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Appendix B.

CONVENTION. His Excellency the Governor of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, and His Excellency the Governor of the Colony of , being" desirous of promoting greater facilities than at present exist for the exchange of parcels between the Colony of and the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, have agreed, on behalf of their respective Governments, to the following Articles:— Article 1. The parcel post between the Colony of and the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, shall come into operation on the First day of , one thousand eight hundred and ninety Article 2. There shall be a regular exchange of parcels between the Colony of and the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, and other South African States and Colonies served through the Cape Colony, which shall be eflected by means of the ordinary postal service between and the Cape Colony. Article 3. All parcel mails shall be made up on, and forwarded direct to, such offices of exchange as may be mutually agreed upon. Article 4. In the event of its being necessary to provide receptacles for the exchange of parcels under this Convention, the cost of such receptacles shall be equally shared between the post offices of and the Cape Colony. Article o. A parcel must not exceed three feet six inches in length, nor six feet in girth and length combined. Article 6. The maximum weight of a parcel must not for the present exceed eleven pounds avoirdupois, and the scale of weight shall advance by even pounds, beginning with the first pound. Article 7. Postage for the conveyance of a parcel from the place of posting to the place of destination must be prepaid by means of postage stamps. Parcels not fully prepaid and posted out of course, the senders of which are not known, may be forwarded, charged double the deficiency, entry to be made in " Rates prepaid " column as if fully prepaid, and the amount of tax and fine to be entered in column " Accrued charges due to country of despatch." Article 8. Parcels of the following description must not be accepted for transmission by parcel post: — (a) Parcels which bear on the outside any writing or drawing of an indecent or offensive nature, or within which any contents of a like nature may be observed, and parcels containing parts of the vine, fruit, plants, cuttings, bulbs, or roots, (unless accompanied by a special declaration that no phylloxera exists or has existed in them) ; gunpowder, cartridges, lucifer matches, or anything explosive or liable to sudden combustion ; bladders containing liquid; live animals ; grossly offensive or filthy matter: and anything in a condition likely to injure other parcels or any officer of the post office, are prohibited. Should any such parcel as is described above .be tendered for posting at any post office it must be refused, or, if detected in transit, it must be detained, and the sender communicated with. If this cannot be done, the Postmaster must report" the circumstance to the chief office of the Colony in which the irregularity is detected, stating the address of the parcel, the number of the Letter Bill or Parcel Bill on which it is entered, the office from which it was received, its supposed contents, and request instructions. If, however, such a parcel should contain perishable matter which has become offensive, the Postmaster may use his own discretion if the immediate destruction of the parcel be imperative. (6) Parcels containing game, meat, eggs, &c, or razors, scissors, needles, knives, forks, or other sharp instruments, must not be accepted unless securely packed, so as to guard against risk or injury to other parcels. Liquids, or semi-liquids, such as jellies, pickles, paint, varnish, &c, must not be accepted unless in bottles or cans securely stoppered, nor powders, unless so packed that they cannot escape in transmission. Bottles or glass in any form must be accepted only when so packed as to be secure from breakage. If a parcel of this nature be tendered at any post office in a damaged or insecure condition, or in a condition likely to injure other parcels or any officer of the post office, it must be refused ; if a parcel in such condition should be observed in transit it must, if possible, be made secure and sent forward; if it cannot be so secured it must be detained, and a report must be made to the Chief Officer of the Colony in which the irregularity is detected, as in the case of forbidden articles (paragraph 8a). (c) No parcel containing diamonds, specie, bullion, gold (in dust or nuggets), or ostrich feathers, must under any circumstances be accepted for transmission by Parcel Post, but these articles may, as heretofore, be sent through the post at the letter rate of postage, if duly registered. Article 9. The postage on parcels posted in and addressed to the Cape Colony, and on parcels posted in the Cape Colony and addressed to shall be at the rates specified in Schedule " A " to this Convention. Article 10. No parcel may contain a letter or other postal packet intended for delivery to a person other than the addressee of the parcel. If such a letter or postal packet be discovered in a parcel it must be stnt forward charged with postage at the unpaid rate applicable to such letter or postal packet.