Postal_Guide_1929 — Page 26

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HONG KONG POSTAL GUIDE

157. The sender of a registered article addressed to any country in the Postal Union or to Hong Kong may obtain an advice of its delivery on application at the office of posting, either at the time of posting or subsequently. The fee is 10 cents which must be paid on application by stamps affixed by the sender to a form provided for the purpose. Enquiry as to alleged loss or nondelivery of a registered article must also be accompanied by a fee of 10 cents in cases where the sender has not paid for an acknowledgment of delivery in the first instance. If it is found that the postal service is at fault, this fee is refunded.

158.-If it is proved to his satisfaction that a letter or packet duly admitted to Registration has been entirely lost whilst in his custody, the Postmaster General undertakes, subject to the conditions set out below, to pay to the sender the sum of dollars twenty ($20) in Hong Kong currency.

No compensation will be paid in respect of :-

(1) any packet which has been lost through a cause beyond control

(e.g. tempest, shipwreck, earthquake and war);

(2) any packet which the Post Office cannot account for in consequence of the destruction of official documents through a cause beyond control;

(3) any packet containing a prohibited article;

(4) any packet in respect of which a claim is not made within a year

of the date of posting.

No payment is made except in the case of the loss of the entire letter or packet, i.e. compensation is not paid for the loss or damage of the contents as distinct from the loss of the entire packet.

Subject to the same conditions, the Postal Administrations of all countries and colonies included in the Postal Union accept responsibility in respect of registered letters or packets lost whilst in their custody.

A country, colony, dependency, or Postal Agency not included in the Postal Union is under no obligation to make any payment in respect of a registered letter or packet.

If it is desired to obtain compensation in the case of damage or loss of the contents of a letter, or to provide for a higher maximum than $20, recourse must be had to the Insurance System.

No legal liability to make any payment in respect of any packet for which a registration fee has been paid attaches to the Postmaster General, either personally or in his official capacity. The final decision upon the question of payment rests with the Postal Administration of the country in which the loss has taken place.