2126

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

No. 60

on the parcel-bill. Parcels marked “Abandon” and not delivered within the prescribed period are to be forwarded to the Dead Letter Office. Parcels, except cash-on-delivery parcels originating in other countries, which cannot be delivered should be kept at the office to which they are addressed for one clear month irrespective of the one in which they were received, and, if not claimed, forwarded to the chief post-office. The Chief Postmaster should then advise the Secretary on form P.P. 35, and, in the absence of instructions, parcels originating in Australia should be returned direct to the country of origin at the expiration of two months from the date of posting of the advice of non-delivery, unpaid rates in respect of the parcels being shown on the parcel-bill, whilst parcels from other countries should be retained six months from the date of posting of the advice of non-delivery, and then forwarded to the Dead Letter Office.

INQUIRY FOR PARCEL.

674. (a.) A fee of 2½d. must be charged for each inquiry made by the public respecting the disposal of an ordinary parcel, addressed to any place within or beyond New Zealand. The fee (2½d. in stamps) is to be affixed to the ordinary missing-letter-inquiry form (P.O. 89), which should give full particulars of the parcel alleged to be missing.

(b.) Should the result of the inquiry indicate that the Department was responsible for the non-receipt or delay in delivery of the parcel, the inquiry fee must be refunded to the applicant.

INSURANCE OF PARCELS.

675. Insurance of parcels is a system of compensation for loss or damage of parcels (which for convenience is called “insurance”) applicable to inland parcels and to parcel-exchanges with the United Kingdom, India, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Straits Settlements, and certain other countries. (See Guide.)

676. Parcels tendered for transmission under this system should comply with the general regulations relating to insured parcels published in the Guide, and it is the duty of officers, before accepting any parcel for insurance, to see that such regulations have been complied with, and that postage-stamps are affixed for the correct amount of postage and insurance fee. Should an insured parcel be insufficiently prepaid, the officer who insured the same must pay the amount of the deficiency. Should an insured parcel be received for onward transmission overseas either unsealed or imperfectly sealed, the parcel must be returned to the office of origin in order that the defect may, if possible, be rectified by the sender, and the irregularity must be reported.

677. The necessary forms consist of—

Parcel-insurance certificate, P.P. 26. (For use at chief offices.)

Parcel-insurance certificate, P.P. 27. (For use at sub-offices.)

Label, P.P. 52. (For use at all offices.)

The forms are all self-explanatory.

678. (a.) On a parcel being accepted for insurance a parcel-insurance certificate must be issued to the sender or his representative free of charge, but an insurance certificate is not to be issued in the case of an inland parcel insured for any sum not exceeding £2. (See Rule 612.) In the case of parcels containing liquids or semi-liquids, perishable articles such as eggs, butter, &c., or fragile articles such as glassware, &c., accepting officers are to inform the senders that the parcels are insured against loss, but not against damage. The insurance certificate, or, in the case of a parcel insured for not more than £2, the counterfoil of the P.P.Y. card, is to be inscribed with the words “Insured against loss, but not against