POST OFFICE REGULATIONS.
21
and the weight of a packet for Portugal, Madeira,
the Azores, or Cape de Verds, is limited to 1 lb.
§ 4. Samples of intrinsic value must not be sent
to foreign countries, except the United States; and
in the case of France, samples of eider down, raw or
thread silk, woollen or goats' hair thread, vanilla,
saffron, carmine, or isinglass are considered to fall
under this rule if they weigh more than 3 ounces.
§ 5. None of the articles named in § 9, above,
may be sent as patterns or samples to any place
abroad except the United States of America, Germany,
Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Tur-
key, Moldavia, Wallachia, Portugal, Madeira, the
Azores, Cape de Verds, Switzerland, and the British
colonies, and not to these places when addressed
" via France." Indigo cannot be sent to any place
abroad.
§ 6. Bags entirely closed, even though they be
transparent, must not be used for the transmission of
seeds to any foreign country, except the United States
of America, Holland, and its possessions, Belgium,
Denmark, Greece, Portugal and its possessions, and
Austria via France.
POSTAGE STAMPS.
15. Postage Stamps must be kept for sale. 1 -— Every
Head-postmaster is required to have on hand a suffi-
cient stock of postage labels to be sold to the public
at the following rates: —
Postage Labels — Prices.
1st rate Labels, - - - Id. each.
2nd " " 2d. each.
3rd ""--'- 3d. each.
4th " " 4d. each.
5th " " 6d. each.
6th ""--.- 9d. each.
7th ""--.- lOd. each.
8th " " - Is. each.
9th "«'--- 2s. each.
10th " " 5s. each.
Embossed Penny Envelopes are of four sizes, viz.,
5J inches by 3f inches, 5j inches by 3 inches, 4f
inches by 2f inches, 4 inches by 2J inches, and are
sold at the following rates : —
12 to be sold for - - - Is. l£d.
8 " - - - 0s. 9d.
6 - - - 0s. 6fd.
4 " - - - 0s. 4£d.
2 " - - - 0s. 2id.
1 " - - - 0s. ljd.
16. Stamps. — Prepayment of inland letters, &c,
must be by labels or embossed stamps. British
postage stamps are not available, as a general rule, for
the payment of letters, &c, coming into this country.
17. By using embossed envelopes all risk of the
stamp being detached may be avoided ; but when
labels are used, they should be examined to see that
they firmly adhere, since if they fall off, the letters,
&C, will be charged with postage, which, in the case
of inland letters, is double the prepaid rate ; while,
as respects many letters addressed to many places
abroad, the transmission will be altogether stopped.
The labels should be placed on the front of the letter,
and upon the right hand corner of the upper side.
On re-directed letters, however, care should be taken
not to place fresh stamps over the stamps which had
been previously used. Eeceipt or Inland Revenue
stamps cannot be used in place of postage stamps ;
nor can postage stamps which have been torn, cut,
or otherwise rendered imperfect, be used.
18. Postage Stamps purchased from the Public. —
AH postmasters in the United Kingdom at whose
offices Money Order business is transacted are per-
mitted, though not compelled, to purchase postage
stamps from the public, provided the stamps be not
soiled or otherwise damaged, at a charge of 2§ per
cent. ; the charge, however, never being less than
one halfpenny. Under this arrangement the pay-
ments are as follows : —
s. d. s. d.
1 1\ for stamps of the value of 1 8
3 8 " " 3 4
4 10J " "50
6 6 " "68
9 9 " " 10
and so on. No separate stamps can be purchased ;
they must in all cases be presented in strips contain-
ing at least two stamps adhering to each other.
REGISTRATION.
19. By the prepayment of a fee of fourpence, any
letter, newspaper, book, or other packet, may be
registered to any place in the United Kingdom or
the British Colonies. Registered letters must be
prepaid as regards both postage and registration fee ;
in the case of inland letters, such prepayment must
be by stamps, but in the case of foreign letters it
may be either in money or in stamps.
20. The registration of a packet makes its trans-
mission much more secure, and the loss of a regis-
tered packet is a very rare occurrence. Nevertheless,
by Act of Parliament, the Post Office is not responsible
for the safe delivery of registered packets, though any
officer who may neglect his duty on this point will
be called to strict account. Sent in unregistered
letters, valuable articles are exposed to risk, and offer
a temptation which ought not to be created, and the
department cannot in any way undertake the safe
conveyance of such packets. All inland or colonial
letters, therefore, which unquestionably contain coin,
even though they be posted without registration, are
treated as registered, and charged on delivery with a
double registration fee of eightpence, in addition to
the ordinary postage, and any such letters which
cannot be registered in time to be forwarded by the
mail for which they are posted are detained for the
next despatch.
21. Every letter to be registered should be pre-
sented at the window, and a receipt obtained for it,
and on no account be dropped into the letter-box.
If, contrary to this rule, a letter marked " Regis-
tered " be dropped into the letter-box, it will, if
directed to any place in the United Kingdom or the
British Colonies, be liable to a registration fee of
eightpence, instead of the ordinary fee of fourpence.
A registered letter, if reposted as an ordinary letter
with the word " Registered " unerased or erased in
pencil only, will also be liable to a registration fee
of eightpence.
22. Time of Posting. — The time for posting regis-
tered letters at Glasgow is half an hour before the
closing of the mail by which they are to be de-
spatched. For a late fee of Ad. they are taken until
the expiration of that half hour.
23. No Letter Carrier, Rural Messenger, or other
servant of the Post Office is allowed to carry a letter
for any person to be registered.