Postal_Guide_September_1963 — Page 36

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REGISTRATION

Any postal packet may be registered, except a parcel. Exceptionally, there is at present no registration service to the Chagos Islands, North Viet-Nam and North Korea.

The registration fee is 40c. and must be prepaid in addition to the postage.

Parcels for places abroad cannot be registered, although in many cases they may be insured, see under country of destination in Section II of this Guide.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTERING

A packet to be registered must be handed to an officer of the Post Office and a receipt obtained for it; it must not be dropped into a letter-box.

Small packets, commercial papers, packets of printed papers, samples and literature for the blind intended for registration must be made up in the manner prescribed for unregistered packets of these categories.

A postal packet addressed in pencil or bearing an address composed of initials cannot be registered; but the address may be written in copying-ink pencil unless a window envelope is used.

Methods of fastening or sealing. A postal packet of any kind intended for registra- tion must be made up in a reasonably strong cover appropriate to its contents. Letters and packets must be fastened with wax, gum, or other adhesive substance: it is not sufficient merely to tie them with string, but, if string is used in addition to the fastening specified above, the string need not be sealed also. Packets or parcels of a suitable type are also accepted if securely tied with string which is sealed with wax or which is secured at each end by means of a lead, steel or strong metal seal crushed with a press. Whatever method of fastening or sealing is adopted, it is essential that it should not be possible to remove any part of the contents of the letter or parcel without either breaking or tearing the case, wrapper or cover or forcing two adhesive surfaces apart or breaking a seal. If a letter or parcel is fastened by means of strips of adhesive paper or tape, each strip must bear stamped or printed on it some mark or word distinctive of the sender, such as his initials or name, or must be signed or initialled by him or the person who tenders the packet for registration. If this condition is met transparent adhesive cellulose tape may be used, but a packet fastened with coloured adhesive cellulose tape will not be accepted for registration.

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What is said respecting fastening and scaling does not apply to postcards or to printed paper, sample and newspaper packets, or packets consisting of articles for the use of the blind, which must be open to inspection whether registered or not.

Re-use of envelopes. An envelope which has previously passed through the post may be used again for transmission by registered post only on the following con- ditions:

area;

1. It must be over 10 inches by 5 inches or otherwise over 50 square inches in

2. It must not contain coin, bank-notes, or other forms of readily negotiable money, or valuables such as jewellery or gold or silver articles;

3. All old addresses on the envelope must be completely covered by a gummed label, and, if this is not of sufficient size to cover the postmarks and any registration label already on the envelope, strips of paper must be used to cover those also. Money sent by registered post. Money, as defined under the heading "Compensation", sent by registered post must be enclosed in one of the registered letter envelopes sold by the Post Office and posted for delivery in the Colony. Coin must be packed in such a way that it cannot move about inside the envelope.

Packing. Any article contained in a registered letter or packet must be adequately packed as a precaution against damage in course of transmission. In particular, an article of a fragile nature must be packed in a container of sufficient strength and must be surrounded in that container with sufficient and suitable soft material or wadding to protect the article against the effects of concussion, pressure and knocks to which postal packets are ordinarily exposed in transmission, and the packet must bear the words Fragile With Care written conspicuously on the face of the cover above the address. The presence of these words is one of the conditions of compensation for damage to a fragile article sent by registered post.