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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 26TH APRIL, 1884.
Gratuities to masters of ves- sels inwards,
Gratuities to masters of ver. sels outwards.
Rates
of gratuity.
Damages for non-delivery of mall.
Persons pro- posing to des. parch vessels to give notioe to the Post- master Gene- rak
Making up mails on boară.
20. The Postmaster General shall pay to every master of a vessel, not being a contract packet, a gratuity of two cents for every letter, and one cent for every other article of correspondeuce delivered by him to the Post Office; Provided always that no gratuity shall be payable,-
(1) For a secoud transmission of any correspondence; (2.) On correspondence delivered to any Post Office to be thence transmitted by contract packet; (3.) On correspondence the gratuity on which is certified
by the despatching office to have been paid. (4.) The Gratuity payable on such letters transmitted between Hongkong, Canton, and Macao, in either direction, shall be one cent only.
21. The Postmaster General may pay like gratuities to any master of a vessel leaving Hongkong on every article of correspondence delivered to such master from the Post Office, or certified by the Post Office of destination to have been duly received from him.
22. The powers of the Governor in Council as defined and regulated by sections 9 and 10 of this Ordinance, shall equally apply to the rates of gratuity to be paid to ship masters for the delivery of mails, either generally or in particular cases: Provided always, that the gratuities fixed by any Order in Council under this section shall not be less on the average than the sums otherwise required by this Ordinance to be paid.
23. Every master of a vessel who receives such gratuities or to whom such gratuities have been credited in the accounts of the Postmaster General shall be held to have made a con- tract with the Postmaster General that, in consideration of the gratuities so paid, he will duly deliver all letter bags and cor- respondence received from the Post Office unto the persons to whom the same are addressed immediately on his arrival in port, without wilful or avoidable delay after his arrival, and that if he fail in any respect to perform his said contract he will pay to the Postmaster General the sun of five hundred dollars as liquidated damages for the breach of his said contract.
24. Every person or firm proposing to despatch a vessel to any port or place out of this Colony, excepting vessels plying daily or on fixed days to Macao or to places on the Canton River, shall, so soon as he has arranged the time for the departure of such vessel, give the first intimation of such proposed departure to the Postmaster General, and shall, in like manner, intimate to the Postmaster General any alteration in the day or hour of departure of the said vessel, and the Postmaster General shall, on receiving such intimation, give notice to the public of the day and hour for closing the mails, if any are to be made up by such vessel.
Any person or firm failing to give such intimation to the Postmaster General shall, for every such offence, on con- viction thereof, be liable to a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars.
Every alteration of the hour of departure of any vessel plying daily or on fixed days to Macao or to places on the Canton River, shall, in like manner, be intimated to the Postmaster General by the person despatching such vessel, who shall, for any default, be liable on conviction thereof to a penalty not exceeding one hundred dollars.
25. The Postmaster General, or any officer of the Post Office authorised by him, may attend on board any vessel, after the time for closing the mail by such vessel, and may receive all fully prepaid correspondence which is brought on board up to the time of departure to be transmitted by such vessel,
The master of every such vessel shall give all proper facilities to such officer of the Post Office to enable him to discharge his duties and to make up such late mails, and to leave the vessel on her departure, and any master of a vessel failing to give any such facilities shall be liable, on con- viction thereof, to a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollars.
If there be no officer of the Post Office in attendance on board any vessel, the master of such vessel may receive all correspondence which is brought on board to him prepaid by stamps; and shall deliver the same at the Post Office on arrival at his destination.