmen whether the addressee is known by them.

664. All registered and insured parcels are to be delivered by officers of the Department, not by contractors.

665. A card, P.P. 14, requesting the addressee of a parcel to obtain delivery at the post-office, is to be left at the house of the addressee where a departmental carrier has failed to elicit a response to his call; and card P.P. 2 is to be used to notify a private-box holder of a parcel awaiting delivery.

MISSENDING OF PARCELS.

666. Any parcel missent within the Dominion should be carefully marked accordingly, and the fact reported on error-report form P.O. 52.

667. When a foreign parcel is missent to the Dominion the receiving officer should not cancel the number of rates entered on