663472-1887-Ordinances-1-to-4-of-1887-assented-to — Page 3

160 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 19TH FEBRUARY,

Letters excepted

under Acts of Imperial Parliament.

Receipt of postage, and accounts.

Governor in Council may fx rates of postage.

Orders to be published by Proclamation.

The Governor may make regulations.

Decision as to newspapers, packets, &c.

Pald corres~ pondence to be delivered or

transmitted

without

further

charge.

Seamen's and Soldiers' letters.

Dies, &c. for

postage

stamps.

Opening letters.

1

Unpaid letters.

6. All correspondence which, by any Act of the Imperial Parliament, is excepted from the exclusive privilege of the Imperial Post Office, shall within this Colony be excepted from the exclusive privilege of the Postmaster General of the Colony. Consignees' Letters shall be excepted from the exclusive privilege of the Postmaster General, but, if taken to the Post Office, such Consignees' Letters shall be subject to the same Rates of Postage and general regulations as apply to other correspondence.

7. The Postmaster General shall receive all postage payable in the Colony and shall keep accounts of all cor- respondence received and despatched by him, with the particulars of the Postage thereof, in such manner and form as the Governor may from time to time direct. The accounts of monies payable to the Imperial Postmaster General shall be kept distinct from the accounts of monies payable to the Colonial Treasury.

The Postmaster General shall keep the accounts of monies payable to the Imperial Postmaster General in such form and shall transmit such monies in such manner as the said Imperial Postmaster General may from time to time direct.

8. The Governor in Council may from time to time by order determine the rates of postage to be charged upon all correspondence sent by post from the General Post Office of the Colony, or received therein from places outside the Colony, and may revoke, alter, or add to any such order, provided that no such order be inconsistent with any in- structions transmitted from the Secretary of State for the Colonies or from the Imperial Postmaster General.

9. The Governor shall publish every such order by Proclamation in the Gazette; and every order, when so published, shall have the same effect as if it had been in- serted in this Ordinance. All such Orders in Council în force at the time of passing of this Ordinance are hereby. continued in force until duly revoked or altered by the Governor in Council.

10. The Governor may, subject to such instructions as aforesaid, from time to time make, alter, and repeal, in re- lation to correspondence sent by post, such regulations as he thinks fit for regulating times and modes of posting and delivery, prepayment, late fees, fines on unpaid correspond- ence, the registry of correspondence, money orders, the sale and affixing of postage stamps, the dimensions, weights, and contents of packets, and other such similar regulations as the Governor from time to time thinks necessary for the better execution of this Ordinance.

All such regulations as affect the public shall be published in the Gazette, or in the Postal Guide published by the Postmaster General, and shall have no effect until so published.

11. Any question whether an article of correspondence is a letter, or whether any publication is a newspaper or a supplement, or whether any packet is a book packet or pattern or sample. packet within the meaning of this Ordi- nance, or of any order in Council or regulations made thereunder, shall be decided by the Postmaster General. The Governor may, if he thinks fit, on the application of any person interested, reverse or modify such decision, and order accordingly.

12. All correspondence which arrives in this Colony fully paid according to the rates in force for the time being shall be delivered or transmitted from the Post Office with- out further charge.

13. All letters received or sent by sailors or soldiers of Her Majesty's sea or land forces shall be charged with such reduction in the rates of postage as is allowed to them by any Act of the Imperial Parliament.

14. The Governor may from time to time provide pro- per postage stamps and proper dies and other implements for denoting, by adhesive stamps or otherwise, the rates of postage payable under this Ordinance, or any regulation thereunder.

15. The Postmaster General may if necessary open, and if possible return to the sender :--

(1) Any correspondence upon which the prepayment of postage is compulsory, and which cannot be sent unpaid by any other route, and upon which the proper postage has not been paid.

1887.