Aug. 8.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2187

23rd of the month preceding the due date of payment to the first day of the month succeeding the due date, both days inclusive: thus, an instalment falling due on the 1st January is payable from the 23rd December up to and including the 1st February. When the first date of payment falls on a Sunday or a Post Office holiday payment may not be made until the next business day. When the final date of payment falls on a Sunday or a Post Office holiday, the time expiring on that date shall be deemed to extend to the first business day thereafter, and payment may be made on that day without special authority. Under no circumstances is payment to be made after the final date of payment without special authority from the Commissioner, as provided by Rule 893 hereafter. If an instalment is not claimed within the period herein referred to, the space provided for that instalment on the back of the pension-certificate is to be left blank in case a special authority is subsequently issued.

889. Old-age Pension Payments.—In the following rules and regulations relating to old-age pensions, “the Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Pensions, the “sections” refer to the sections of the Pensions Act, 1913, and the “forms” to the forms under the said Act.

890. (a.) No instalment of pension is payable unless an advice (form 13) has been received from the Commissioner authorizing payment, and no such advice is to be altered in any particular without authority.

(b.) Payment must be made at the paying office indicated in the advice, or as instructed by the Commissioner or the Chief Postmaster. The acknowledgment of payment must be signed by the payee in the presence of the paying officer, and no advice is to be sent out of the paying office for the purpose of obtaining the signature of the payee, except as provided in Rule 891 hereafter, or unless under exceptional circumstances, which must be reported. Absence of a pensioner from a district is not to be regarded as exceptional circumstances in the terms of the rule.

(c.) When claiming payment the payee must present a pension-certificate granted under the Pensions Acts, and bearing the signature of the Commissioner.

(d.) The paying officer must first compare the pension-certificate with the advice issued by the Commissioner, and should he discover any discrepancy he must withhold payment, and communicate by collect telegram with the Commissioner, quoting the number of the certificate, the name of the district, and the surname of the pensioner. This comparison must be very carefully made when the first instalment on any pension-certificate is claimed.

(e.) If a pension-certificate is presented for payment and no advice has been received, or if an advice has been received and payment is claimed without a pension-certificate, or if payment is claimed and neither advice nor pension-certificate has been received, the Postmaster is to inform the Commissioner of the position by collect telegram. The length of the message should, if possible, not exceed twelve words.

(f.) Upon the paying officer satisfying himself that the pension-certificate and advice are in agreement, the payee’s receipt should be taken. The receipt, when taken, must be initialled and date-stamped, and the amount paid entered on the back of the pension-certificate opposite the month to which the payment relates, the date-stamp and signature of the paying officer being added.

(g.) The mark of a payee must be witnessed by a European other than the paying officer.