HONGKONG POSTAL GUIDE
Prepayment of Duty
419
162.-Arrangements have been made whereby persons sending parcels to the under- mentioned countries and places can take upon themselves the payment of the Customs and other charges ordinarily payable by the addressees:-
British Possessions
Aden.
Antigua.
Australia.
Barbados.
British Guiana.
British New Guinea. Canada.
Cayman Islands.
Cyprus.
Dominica.
Egypt.
Falkland Islands.
Ivory Coast. Jamaica,
Gambia.
Grenada.
India.
Leeward Islands, Malta. Mauritius.
Foreign Countries
New Zealand. Seychelles. Sierra Leone. South Africa,
Br. Union of.
Tobago.
Trinidad, United Kingdom.
Algeria.
Denmark.
French Guiana.
Belgium. Corsica.
Dutch East Indies. Faroe Islands.
French Guinea.
Dahomey.
France.
French Indo-China. French Somali Coast.
French West Indies. Holland. Iceland.
Italy.
Martinique. Mauritania. New Caledonia. Norway.
Sénégal. Sweden.
Switzerland.
163.-The sender must pay a fee of 25 cents, must sign an undertaking to pay on demand the amount due, and must make a deposit on account of the charges. A final settlement will take place as soon as the amount of the charges due has been ascer- tained from the country of destination. An undertaking to pay the charges under this arrangement cannot be accepted when the sender is residing only temporarily in Hongkong or is unable to give a settled address in this colony.
164. As regards the United Kingdom Customs charges are at the rate of 50 cents per lb. for tea and $4 per lb. for cigars and 20 cents per lb. for sugar. On receipt of account from London any balance of deposit made by the sender will be refunded.
165.-A fee of 2d. in respect of the performance of Customs formalities is now charged on every parcel from abroad for delivery in the United Kingdom on which British Customs charges are payable. The fee is collected from the addressee except in the case of duty-prepaid parcels, when the amount must be prepaid by the sender.
Delivery of Parcels
168.--In Hongkong parcels are not, like letters, delivered at the residences of the addressees. Notice of the arrival of a parcel is sent to the addressee, who must then claim the parcel at the Post Office where it is lying.
169.—In Belgium, France and Spain parcels are delivered by the Railway Com- panies and not by the Post Office, and parcels intended to be called for should be addressed, not to a Poste Restante in those countries, but to a Railway Station (En Gare).
170. In the United States parcels are not in all cases delivered at the houses of the recipients. They will, however, be delivered at all places with the delivery of any Express Company of the United States, and, when they are not delivered, a notice of their arrival will be sent to the addressees, who must then arrange to obtain them at the point where they are lying.
171.---Parcels cannot be re-directed free of charge as is the case with letters. The accrued charges must be paid by the addressee before the parcel can be delivered.
172.-Parcels which for any reason cannot be delivered lie at the office of destina- tion until the sender's wishes as to their disposal are forthcoming. If the sender wishes the parcel to be returned to him he must pay fresh postage.
173.-Parcels may be addressed "to be called for" to any Post Office at which letters similarly addressed may be received and under the same general regulations, and will be detained at such offices for a period of three weeks. If not then claimed such parcels will be returned to the Returned Branch of the General Post Office and notice of the fact will be forwarded to the senders, to whom delivery will be made on payment of the postage due for the return of the parcels.
174.-In default of proper application and payment of the charges due, undelivered parcels are liable to be finally disposed of three months after the date of their return to the General Post Office. If, however, during this period or during the period of reten- tion at a Post Office the contents of a parcel become or are likely to become worthless through natural decay, or are found to be offensive or injurious, they are liable to be disposed of forthwith.