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ders 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 (name of department or agency)" shall be given any special service, including airmail, when it is so marked by the sender without requiring prepayment of postage or fees. See § 221.2(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 of a President-elect (see § 137.7) and those containing urgent official communications of the Postal Service may be sent airmail without prepayment of postage. Official mail of the Postal Service may be sent as registered, certified, or special delivery mail without prepayment of the postage or fees.

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(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 § 135.3 (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 Documents may weigh up to 70 pounds.

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(ii) Postage and fees paid mail. Maximum weight same as § 135.3(a) of this chapter, except airmail. See § 136.3 of this chapter.

(iii) Prepaid Government mail. Maximum weight same as § 135.3(a) of this chapter, except airmail. See § 136.3 of this chapter.

(2) Size, shape, ratio, and sealing. The provisions of §§ 132.3, 131.2(a) (7), 134.2(b), 134.3(b), 134.8, 135.3(b), and 136.3(b) apply.

(f) ZIP Coding of Mail. Addresses prepared in typewriting or handwriting on official mailings of Federal Executive Departments and Agencies under this section must include the ZIP Code number.

[26 F.R. 11554, Dec. 6, 1961, as amended at 27 F.R. 7021, July 25, 1962; 29 F.R. 564, Jan. 23, 1964; 30 F.R. 89, Jan. 6, 1965; 31 F.R. 5963, Apr. 19, 1966; 31 F.R. 8234, June 11, 1966; 32 F.R. 2704, Feb. 9, 1967; 34 F.R. 9487, June 18, 1969. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.3 Mail sent to Government Departments.

(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. Such mail may not exceed 4 pounds. (See § 137.2(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 § 137.2(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 § 137.2 (a) regarding postage reimbursement.) [26 F.R. 11555, Dec. 6, 1961. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.4 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, Employment Security Mail”, 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 F.R. 7021, July 25, 1962. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.5 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.

[26 F.R. 11556, Dec. 6, 1961. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.6 Absentee balloting materials. (a) Purpose. Balloting materials con

sisting 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.

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(c) Markings required on ballot envelopes and post card applications. Envelopes used to send balloting material and envelopes supplied for return of the ballot must have printed across the face two parallel horizontal red bars, each 4 inch wide, extending from one side of the envelope to the other side, with an intervening space of 1⁄4 inch, the top bar to be 14 inches from the top of the envelope, and the words "Official Election Balloting Material-Airmail", or similar language as prescribed by State law, between the bars. There must be printed in the upper right corner of each envelope in a rectangular box the words "Free of U.S. Postage, Including Airmail". All printing on the face must be in red with an appropriate inscription or blanks for return address of sender in the upper left corner.

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[26 F.R. 11556, Dec. 6, 1961, as amended at 31 F.R. 11101, Aug. 20, 1966. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.7 President-elect, former Presidents and widows of former Presidents.

(a) President-elect. All mail, including airmail, of any President-elect sent by him in connection with his prepara

tions for the assumption of official duties as President may be accepted subject to the provisions of § 137.2(c) (2).

(b) Former Presidents and widows of former Presidents. All mail of former U.S. Presidents Harry S. Truman, and

Dwight D. Eisenhower; and all mail of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, widow of former President John F. Kennedy, 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. Such matter may be dispatched by air if it bears the words "Air Mail" on the address side.

(c) Surviving spouses of Members of Congress. Upon the death of a Member of Congress during his term of office the surviving spouse of such Member may send, without prepayment of postage for a period not to exceed 180 days after the death of the Member, correspondence relating to the death of the Member, provided it bears the written signature of the sender, or a facsimile signature in the upper right corner of the address side.

(5 U.S.C. 301, 39 U.S.C. 501; Public Law 90-368) [31 FR. 11102, Aug. 20, 1966, as amended at 33 F.R. 10394, July 20, 1968. Redesignated at 31 F.R. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966] § 137.8

Pan American Union and Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

The Pan American Union and Pan American Sanitary Bureau are authorized by law to transmit official matter without prepayment. The mail must bear the printed clause citing the penalty for private use instead of postage stamps. It must be prepared like Federal Government penalty mail and is subject to the same restrictions. See 137.2 (c) (2), (d), and (e).

[31 F.R. 11102, Aug. 20, 1966. Redesignated at 31 FR. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

§ 137.9 General instructions.

(a) Official mail not to be detained. Official mail of any kind must not be detained even though there are indications of abuse of official mailing privileges. It must be promptly dispatched and delivered to the addressee. Reports of the indicated abuse must be submitted to the Bureau of Operations, Classification and Special Services Division.

(b) Separation of official mail by mailer. Airmail, special delivery, special handling, and first-class mail should be segregated by the mailers from circulars, printed matter, and parcels before mailing. The postmaster will furnish appropriate sack labels with which to identify the various types of mail.

[31 F.R. 11102, Aug. 20, 1966. Redesignated at 31 FR. 15350, Dec. 8, 1966]

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The following conditions are applicable to articles mailable free of postage under this section:

(a) Except as provided in § 138.2(a) the matter is for the use of the blind or other persons who cannot use or read conventionally printed material because of a physical impairment who are certifled by competent authority as unable to read normal reading material;

(b) No charge, or rental, subscription, or other fee, is required for such matter or a charge, or rental, subscription, or other fee is required for such matter not in excess of the cost thereof;

(c) The matter may be opened for postal inspection;

(d) The matter contains no advertising.

§ 138.2 Items mailable free.

(a) Unsealed letters sent by a blind person or a person having a physical impairment as described in § 138.1 (a) is raised characters or sight-saving type or in the form of sound recordings;

(b) Reading matter and musical scores;

(c) Sound reproductions;

(d) Paper, records, tapes, and other material for the production of reading matter, musical scores, or sound reproductions;

(e) Reproducers or parts thereof for sound reproductions; and

(f) Braille writers, typewriters, educational or other materials or devices, or parts thereof, used for writing by, or specifically designed or adapted for use of, a blind person or a person having a physical impairment as described in § 138.1(a).

§ 138.3 Markings.

All matter mailed under the provisions of this Part 138 shall show the words

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(a) Attachment. Letters or other pieces of first- or third-class mail may be placed in an envelope and securely tied or otherwise attached to the address side of a second-, third-, or fourthclass mailing piece including airmail articles. The envelope must be placed on the address side of the principal mailing piece. Combination envelopes or containers having separate parts for the two classes of mail may be used. See § 134.8 concerning the sealing of thirdclass mail.

(b) Addressing. The name and address of the sender and the name and address of the addressee should be placed on both the principal mailing piece and the attachment. If both names and addresses do not appear on both pieces, the sender's name and address must be placed on one and the name and address of the addressee must be placed on the

other. Combination containers having inseparable portions or compartments are mailable with the names and addresses on only one portion.

(c) Postage. Postage on the second-, third-, or fourth-class mail must be prepaid at the appropriate rate and must be placed in the upper right corner of the address space. Postage at the appropriate first- or single-piece third-class rate must be paid for the attachment and affixed to it. If mailed by air, postage at the airmail rate must be paid for the letter.

(d) Markings required. First-class attachments may be marked "FirstClass" or "Letter Enclosed". Third-class attachments must be marked "ThirdClass".

§ 139.3 Mailing enclosures of different classes.

(a) Enclosures mailed with secondclass and controlled circulation publications (1) First- and third-class enclosures. Separate and independent letters or other first- or third-class mail may be mailed as enclosures with second-class and controlled circulation publications.

(2) Payment of postage. Postage at the appropriate first- or single piece third-class rate must be paid for each separate enclosure. Pieces of related matter enclosed with a publication as a unit may be regarded as a single enclosure for purpose of computing postage. The postage may be placed on the enclosure by using precanceled or meter stamps, or the postage may be placed on the outside envelope, wrapper, or cover. Postage at the second-class pound or per copy rates or postage at the controlled circulation rates must be paid on the publication in the manner prescribed by part 126 of this chapter. When postage at the transient second-class rate is paid on the publication, follow the procedure in paragraph (b) of this section.

(3) Marking required. When postage for the enclosure is placed on the outside envelope, wrapper, or cover of a publication, the mailer must mark each piece as required by § 139.3 (b) (5).

(b) Enclosures mailed with third- and fourth-class parcels—(1) First-class enclosures. Letters may be enclosed with books, catalogs, and merchandise mailed at third-class rates. (See § 139.2 for mailing letters with other third-class

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