Copyrights, Washington 25, D.C., which must have postage prepaid at the letter rate. The postmaster, after canceling the postage stamps, will enclose the envelope containing the fee together with the copyright material in the post office penalty envelope sent to the Register of Copyrights.

(iv) Matter for copyright enclosed in post office penalty envelopes will not be sent by registered mail unless the registry fee is prepaid.

(c) Methods of preparing official mail-(1) Postage and fees paid. (i) All official mail of authorized departments or agencies, subject to the weight and size limits, if any, for matter of its class, shall be given the postal service indicated on its cover when the mail is marked in the upper right corner of the address side "Postage and Fees Paid". This marking may not be handwritten or typewritten.

U.S. Courts.

U.S. Customs Court.

U.S. General Accounting Office.

U.S. Information Agency.

U.S. Soldiers' Home.

U.S. Supreme Court.

Veterans Administration.
Virgin Islands Corporation.

(iii) Mail sent as "Postage and Fees Paid" must show over the words "Official Business" in the upper left corner of the address side the name and address of the department, bureau, office, or officer.

(iv) Printed reply envelopes or labels marked "Postage and Fees Paid" and preaddressed to a Federal Government office or officer may be furnished to persons or concerns for convenience in sub

mitting information for official purposes, or for delivery of official matter, subject to the following conditions:

(a) Reply envelopes or labels furnished to contractors must in every case bear printed return address of one of the agencies listed in subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph over the words "Official Business". No return name and address of a private person or firm may be shown. (b) When a special service is required, the reply envelope or label must be preprinted with the type of special service desired. Users of reply labels may not add their own markings for these services.

(2) Penalty. Penalty mail, subject to the restrictions of paragraph (d) of this section, is sent without prepayment of postage. Envelopes, cards, labels, tags, and wrappers used in transmitting official mail under the penalty privilege must bear in the upper right corner of the address side the printed statement of the penalty of misuse: "Penalty for Private Use to Avoid Payment of Postage, $300." The printed statement of the penalty for misuse may not be handwritten or typewritten. They must also show, over the words "Official Business" in the upper left corner of the address side, the name and address of the department, bureau, office, or officer. The following markings are required, when applicable:

(i) Official mail of designated State extension directors must bear in the upper left corner the name of the agricultural college and the name of the post office at which the mail is to be accepted without prepayment of postage, followed by the name and title of the designated officer and the words "Cooperative Agricultural Extension Work-Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914."

(ii) Official mailings by agricultural experiment stations must bear in the upper left corner of the address side the name of the station, the name of the post office at which the matter is to be accepted, and the name and title of the officer in charge of the station, followed by the word "Publication". The title of the bulletin or report may be used.

(3) Prepaid postage. Official mail which is not sent as penalty mail or as postage and fees paid mail must have postage prepaid. The regular rates and conditions apply except that postage on official mail weighing over 4 pounds may be paid at the fourth-class rates. See paragraph (e) (1) of this section.

(d) Use. (1) The markings authorized on official mail in paragraph (c) of this section may not be placed on other mail to avoid payment of postage or special service fees.

(2) Any department or office authorized to use the official mail privilege may furnish self-addressed envelopes or labels to persons or concerns for their convenience in submitting official information desired by any U.S. Government department or agency. Reply envelopes may not be furnished to bidders or contractors, or to enable private persons or concerns to send without prepayment of postage reports or other information which they are required by law to make.

(3) The right of an officer to use the official mail privilege ceases immediately on his going out of office.

(4) Official matter of those departments and agencies listed in paragraph (c) (1) (ii) of this section that is marked "Postage and Fees Paid" shall be given any special service, including airmail, when it is so marked by the sender without requiring prepayment of postage or fees. See § 111.2 (d) (2) (ii) of this chapter regarding international mail.

(5) Airmail and the special services may not be given official mail in penalty envelopes without prepayment of air postage or prepayment of the appropriate fee for the special service requested. Exception: Penalty envelopes containing urgent official communications of the Postal Service may be sent airmail, or as registered, certified or special delivery mail without prepayment of the postage or fees.

limits-(1)

(e) Weight and size Weight-(i) Penalty mail. No article or package of official matter, or number of articles or packages of official matter constituting in fact a single shipment exceeding 4 pounds may be admitted to the mail under the "penalty" privilege

except stamped paper and supplies sold or used by the Postal Service, and books or documents published or circulated by order of Congress when mailed by the Superintendent of Documents. Official matter in packages exceeding 4 pounds, if otherwise mailable, will be accepted on payment of postage at the fourthclass rates within the limits of weight prescribed for such matter. (See § 25.3 (a) of this chapter.) Such parcels may be sealed or unsealed, and may include written matter when mailed at those rates. Official matter of the Postal Service, and books and documents circulated by order of Congress when mailed by the Superintendent of Documents may

weigh up to 70 pounds.

(ii) Postage and fees paid mail. Maximum weight same as § 25.3 (a) of this chapter, except airmail. See § 26.3 of this chapter.

(iii) Prepaid Government mail. Maximum weight same as § 25.3 (a) of this chapter, except airmail. See § 26.3 of this chapter.

(2) Size. There is no size limit prescribed for penalty mail. Other matter is subject to the size limits prescribed in § 25.3(b) of this chapter.

NOTE: Effective January 1, 1963, this subparagraph will read:

(2) Size, shape, ratio, and sealing. The provisions of §§ 12.3, 21.1, 21.3(b), 24.2(b), 24.3(b), 24.8, and 25.3(b) of this chapter apply.

[26 F.R. 11553, Dec. 6, 1961, as amended at 26 F.R. 11903, Dec. 13, 1961]

§ 27.3 Mail sent to Government De

partments.

Such

(See

(a) Census mail. All mail, of whatever class, relating to the census and addressed to the Census Office, or to any official thereof, and endorsed "Official Business, Census Office", will be sent without prepayment of postage. mail may not exceed 4 pounds. § 27.2(a) regarding postage reimbursement.) Mail sent by the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce or one of its officers in envelopes of that Bureau is subject to the conditions in § 27.2(c) (1).

(b) Immigration and Naturalization Service mail. All mail of whatever class,

relating to naturalization, including duplicate papers required by law or regulation to be sent to the Service by clerks of courts addressed to the Department of Justice or the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or any official of either, and endorsed "Official Business", will be transmitted without prepayment of postage and marked "Naturalization Papers" Mail relating to naturalization may not exceed 4 pounds. (See § 27.2(a) regarding postage reimbursement.)

$27.4 State employment security mailings.

All mail of State employment security offices cooperating with the Department of Labor, that bears in the upper left corner of the address side the words "Official Business" printed immediately below the name and address of the State employment agency, and in the upper right corner the words "Postage and Fees Paid", will be accepted without prepayment of postage or fees. Postage and fees chargeable are collected periodically under a special arrangement with the Post Office Department. Such matter will be given the service indicated on the cover.

§ 27.5 Diplomatic and consular mail.

(a) Diplomatic mail. All correspondence (written or printed) of members of the Diplomatic Corps of the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain stationed in the United States may be reciprocally transmitted in the domestic mail without prepayment of postage. This correspondence may not exceed 4 pounds in weight. The envelopes, cards, tags, wrappers, and labels must show in the upper left corner of the address side the name of the ambassador or the minister, or the name of the embassy or legation, together with the post office address; and in the upper right corner the inscription "Diplomatic Mail" over the word "Free". These inscriptions may be handwritten, handstamped, or printed.

(b) Consular mail. The official correspondence (written or printed) exchanged between consulates (consuls and vice consuls) of the countries of the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain

stationed in the United States and correspondence directed by those consulates to the Government of the United States or their respective embassies or legations or to officials of State or local governments may be transmitted in the domestic mail without prepayment of postage. This correspondence may not exceed 4 pounds in weight. The envelopes, labels, etc., covering correspondence of consulates must show over the words "Official Correspondence", in the upper left corner of the address side, the name and address of the consul or consulate, and the name of the country represented; and, in the upper right corner, the inscription "Consular Mail" over the word "Free". These inscriptions may be handwritten, handstamped, or printed.

§ 27.6 Absentee balloting materials.

(a) Purpose. Balloting materials consisting of post card applications, ballots, voting instructions, and envelopes, are sent through the mail without prepayment of postage, including airmail postage, for the purpose of enabling every person in any of the following categories to vote by absentee ballot when he is absent from the place of his voting residence and is otherwise eligible to vote:

(1) Members of the Armed Forces while in active service and their spouses and dependents.

(2) Members of the merchant marine of the United States and their spouses and dependents.

(3) Civilian employees of the United States in all categories serving outside the United States and the District of Columbia and their spouses and dependents when residing with or accompanying them, whether or not the employee is subject to the civil-service laws and the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, and whether or not paid from funds appropriated by the Congress.

(4) Members of religious groups or welfare agencies assisting members of the Armed Forces, who are officially attached to and serving with the Armed Forces, and their spouses and dependents.

(b) Elections affected. The materials may be sent for any general election of electors for President and Vice President or of Senators and Representatives in Congress and for other general, primary, and special elections.

(c) Markings required on ballot envelopes and post card applications. (1) Envelopes used to send balloting ma

§ 27.7 Former Presidents and widows of former Presidents.

All mail of former United States Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower; and all mail of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Edith Bolling Wilson, widow of former President Woodrow Wilson, shall be accepted without prepayment of postage if it bears the written signature of sender, or a facsimile signature, in the upper right corner of the address side. § 27.8 Pan American Union and Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

The Pan American Union and Pan American Sanitary Bureau are author