POSTAL GUIDE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1932, Page 7

POSTAL GUIDE

INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC. VARIETY OF REGULATIONS. WEI (L I NO TON, January 23. The majority of the public know of the existence of the “New Zealand Post and Telegraph Guide”; some have consulted it when in doubt about some obsecure point of the postal regulations but probably very few have ever read it through. Quite a number of people are under the impression that if they register a postal packet, and it gets lost, they receive the full value gack again. This however, is far from the case. The public are exhorted to register letters containing valuables; indeed, it is obligatory to do so if the letter or packet contains watches, jewellery, coin or banknotes. “The registration of an article reuders its much more' secure. The loss of a registered article is a very rare occurrence,” says the “Guide.” But me fly in the ointment is the fact that the Postmaister-General flatly refuses to be liable to pay the sender of a registered packet, should it get lost, more than £2, whatever the value of tho dbiitelits; Jit some case that might be iio compensation at all. What ft lot of people do hot know, however, is that a letter can be insured as well as registered, In this case it is possible to get oompenation for loss up to £-100. To insure an inland letter for this amounts costs the ender os lOd; an overseas letter insured for this amount costs 14s od. A smaller sum can be paid for a correspondingly smaller limit of insurance.

There is at the beginning of the guide a long list of prohibitions as regards the articles that may not he posted to the various countries of the world.

Drugs, gold, silver, coin, jewellery are common prohibitions in the lists. Soviet Russia apparently does not encourage stamp collectors, for amongst its prohibitions are “postage stamps and other objects of philatelic interest addressed to private individuals.’’ Russia also will not admit “printed matter, printer’ blocks, photographs, films, drawings, of manuscripts.’’ except with Soviet 'Government authority.

Tinselled postcards, if posted as postcards and not in cover, will merely find their way into the Dead Letter Office*and not to the person to whom they are addressed. The same fate awaits a postcard which has loose tree-leaves attached to the back of

“No living creature, except live bees and harmless entomological specimens,” can he sent by post. That hoes can travel by post will probably come as news to many. Quite how postal official's determine whether an entomological specimen is harmless or not is not revealed in the “Guide.” W hat also may be news to many is the fact that English and Australian one-penny and one-penny-halfpenny postage stamps may he obtained by persons desirous ol sending a stamp or-stamped envelope to their correspondents in Great: Mritain and Ireland or in Australia in order to relieve them of the cost, of postage when sending replies. “Rut.” says the “Guide, “these stamps cannot he purchased in quantities of more than six at one time, nor are tlie\ permitted to he list'd 1 01 fhe purpose of making remittances. At the elrrcl’ post offices file stamps nsvil by tin* Islands can be purchased this being a favour 'lhat collectors may appreciate.

If patterns or samples are sent by post af the special rate charged loi them, "writing in characters such at Chinese, Hr., will render the pack'd liable to letter rates of postage."