12

F.—B

Article 15. —The cost of special trains employed to convey innils through any colony shall be borne by the colonies for which such mails are intended, according to and on the basis of the respective estimated populations each year of those colonies; and the colony furnishing the special train shall credit such colonies with the transit rates due by the respective offices of origin for the conveyance of such correspondence through its territory in the same proportion as the cost of employing the special trains is borne by the respective colonies of destination. Article 16. —Eegistered articles must bear the impression of a stamp, reproducing conspicuously the capital letter " R" in roman type, such impression to be placed on the address side of the letter or packet. By each mail containing registered correspondence shall be forwarded a registered-letter list, on which shall be entered the following particulars respecting every such articles, viz.: The name of the office of origin, the name of the addressee, and number given to the article by office of origin. In order that registered letters, packets, &c, may be readily distinguished from those unregistered, each registered letter or packet shall be crossed on both sides.with a horizontal and a perpendicular line in red or blue pencil (in imitation of tape). Article 17. —Eegistered articles shall be made up in a separate packet from ordinary correspondence, and shall be suitably enclosed and sealed, so as to preserve the contents. The post departments of the respective colonies undertake no liability with respect to any correspondence, registered or otherwise, which may be lost in transmission. Article 18. —Articles containing money or other valuable enclosures must be registered, except those containing money-orders, postal notes, crossed cheques, or non-negotiable enclosures; and where articles supposed to contain money, &c, are observed passing through the post unregistered the same shall be officially registered, and the addressee shall be subjected to a charge equal to double the ordinary registration-fee upon delivery of such article. Article 19. —On every letter or packet redirected and again forwarded from one colony to another (except on letters and packets addressed to commissioned officers or warrant officers, whether in the army and navy, or midshipmen or mates of the navy, or other parties actually in Her Majesty's service) there shall be charged for the postage thereof from the place at which the same shall be redirected to the place of ultimate delivery, the same amount of postage in addition to the ordinary postage as would be payable if such letter or packet were originally posted at the place of redirection. Intercolonial Parcel-post. Article 20.— The following are the regulations under which parcels will be accepted from the public:— 1. Limit of weight: 111b., except where otherwise stated in Table B of "Postal Guides " of the several colonies. 2. Limit of size : 3ft. 6in. in length, or 6ft. in length and girth combined, unless otherwise specified in Table B. 3. The postage must be fully prepaid by stamps affixed to the parcels. 4. Parcels to be received at and delivered from parcel-post offices only. 5. The sender of any parcel to be required to sign a declaration, on a form provided for the purpose (to be retained free of charge at any parcel-post office), furnishing an accurate statement of its contents and the value thereof, address of the addressee, as well as the sender's signature and place of abode. 6. Parcels with regard to which a false declaration shall have been made may be confiscated. 7. A certificate of posting may be obtained, if desired and applied for at the time, by the person posting a parcel on payment of a fee of 3d. 8. No parcels will be received or delivered which contain articles of an explosive, combustible, dangerous, or offensive character, or articles likely to injure other parcels, or live animals, or articles, the admission of which is not authorised by the Customs or other laws or regulations of the countries to which such parcels may be addressed. All prohibited articles may be forthwith confiscated. 9. No parcel may contain any letter or communication of the nature of a letter; and, should any letter or communication be enclosed, such letter or communication will be treated as an unpaid letter, and charged for accordingly. 10. No parcel may consist of or contain two or more paresis addressed to different persons at different addresses. If such parcel be discovered each of its contents will be treated as a separate parcel and be charged for accordingly. 11. In the case of parcels from the United Kingdom, or any other country or colony, their contents will be examined by the Customs officers employed in the post-office; and, where duties are payable, the same must be paid or remitted before the parcels are delivered. 12. The necessary Customs entries will be passed free of cost to the addressees of parcels received. 13. Mode of Delivery. —Parcels will be delivered, in accordance with the Inland Parcel-post Regulations of the several colonies, as addressed, in the suburbs, and certain of the larger towns in the colony where letter-carriers are employed. In special cases, when the ordinary duties of the letter-carriers will prevent the prompt delivery of a parcel, notice will be given to the addressee, who will have the option of taking immediate delivery from the office, or of allowing the parcel to remain until business will admit of its delivery. Where there are no letter-carriers emploj'ed, delivery must be taken at the post-office. In all cases senders should advise addressee by post of despatch of parcels, so as to insure prompt delivery. 14. In the event of any parcel being addressed to a place beyond the limits for the transmission of parcels, the addressee, on being advised of the arrival of the parcel at the General Post Office, must state to what parcel-post office he wishes the parcel to be forwarded. 15. Parcels will be retained at the post-offices to which they are sent for delivery for a period of