Directory_and_Chronicle_1906 — Page 520

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etc.

HONGKONG POSTAL GUIDE

(m) Letters containing insured articles addressed to initials or directed in pencil

are not accepted.

(n) The amount of the value insured must be expressed in francs and centimes, or in dollars and cents, and must be written by the sender on the cover of the packet in words and in figures, without erasure or correc- tion, even if certified.

(0) The sender's name and address must be endorsed on the left-hand lower

corner on the face of the cover.

FOREIGN PARCEL POST.-GENERAL REGULATIONS.

(Postage, Dimensions and Weight.)

197.- For postage, maximum dimensions and weight, see Table of Rates of Postage,

PREPAYMENT, ADDRESS, METHod of Posting, CERTIFICATE Of Posting,

198.--The rules as to the method of address, as to the method of posting, and as to certificates of posting, are similar to the rules for local parcels given in Rule 81 respec- tively.

CUSTOMS DECLARATION AND DESPATCH NOTE.

199.--Parcels are subject to Customs regulations, and the sender of each parcel is required to make for Customs purposes-upon a special form or forms, which can be obtained at any Post Office-an accurate statement of the nature and value of the contents and other particulars. Undervaluing the contents or failure to describe them fully may result in seizure of the parcels. The net weight or quantity of the various articles contained in a parcel should, if possible, be stated, and any other particulars which would facilitate the assessment of Customs duty; such as, in the case of clothing, the material of which it is composed, and whether it is new or has been worn. In the case of articles returned to the country where they originated the fact should be stated. The forms for Foreign parcels should, when possible, be filled up in both English and French.

CUSTOMS DUTY AND CHARGES ON Delivery.

200.-All parcels are liable to be opened for Customs examination, and their con- tents are subject to Customs duty, according to the laws of the country or colony of destination. Such duty cannot be prepaid, but is collected from the addressee on delivery, except in the case of parcels sent under the arrangements explained in Rule 203. In most Foreign countries and British colonies the articles which are not subject to Customs duty on importation are comparatively few. The Post Office can give no information as to the Customs tariff or procedure of particular countries, nor does it accept any responsibility for loss, delay or charges arising from the Customs or sanitary regulations to which the contents of parcels are subject.

201.---In addition to Customs duty, a charge of 6d. per parcel for stamp duty, clearance, &c., is levied on all dutiable parcels entering Cape Colony and Natal. This charge is increased to 18. 6d. in the case of parcels for Rhodesia and Orange River Colony. In most European countries and some others a fee not exceeding 24d. per parcel is leviable for delivery and Customs formalities. In Honduras and Saf- vador the fee is 1 centavo for each 4 oz., with a minimum of 5 centavos. As to the charge on parcels for the Congo Free State, see footnote in Table of Postage.

202.-The following rules apply to the exchange of Parcel Post with the United States, when Parcels are posted to be sent via London.

(a.) The charges payable on parcels for the United States are partly postal and

partly non-postal.

(b.) The Non-Postal Charges are as follows:-(1.) 60 cents on every parcel, due to the American Express Co. for Customs clearance and formalities, and (2.) 60 cents in respect of the charges levied by the United States Government under the title of "Sample Office Fee or "Storage Fee" on every parcel entering the Country.

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