1438
Gratuities to masters of vessels inwards. (bil, see. 12.) Gratuities to masters of vessels outwards. Rates of gratuity. Damages for non-delivery of mail. Persons proposing to despatch vessels to give notice to the Postmaster General. [/bid, sec. 18,]
ORDINANCE No. 10 of 1876. Post Office.
21. 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 correspondence delivered by him to the Post Office: Provided always that no gratuity shall be payable,
(1.) For a second 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.
22. 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.
23. The powers of the Governor in Council as defined and regulated by sections 10 and 11 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.
24. Every master of a vessel who receives such gratuities, shall be held to have made a contract with the Postmaster General that in consideration of the gratuities so paid, he will duly deliver all letter bags and correspondence 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 sum of five hundred dollars as liquidated damages for the breach of his said contract.
25. 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 intimations, 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 conviction 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.
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