REGISTRATION OF DOMESTIC MAIL-MATTER.

The registry system is intended to secure to valuable mail-matter in its transmission through the mails the utmost security within the province of the Post Office Department. Postmasters are obliged to register all mailable matter offered for registration, and should advise the public to register valuable mail-matter, so as to enable the Post Office Department to keep it under this strict supervision, which cannot be given to the transmission of ordinary mail-matter.

First, third, and fourth-class matter may be registered. First-class matter, or matter on which letter rates of postage have been paid, must always be sealed. Third-class matter and fourth-class matter must be unsealed, fully prepaid at the proper rates, and conform to all requirements. No matter excluded by law from the mails can be registered.

Postmasters are not required to receive letters or other matter for registration on Sundays or legal holidays.

The fee on any registered matter, domestic or foreign, is fixed at ten cents on each letter or parcel, to be affixed in stamps, in addition to the postage. Two or more letters or parcels addressed to, or intended for, the same person cannot be tied or otherwise fastened together and registered as one.

Postmasters before receiving a letter for registration must require the sender to have it fully and legibly addressed; to have his or her name and address indorsed across the end; to have placed all its contents in a firmly sealed envelope; and affixed the necessary stamps to pay postage and fee.

Postmasters before receiving third and fourth class matter for registration must require full address, indorsement, and prepayment of fee and postage, as stated in preceding paragraph, and further require that such matter shall be marked "Third Class" or "Fourth Class," as the case may be, and shall be so put up as to safely bear transportation, and admit of an examination of contents, to ascertain that it is admissible to the mails as such matter.

Postmasters and their employees are forbidden to address a registered package for the sender, to place contents therein, or to seal a letter, or affix stamps; this must in all cases be done by the sender; but they must not fail to see that the stamps cover the full amount of postage and registry fee, as when registered matter is received at a post office for delivery not having the necessary stamps affixed to cover the postage and fee, it is not to be rated up for collection from the person addressed, but must be delivered without any charge. The postmaster receiving such package will report to the Third Assistant Postmaster General the additional amount of stamps which should have been affixed,

and the same will be collected from the postmaster who received the package, or letter, for registration and forwarded it without the necessary postage stamps affixed. In other words, under the new regulations the guilty postmaster and not the innocent party addressed, will suffer if registered matter is forwarded without the evidence of prepayment required by law.

Postmasters must dispatch registered packages by the most secure route, and endeavor, especially when they have to be sent long distances, to have them reach a railway office or through registered pouch office as soon as possible, even though such registered packages traverse a longer distance to destination than that taken by ordinary mail-matter; it being desirable that registered matter should be in the hands of responsible agents of the service, as far as practicable avoiding the exposure and handling necessitated by the frequent opening of pouches at way post offices. For list of through registered pouchoffices, see page 27.

As soon as any registered matter has been delivered and the registry return receipt therefor has been properly signed, the receipt must be postmarked with date of delivery (which is also the mailing postmark), and sent by next mail, without cover of an envelope, to the address of the sender, which is written on the registry return receipt.

The registry bills and registry return receipts, after signature, require no postage thereon; they are to be simply postmarked and mailed without delay.

If, on the receipt of a registered letter or parcel, the person addressed is dead, it may be delivered to the legal representative of the deceased, who must be either the executor of the will or the administrator of the deceased, and who produces proof of the fact. In some States the residuary legatee named in a will is allowed, on giving bonds for the proper fulfillment and execution of its provisions, to become the executor. In any such case such person is, upon presentation of the necessary proof, to be considered the legal representative of the deceased. Registered matter addressed to persons who have been declared insane by competent authority should be treated as above; but in the absence of any legal representative, all such domestic registered matter must be returned to the mailing post office for delivery to the sender.

A registered letter is not subject to attachment in the hands of a postmaster before its delivery, as the Department holds it in custodia legis for delivery to the person addressed, or to his or her order. A postmaster acting in virtue of his office, and refusing to deliver letters on a process issued by a state court, will readily be purged of any alleged contempt of such process; and in case of any conflict with the state law, he, acting in the line of his duty, will have protection by the law which governs the transmission of registered matter.

After a registered letter has been transmitted from the mailing post office, it cannot be recalled by the sender, but must be sent to the destination named in its address. If not delivered it will be returned in accordance with section 876, P. L. & R. ed. 1879. Before dispatch a registered letter can only be reclaimed by writer under extraordinary circumstances. He must give satisfactory reasons to the postmaster for such action, produce a fac-simile of the envelope, fully identify himself, and return the registration receipt indorsed with his name, which the postmaster will paste opposite the entry in the P. M." The registration book, indorsing the entry "Returned to writer by me, registered letter, before return, must be indorsed "Withdrawn by writer from post office,

P. M."

In case of addressee simply refusing to receive a registered letter or parcel, it must be retained the proper length of time before return.

In case a domestic returned registered letter or parcel cannot be delivered to sender, it must be retained thirty days and be then forwarded (properly registered) to the Dead Letter Office, after due notice to sender by advertisement or otherwise.

Should a registered letter or parcel be received addressed to a person who has removed, or who from any other cause wishes it forwarded to him at another post office or returned to writer, it may be so forwarded or returned, at his written request, without additional charge for postage or fee. In such cases the postmaster must enter it on his delivery-book, and make in the record of registered matter received and delivered, in delivery column, a memorandum showing when and where forwarded. He must alter the address of the registered letter or parcel as to destination only, and indorse it " Forwarded." It must then be entered in the registration book as if mailed at his post office counted as free in quarterly report registered matter, numbered anew, and forwarded in a registered package envelope, with a registry bill, accompanied by the original registry return receipt. The order for forwarding or returning must be filed as a voucher.

When a postmaster is in doubt as to any requirements of the regulations of the registry system he must submit the matter in doubt to the Third Assistant Postmaster General. Ignorance of the law or regulations will not be accepted as an excuse for their violation or for neglect of duty.

Every case of missing registered packages, registered letters, or registered parcels must be reported without delay to the Chief Special Agent, Post Office Department, Washington, D. C., giving full particulars, as also all cases of alleged abstraction of contents of registered letters or parcels, and also to the other special agents, as mentioned in list of Special Agents in chapter on " Organization,"

Registry of Letters containing Currency for Redemption. Under such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe, all postmasters are authorized to register in the manner prescribed by law, but without payment of any registration fee, all letters containing fractional or other currency of the United States, which shall be by them sent by mail to the Treasurer of the United States for redemption; and the postmaster at the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, shall register, in like manner, without charge, all letters containing new currency returned for currency redeemed, which shall be received by him from the Treasurer, in sealed packages, marked with the word "register" over the official signature of the said Treasurer. (R. S. section 3932.) Special Instructions for Registering Currency. Whenever letters containing currency for redemption are offered for registration, postmasters will be governed by the following instructions:

First. They must require the contents of every such letter to be exhibited to them, with a descriptive list of contents, giving an accurate and detailed description of the money to be remitted. In case of fractional currency, the number and denomination of pieces will be sufficient; but of currency of the denomination of one dollar and upward, the letter, number of series, and date of each note, as well as the denomination, must be given.

Second. The list must be carefully examined and compared with the money to be remitted, and when found to be correct will be filed in the office, to be subject at all times to the inspection of proper agents of the Post Office Department.

Third. The money must then be inclosed and the letter sealed in the presence of the postmaster, who will then give the usual registry receipt therefor.

Fourth. The letter must then be disposed of in the manner provided for other registered letters; but, for the sake of further security, the postmaster must be ready to prove beyond question in every case, by a disinterested witness, that such letter was duly mailed in the mode prescribed for registered letters; otherwise, should the letter or package be lost he will be held responsible therefor.

LIST OF ORDERS

ISSUED BY THE POSTMASTER GENERAL DURING THE PRECEDING QUARTER AGAINST PARTIES CONDUCTING FRAUDULENT LOTTERIES, ETC.

THE POSTAL MONEY-ORDER SYSTEM OF THE UNITED

STATES.

THE money-order system is intended to promote public convenience and to secure safety in the transfer through the mails of small sums of money. The principal means employed to attain safety consist in leaving out of the order the name of the payee or person for whom the money is intended. In this respect a money-order differs from an ordinary bank draft or check. An advice or notification, containing full particulars of the order, is transmitted without delay by the issuing postmaster to the postmaster at the office of payment. The latter is thus furnished, before the order itself is presented, with information which will enable him to prevent its payment to any person not entitled thereto, provided the remitter complies with the regulation of the Department which prohibits him from sending the same information in a letter inclosed with his order.

The following instructions are intended to secure payment of the order to the rightful party, and postmasters are required to enforce them rigidly in every respect, so far as a due regard to public convenience will permit. After once paying a money-order, by whomsoever presented, the Post Office Department will not be liable to any further claim therefor. The public are therefore strictly cautioned:

To take all means to prevent the loss of a money-order.

Never to send the order in the same letter with the information required on payment thereof.

To be careful on taking out a money-order to state correctly the given name as well as the surname, of the person in whose favor it is to be drawn.

To see that the name and address of the person taking out the money-order are correctly made known to the person in whose favor it is drawn.

Neglect of these instructions will risk the loss of money, besides leading to delay and trouble in obtaining payment.

Under no circumstances can payment of an order be demanded on the day of its issue. The fees or charges for money-orders will be as follows:

When a larger sum than fifty dollars is required, additional orders to make it up must be obtained. But postmasters are instructed to refuse to issue in one day, to the same remitter and in favor of the same payee, more than three money-orders payable at the same post office. The plain evasion of this rule by the substitution of a different remitter for every three orders issued in one day in favor of the same payee must not be tolerated by postmasters.

The money-orders must be made out upon printed forms supplied by the Post Office Department, and no order will be valid or payable unless given upon one of such forms.