522 ORDINANCE No. 8 OF 1862 .
Post Office.
Power to open 19. It shall be lawful for the Postmaster General to open any correspondence
dead letters.
addressed to any person residing in any place where the prepayment of postage is com
pulsory and upon which correspondence the proper postage shall not have been paid,
and as soon as conveniently may be to return the same to the writer, if he be able so
to do, and also after any correspondence shall have been returned to the Post Office
of this Colony for want of true directions, and in any case where the person or persons
to whom any correspondence shall have been directed cannot be found, and after the
same respectively shall have been advertised in the Hongkong Government Gazette, at
any time after three days thereafter to open every such correspondence and to return
the same to the writer of such correspondence respectively or to his authorized agent
or representative, upon payment of the postage due upon such correspondence ; and
in case any such returned correspondence shall be again returned, the Postmaster
General shall have liberty forthwith to open the said correspondence so returned to
him, and to destroy the same.
Letters not to be 20. No person shall wittingly, willingly, or knowingly open, detain or delay, or
opened or delay
ed, with certain
exceptions. cause, procure, or suffer any correspondence to be opened, detained , or delayed after
delivery into the Post Office, or into the hands of any person employed for the receiv
ing or carrying post letters, and before delivery to the person to whom the same shall
be directed, or for his use ; except by express warrant in writing under the hand of His
Excellency the Governor, or except where the person to whom directed or who is
chargeable with the payment of the postage shall refuse to pay the same.
Postage may be 21. When any packet containing patterns or other articles being not properly
remitted on
packets not letters shall be brought to the General Post Office and shall have become liable to
containing
letters, if sent in postage, and evidence shall have been adduced to the satisfaction of the Postmaster
mistake.
General that such packets have been actually sent through the post in mistake and
contrary to the intention of the parties interested , it shall be lawful for the Postmaster
General to reduce the postage provided any such packet be opened in the presence of
an officer of the Post Office, and is not found to contain any letter or manuscript liable
to a charge or rate of postage, equivalent to the cost for freight on such packet, together
with a fine of not less than one shilling nor exceeding five shillings .
Governor to 22. It shall be lawful for His Excellency the Governor to cause to be provided
provide postage
dies and stamps.
at the public expense proper and sufficient postage stamps and dies or other implements
for expressing and denoting the rates or duties of postage for this Colony, and such
dies, stamps, and implements shall be kept in such custody, and such stamps shall be
made or impressed from such dies or other implements and sold in such manner as His
Excellency the Governor shall from time to time direct.
Crimes and 23. All Statutes or parts of Statutes of the Imperial Parliament which have
punishment as
to the Post Office relation to the commission and punishment of offences against the Post Office or the
continued.
revenue thereof shall be deemed and taken to be incorporated herein, so far as they can
be made applicable to the local circumstances of this Colony and to the Post Office
establishment authorized by this Ordinance to be established ; and all offenders shall on
conviction be liable to the punishments or penalties set forth in such Statutes. And all