THE NEW RATES OF POSTAGE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 15, 30 December 1862, Page 4

THE NEW RATES OF POSTAGE.

We publish for general information the ■ NeflT Eate of Postage at present in force :— New ZbaiiAitd. Bates of Postage chargeable on Letters, NetoS' ■papers, md Book Packets posted in the Colony. I LETTERS. 1. Inland Letters. — Not exceeding \ oz, 2d exceeding \ oz, and not exceeding 10z,4d; exceeding 1 oz, and not evceeding 2 oz, 8d; and so on, increasing fourpence for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. 2. To the United Kingdom. — By Southampton or by direct ship : Not exceeding £ oz, 6d j exceeding -£ oz, and not exceeding 1 oz, Is; exceeding 1 oz, and not exceeding 2 oz, 2s ; and so on, increasing one shilling for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. By Marseilles : Not exceeding i oz, 9d ; exceeding \ oz, and not exceeding i oz, Is ; exceeding J oz, and not exceeding £ oz, Is 9d ; exceeding f oz, and not exceeding 1 oz, 2s; and so on, being an addition to the ordinary postage at the rate of threepence per quarter ounce 3. To British Colonies and "Foreign Countries* — Not exceeding £ oz, 6d ; exceeding £ oz, and not exceeding 1 oz, Is ; exceeding 1 oz, and not exceeding 2 oz, 2s ; and so on, increasing one shilling- for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. * # * Except in the following cases, where special rates are payable. 4. To the Continent of Europe via Trieste.— Not exceeding £ oz, Is6d; exceeding £ oz, and not exceeding 1 oz, 3s ; exceeding 1 oz, and not exceeding 2 oz, 6s ; and so on, increasing three shillings for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. 5. To Syria and Turkey. — Letters will be forwarded via Alexandria and Jaffa unless marked for transmission via the United Kingdom, will be charged as follows : Not exceeding £ oz, lid; exceeding \ oz, and not exceeding 1 oz, Is lOd ; and so on, increasing one shilling and tenpence for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. 6. To China and the "Eastern Archipelago, ,— Letters addressed to Hongkong, Penang, Singapore, or any part of China or Japan, the PhillipTne Islands, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Labuan, the Moluccas, and Siam, are chargeable as follows: Not exceeding f oz, Is ; exceeding oz., and not exceeding 1 oz, 2s ; and so on, increasing two shillings for every additional ounce or fraction oi an ounce. 7. To Naval Officers on 'Foreign Stations.— Letters addressed to officers serving on board any of Her Majesty's ships on a foreign station, when sent through the TTnited Kingdom, are chargeable as follows : Not exceeding £ oz, Is ; exceeding \oz and not exceeding 1 oz, 2s ; exceeding loz and not exceeding 2 oz, 4s ; and so on, increasing two shillings for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. 8. To JN~aval Seamen and Soldiers. — Letter sent to or by seamen and soldiers in Her Majesty's service will be transmitted within the Colony, and between the colony or auy post-office in the British dominions, at a charge of one penny, provided that the following regulations are observed: — 1. Each letter must not exceed half an ounce in weight. 2. It must be superscribed with the name of the writer, his disposition or class in the vessel or regiment, and signed by the officer at the time in command. 3. The postage must be pre-paid. Every letter of this description, posted or received in this Colony, not in accordance with the foregoing reguation, will be treated as an ordinary letter. ** 9. Free Letters. — Letters on the public service of Her Majesty's Naval and Military Forces, are exempted from the payment of postage, if bearing the words, "On Her Majesty's Service," and the signature of the officer in command of the force on the service of which the letter is despatched. But such letters cannot be transmitted by any irregular route, or one entailing additional expense ou tho Colonial Government. Letters on the public service of the General Government of the colony are transmitted free by post, if bearing the words, " On the Public Service only," and the signature of some officer of the General Government authorised to frank official letters. 10. Registered Letters. — Registration Fee, Is, in addition to the ordinary postage chargeable on any other. Except in special cases, as exhibited in table subjoined. NEWSrAPEKS. To any part of the colony, if published in the colony, and posted within seven days from publication, free; if not published iv the colony, or not posted within seven days from publication, each, Id. 2. To the United Kingdom, via Southampton, or by direct ship, free ; to the United Kingdom, via Marseilles, each, 3d ; 3. To the Continent of Europe, via Trieste, each, 2il ; 4. To Syria and Turkey (not through the United Kingdom), not exceeding two ounces, Id; and so on, at the rate of one penny for every additional two ounces. Note. — For the postage chargeable on newspapers, forwarded to other countries, through the United Kingdom, see table (A) subjoined. J?0OK PACKETS. 1. To any part of the colony, or to the United Kingdom via Southampton: — Not exceediag4 oz, 4*l; exceeding 4 oz, and not exceerling 8 oz, 8d ; exceeding 8 oz, and not exceeding 10 oz, Is 4d ; and so on, increasing eight pence for every additional half-pound, or lVaction of half-a-pound. 2. To the following British colonies — Ascension, Bermuda, British West Indies, Canada, Cape of Good Hope, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Gold Coast, Heligoland, lonian Islands, Natal, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Priuca Edward Island, St. Helena, Sierra Leone, Vancouver's Island: — Not exceeding 4oz, 7d; exceeding- 4 oz, and not exceeding 8 oz, Is 2d ; exceeding 8 oz, and not exceeding 16 oz, 2s 4d; and so on, increasing one shilling and twopence for every half-pound, or fraction of half-a-pound. Prepayment by Stamps. — All letters, packets, and newspapers posted in New Zealand, must be prepaid by affixing postage labels of tho colony of sufficient value. Loose Letters. — AH letters received from beyond seas, at any Post-office in this colony, which have not been regularly posted at the place of despatch (loose letters), are chargeable with full postage, according (.o the rates established by the foregoing tables, unless they are letters which it i 3 not compulsory by law to send by post, in which case they are chargeable with the inland rate of postage only. Book-Packets to be Open for Inspection. — • Every book-packet shall be sent open at the end 3 or sides, and there shall be no enclosure sealed or otherwise closed against inspection sent in or with such packet, nor anything printed or written in the nature of a letter. Contents. — With the above limitations, a packetbook may contain any number of separate bonks, maps, prints, or photographs, and any quantity of paper, vellum, or parchment, either printed, written on, or plain, (exclusive of anything in the nature of a letter whether sealed or open.) with the binding, covering, or mounting attached or belonging to such book, print, map, or photograph, aud all things legitimately appertaining to or necessary for the transmission of any enclosed literary or artistic matter, but exclusive of glass in any form. The names and address of the sender may appear on the cover. Registration. — Any person can have a letter registered by affixing on it by means of tho proper labels the amount of the registration fee, in addition to the proper postage, and presenting it at a Post-office during office hours, and at least ono hour before the closing of the mail by which it ia desired to bo transmitted. Every precaution \vi!l be adop.ed to ensure the safe delivery of a registered letter, by entering it on the letter bills, and obtaining a receipt for the same on delivery. As the Post-office, however, is not responsible for the loss of any letter, whether registered or otherwise, persons sending bank-notes or drafts are advised to take the numbers and particulars, and to cut the notes or drafts in halves, and to send them by different post. Penalties. — Any person sending as exempt from postage letters not liable to exemption, or enclosing a communication in the nature of a letter in any newspaper or book -packet are liable to a penalty of £20. Overland Carriage. — No postmaster will be required to receive any book-packet for transmission by an overland mail, if from its weight or any other cause the packet appear calculated to retard the carrier. Ceosbie Ward, Postmaster-General.