Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 538

etc.

HONGKONG POSTAL GUIDE

465

(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.

(p) Except in cases beyond control i.e. fire, tempest, earthquake, war, shipwreck, etc., where an insured letter has been lost or damaged or its contents abstracted, the sender or at his request the addressec, is entitled to an indemnity corresponding with the actual amount of the loss, abstraction, or damage, unless the damage has been caused by the fault or negligence of the sender, or arises from the nature of the article, and provided that this indenmity may not exceed in any case the sum for which the letter has been insured.

(7) In case of loss the sender is also entitled to a return of the expenses of

transmission.

FOREIGN PARCEL POST.-GENERAL REGULATIONS

(Postage, Dimensions and Weight)

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

PREPAYMENT, ADDRESS, METHOD OF POSTING, CERTIFICATE OF POSTING 197.- 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 80 respec- tively.

CUSTOMS DECLARATION AND DESPATCH NOTE

198.-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

199. All parcels are liable to be open 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 202 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.

200.—In addition to Customs duty, a charge of 6d. per parcel for stamp duty clearance, &c., is levied on all dutiable parcels ontering Cape Colony and Natail 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 24. per parcel is leviable for delivery and Customs formalities. In Honduras and Salvador 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-rite footnote in Table of Postage.

201.-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 which must be paid in advance 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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