6
HONG KONG POSTAL GUIDE
9.-Five-cent Revenue stamps which are for receipt purposes only and which cannot be accepted in payment of postage are on sale at all Post Offices.
10.-Letters on official business, posted in Hong Kong, from a department of the Government of the Colony, addressed to the United Kingdom or to a British possession or protectorate, marked "On His Majesty's Service", and signed in the lower left-hand corner with the usual signature of the head or assistant head of the department of origin will be franked by the Post Office.
Letters.
11.-All correspondence of a personal character whether wholly or partly in writing or prepared by typewriter or other similar process, whether in sealed envelopes or not, and also all other articles (except parcels) closed against inspec- tion, are subject to letter rates of postage.
12.-No letter for a place within the British Empire may exceed 2 feet in length by 18 inches in width or depth. For all other places the limit of size is 18 inches in any direction. Letters in the form of a roll may not in either case exceed 30 inches in length by 4 inches in diameter. The limit of weight is 4 lbs. 6 ozs.
13.-Letters must not be enclosed in newspapers or in any other class of mail matter, and where a letter is found in any package of printed papers, commercial papers, or samples, the whole package will be taxed at letter rates.
14.-The use of transparent or panel envelopes is subject to the following conditions:
Entirely transparent envelopes and those with open panels are not admitted. The panel must be placed lengthways and so that the address of the addressee can be read in the same way, and it must not interfere with the impression of the date-stamp. It must be so transparent that the address can be perfectly read in an artifical light, and it must take writing. Transparent panels which reflect artificial light are prohibited.
15.-Postage stamps or forms of prepayment (obliterated or not) and in general all printed articles representing a monetary value, as well as blank paper, notepaper or envelopes, and all other articles of stationery pure and simple, are liable to letter rates of postage.
16.-Local letters on postal business addressed to the Postmaster General need not be stamped.
17.-Consignees' letters, being privileged by law, need not be sent to the Post Office at all, but if they are so sent are liable to ordinary rates of postage.
18.-Letters on Savings Bank business if posted in Hong Kong or at Wei Hai Wei and addressed "Hong Kong Savings Bank" will be forwarded free.
19. The rates of postage on letters to all destinations are shown on page 54.