record. The carrier's record is made out at the post office to which the carrier is attached. 31. A registered letter or parcel should have the name and address of the sender either printed or written on it. If written, it is usually placed on the back. For example, a letter addressed as in Fig. 5 should be indorsed on the back with the name and address of sender, as shown in Fig. 6, and the registry receipt and office record for a letter addressed and indorsed as in Figs. 5 and 6 would be made out as shown. 32. The student should pay particular attention to the form of the registry receipt and try to remember it, so that he can write a duplicate of same, without referring to this Instruction Paper. The student can acquire this knowledge by continually copying the entire receipt shown in Fig. 3, substituting other names for those shown. FOREIGN MAIL 33. Classification.-Articles for or from foreign countries (except Canada, Cuba, and Mexico) are classified as letters, post cards, prints, commercial or business papers, and samples of merchandise. This is known as the Postal Union classification of mail matter. There is no provision in the Postal Union mails for other merchandise than samples (see Parcels Post, page 23). A package of merchandise sealed and prepaid in full at the letter rate is, however, transmitted in the Postal Union mails as a letter. The right of its entry into a foreign country is determined by the administration of the country of its destination. Prohibited articles, if mailed sealed against inspection, will not be delivered, although they reach the country of their destination. 34. Exceptions.-Articles of every kind or nature admitted to the domestic mails of the United States will be admitted under the same conditions to the mails for Great Britain, Ireland, Newfoundland, Germany, Canada, Cuba, Panama, Mexico, United States Naval Vessels, Shanghai, China, except that commercial papers and bona-fide trade samples (including samples of liquids and fatty substances) are transmissible at the postage rate and subject to the conditions applicable to those articles in Postal Union mails; and also that packages -other than single volumes of printed books-the weight of which exceeds 4 pounds 6 ounces, are excluded from the mails for Cuba. Letters for Germany paid at the 2-cent rate are despatched only by steamers able to land the mails at a German port. Letters paid at the 5-cent rate are despatched by the quickest route. 35. Prohibited Articles.-The transmission of the following articles is absolutely prohibited in the foreign mails: Publications that violate copyright laws; packets, except single books, that weigh more than 4 pounds 6 ounces; poisons, explosives or inflammable substances; live or dead (not dried) animals; insects (except bees) and reptiles; anything likely to decay; lottery tickets; obscene or immoral articles; articles likely to damage the mails or to injure persons handling them. 36. Rates of Postage. The rates of postage applicable to all foreign countries other than those already named are as follows: CENTS Letters, for each half ounce or fraction of half ounce.. 5 Single postal cards (including souvenir cards), each Double postal cards (including souvenir cards), each . Printed matter of all kinds, for each 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces.. Commercial papers, for the first 10 ounces or less.. ounces.. Samples of merchandise, for the first 4 ounces or less.. ounces.. Registration fee, in addition to postage. 2 4 5 1 2 1 10 37. Letters. The postal conventions do not define the term letter, but it is held that a package on which postage at the letter rate has been prepaid in full was intended, by the sender, to be sent as a letter, and, when it does not contain prohibited articles, is required to be considered and treated as such. Consequently, packages addressed to foreign countries, except Canada, Cuba, and Mexico, fully prepaid at the rate of postage applicable to letters for the countries to which they are addressed, are allowed to be forwarded by mail to their destinations, even though they contain articles of miscellaneous merchandise that are not sent as bona-fide trade samples. 38. Inspection of Packages.-Articles, other than letters in their usual form, will be inspected by customs officers on their arrival at the exchange post office of the country of destination, and customs and duties will be levied on any articles found to be dutiable under the laws of that country and not prohibited transmission in the mails. 39. Commercial Papers.-As commercial papers are included all instruments or documents written or drawn wholly or partly by hand that have not the character of an actual and personal correspondence, such as papers of legal procedure, deeds of all kinds drawn up by public functionaries, way bills, or bills of lading, invoices, the various documents of insurance companies, copies of or extracts from deeds under private signature, written, stamped or unstamped papers, scores or sheets of manuscript music, manuscript of books or of articles. for publication in periodicals, forwarded separately, corrected tasks of pupils, excluding all comment on work, etc. limit of weight is 4 pounds 6 ounces. The 40. Samples of Merchandise.-Packages of miscellaneous merchandise for foreign countries (except Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and United States postal agency at Shanghai, China) are restricted to bona-fide samples or specimens having no salable or commercial value in excess of that actually necessary for their use as samples or specimens. The limit of weight is 12 ounces. Goods sent for sale, in execution of an order, or as gifts, however small the quantity, are not admissible at the sample rate and conditions. Pairs of articles, such as gloves and shoes, are not transmissible to foreign countries as samples of merchandise. Samples of merchandise must be placed in bags, boxes, or removable envelopes in such a manner as to admit of easy inspection; they must not have any salable value or bear any manuscript other than the name or profession of the sender, the address of the addressee, a manufacturer's trade-mark, numbers, prices, indications relating to weight or size, and words necessary to indicate the origin and nature of the merchandise. Packages containing articles of merchandise may be sent to Cuba at the postage rate and subject to the conditions applicable to fourth-class matter in United States mails. All matter to be sent at less than the letter rates of postage must be securely wrapped, so that it can be easily examined at the office of delivery, as well as at the mailing office, without damaging the wrapper. 41. Foreign Registered Mail. The letters and parcels addressed to foreign countries, if admissible to the Postal Union mails, may be registered under the same conditions as those addressed to domestic destinations. The registry fee in every case is 10 cents in addition to lawful postage, and both must be fully prepaid. Registered articles addressed to or received from foreign countries are delivered according to the rules of the country of address. No indemnity is paid by the United States for the loss in the mails of registered letters or parcels addressed to any foreign country. No receipt from the addressee will be forwarded to the sender unless the words "Return Receipt Demanded" are written or stamped across the face of the letter or parcel. PARCELS POST 42. Where in Use.-Unsealed packages may be sent by Parcels Post to the following-named countries: Bahamas Barbados Colombia Costa Rica The Danish West Indies Honduras (British) Jamaica Leeward Islands Mexico Salvador British Guiana Windward Islands Newfoundland Honduras (Republic of) Chile Germany Nicaragua New Zealand Venezuela Bolivia 43. Size of Packages.-The maximum length of packages must not exceed 3 feet 6 inches, and in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica, 2 feet. The weight of a single package is limited to 11 pounds; but parcels for Germany and Hongkong, China, must not weigh more than 4 pounds 6 ounces. The postage must be prepaid in full, by stamps affixed at the rate of 12 cents a pound or fraction of a pound; on packages to Chile and Bolivia, the rate is 20 cents a pound or fraction thereof. Letters or other communications in writing must not be enclosed with such packages. 44. Matter intended for Parcels Post must not be posted in a letter box, but must be taken to the post office for inspection. 45. In addition to the name and full address of the person to whom sent, the package must bear the words "Parcels Post" in the upper left-hand corner, with the name and address of the sender. A custom declaration, furnished by the postmaster, must be filled out properly and must be firmly attached to the cover of the package. Customs duties cannot be prepaid by the sender of dutiable articles; they will be collected from addressees. |