Postal_Guide_September_1961 — Page 78

76 Overseas Post

Overseas parcel mails close one hour earlier than the advertised time of closing of letter mails for the same destinations, except when the letter mail is due to close before 10 a.m., in these cases the parcel mail will be closed on the previous weekday.

Parcels cannot be registered but may be insured if such a service is shown as available under the country concerned. The regulations concerning insurance will be found in Section I of this Guide.

Posting in large numbers, It will be of material advantage to the sender, and to the Post Office, if persons wishing to post a large number of parcels, ordinary or insured, will give due notice to the Post Office. Arrangements will be made for a special form of receipt which will expedite the treatment of such parcels.

Liability. The sender of a parcel which has not been delivered to the addressee has to pay the conveyance and other costs incurred as a result of non-delivery even if the parcel has been abandoned, sold or destroyed, and the Post Office reserves the right to collect a deposit in advance to cover such costs.

PREFERENTIAL TARIFFS

Many articles of British production or manufacture are entitled to preferential rates of Customs duty within the Commonwealth if accompanied by a Certificate of Imperial Preference which can be obtained from the Commerce and Industry Department, Fire Brigade Building, Connaught Road, Hong Kong.

CASH ON DELIVERY PARCELS

Under this service which is available to Great Britain and Malaya and Singapore, the amount, called the trade charge, specified by the sender for collection on delivery of a parcel can, on certain conditions, be collected from the addressee by the Post Office and remitted to the sender by means of a special order. Parcels sent under this system are known as cash on delivery parcels.

CONDITIONS

The trade charge on any one parcel to Great Britain may in no case exceed £40 or HK$640.00 and one to Malaya and Singapore Mal.$340.00 or HK$666.00, and the trade charge may not be cancelled or reduced after the parcel is posted. Parcels on which trade charges are to be collected must be handed in at a post office. The sender must obtain a certificate of posting, the production of which may be required as a condition of payment of the trade charge money order. If the insurance of a cash on delivery parcel is desired, the usual conditions for insurance must be observed.

The sender must furnish, on the cover of the parcel, or on a label affixed to the cover, his name and address and the word REMBOURSEMENT followed by the amount of the trade charges. These particulars may be furnished on the back of the parcel if there is no room for them on the front. No erasure or alteration of the entry of the money is allowed. An incorrect entry must be completely obliterated and a fresh entry made.

The sender must fill up a special trade charge card with all the particulars required on the card, except the number of the parcel and those in the space headed Service Instructions. No erasure or alteration of the entry of the amount of the trade charge is allowed. If the sender desires to correct the entry of the amount he must make out a fresh card. The trade charge card will eventually be returned to the sender as a money order for the full amount entered on it and on the relative parcel by the sender.

The sender must prepay by means of postage stamps affixed to the parcel, a special cash on delivery fee of 20 cents. This fee is in addition to the ordinary postage.

Disposal instructions in the event of non-delivery. The sender should provide for the disposal of the parcel in the event of non-delivery in the same way as for ordinary and insured parcels.

Delivery abroad. A delivery fee of 4d, in addition to the amount of the trade charge, is collected from the addressee of a cash on delivery parcel addressed to Great Britain, and 15 cents for a parcel addressed to Malaya. The amount of the trade charge collected is remitted to the sender of the parcel through an international trade charge money order. On payment of the order a commission of one percent is deducted from the amount.