Any person applying for a money-order will be required to state the particulars upon a form of application, which will be furnished to him for that purpose by the postmaster. If the purchaser of a money-order, from having made an error in stating the name of the office of payment, or for other reasons, desires to have the said money-order changed, the issuing postmaster will repay the first order, and issue another in lieu thereof, for which an additional fee must be charged and exacted as for a new transaction. Parties procuring money-orders should examine them carefully, to see that they are properly filled up and stamped. This caution will appear the more necessary when it is understood that any defect in this respect will throw difficulties in the way of payment. When a money-order is presented for payment at the office upon which it is drawn, the postmaster or authorized clerk will use ALL PROPER MEANS to assure himself that the applicant is the person named and intended in the advice, or is the indorsee of the latter; and upon payment of the order care must be taken to obtain the signature of the payee (or of the person authorized by him to receive payment) to the receipt on the face of the order. When for any reason the payee of a money-order does not desire or is unable to present the same in person, he is legally empowered, by his written indorsement thereon, to direct payment to be made to any other person; and it is the duty of the postmaster upon whom the order is drawn to pay the amount thereof to the person thus designated, provided the postmaster is satisfied that such indorsement is genuine, and that the second party shall, if required, prove his identity, and shall give correct information as to the name and address of the person who originally obtained the order. MORE THAN ONE INDORSEMENT IS PROHIBITED BY LAW, AND WILL RENDER AN ORDER INVALID AND NOT PAYABLE. The signature to the receipt on the face of the order should be that of the person who presents and receives payment of the same. Any money-order office may repay an order issued by itself, provided the order is less than one year old, and does not bear more than one indorsement; but the repayment must be made to the person who obtained the order, except in special cases. The fee or charge will not in any case be refunded. When the remitter of a money-order desires to change the place of payment of the same, or when a mistake has been made in drawing an order, through error of the remitter, the issuing postmaster is authorized, with the above restrictions, to take back the first order, which he will repay, and issue another in lieu thereof, for which an additional fee must be charged and exacted as on a new. transaction. But should the mistake be made by the postmaster, he will be held responsible therefor, and must charge himself with the fee for issuing the new order. If the advice has gone forward to the post office upon which the original order was drawn, he will, by the first mail, dispatch a special notice, informing that office of the repayment of said order. The special advice is not to be used instead of the proper accompanying advice of the new order, but is additional to it. Under no circumstances must a postmaster issue a new order in lieu of another until the original order shall have been returned to him. When a money-order has been lost by either remitter or payee, a duplicate thereof will be issued by the Department, free of charge to the owner of the original, provided he shall make application (stating the circumstances of the loss), to be forwarded by the issuing or the paying postmaster, from the former of whom he must obtain and furnish a certificate that the original order had not been and would not be repaid, and also a similar certificate from the latter that the same had not been and would not be paid. The issue of money-orders on credit is strictly prohibited, under the severest penalties, and no moneys will be received by a postmaster in payment for money-orders issued, except United States Treasury notes or the notes of the national banks; nor can orders be paid in any other currency than that herein described. Checks are not to be received circumstances for the issue of money-orders. under any A money-order may be issued for any amount from one cent up to fifty dollars, inclusive; but fractional parts of a cent must not be introduced into any money-order or account. The given names of both remitter and payee must be entered in the advice in full when possible; and married women must be described by their own names, and not by those of their husbands. Thus, the appellation "Mrs. William Brown" is defective, as it does not accurately describe the payee, whose true name may be Mrs. Mary Brown. Both names and sums must be written so legibly as to effectually guard against errors. When the applicant is unable to state the initials of the given name or names of the payee, the postmaster must refuse to issue the order. A money-order should always be made payable to one person or to one firm only, and not to either of two or more designated persons or firms. Where an order is presented for payment, the postmaster will first examine the document, to see that it is properly signed, stamped, etc.; he will then compare the date, number, and amount with the advice or with the record thereof in the register of advices received, and satisfy himself, by questioning the applicant, and by such other means as may appear necessary, that the applicant is the person entitled to payment. Every person who presents a money-order for payment should be required to prove his identity to the postmaster, unless the latter is satisfied, without obtaining such proof, that the applicant is the rightful owner of the order. Special caution should be exercised in the payment of orders issued in favor of women, or of soldiers or sailors. In the event of an order being paid to the wrong person through lack of necessary precaution on the part of the postmaster, he will be held accountable for such payment. Care should be taken that the signature of the payee be as full as the name given in the advice, and that it be in no way inconsistent therewith. If the payee be unable to write, he must sign the receipt by making his mark, to be witnessed in writing. The witness should sign his name, with his address, in the presence of the postmaster, and the latter will then certify the payment by adding his own initials. The witness should be known to the postmaster, but it is desirable (though not imperative) that he be not connected with the office. In no case should the postmaster act as witness himself. It is not necessary that the witness should be personally acquainted with the payee. When an order is presented for which no advice has been received, one of the printed letters of inquiry for missing advices (Form No. 21) must at once be dispatched to the postmaster who issued the order. Under no circumstances whatever can an order be paid until the corresponding advice shall have been received. Postmasters are prohibited from paying a money-order to a second person without the written indorsement to such second person by the payee on the back of the order, unless the payee has, by a duly executed power of attorney, designated and appointed some person to collect moneys due or to become due him, in which case the attorney should be required, before payment is made him, to file at the office of payment a certified copy of Fuch power of attorney. When orders are paid upon an indorsement, the utmost caution should be exercised, and before paying them the postmaster must be satisfied that the sig nature to the indorsement is genuine, and that the person presenting the order is the one named in the indorsement. The person presenting the order should be required, if unknown to the postmaster, to prove his identity. The name of the indorsee to whom an order is paid should be entered in the column of "Remarks" in the "register of advices received." After once paying a money-order, by whomsoever presented, provided the required information has been given by the party who presented it, the Department will not hold itself liable to any further claim, but in case of improper payment of an order, will endeavor to recover the amount for the owner. In case a money-order is lost in transmission, or otherwise, a duplicate will be issued by the superintendent of the money-order system, on the receipt of the application therefor of either the remitter, the payee, or the indorsee of the original. Such application should be made on Form No. 7, and should be forwarded to the Department by the issuing or the paying postmaster. The duplicate can be made payable only to the payee, or, in case of indorsement, to the indorsee of the original, unless the written consent of the payee or indorsee to the repayment of the order, by duplicate, to the remitter, shall have been obtained by the latter, and duly filed in the Department. Such written consent must bear a certificate as to its genuineness from the postmaster on whom the original was drawn. If the owner of the order (whether the payee or indorsee), or his legal representative, cannot, after the lapse of a reasonable time, be found, the remitter should forward to the Department satisfactory evidence of that fact, if he desires repayment. A blank bond of indemnity, in a penal sum of double the amount of the lost money-order, will then be sent him, to be executed by himself and two sureties, and returned to the Department; the condition of such bond being that if, after the issue and payment of a duplicate order to the remitter, any other person establishes a valid adverse claim to the original order, the amount so paid by duplicate shall be refunded to the Post Office Department. compliance with the above requirements, the remitter thus situated will receive a duplicate of the lost order. Upon full A duplicate order can be drawn only on the issuing or the paying office of the original order, and becomes invalid if it bear more than one indorsement. No fee is to be charged by a postmaster for the delivery of a duplicate issued in place of a lost or invalid order. The postmaster who receives from the Department a duplicate payable by him must forthwith send notice to the payee of such duplicate to call for payment. In paying a duplicate the postmaster is required to ascertain beyond a reasonable doubt the identity of the payee or indorsee thereof. Any order which is not presented for payment until after the expiration of one year from the date thereof, is declared "invalid and not payable" by the fourth section of the act approved June 12, 1866, and the postmaster to whom such order is presented must refuse payment of the same. In order to obtain payment of such invalid order, the holder will be required to forward the same, through the issuing or the paying postmaster, to the money-order office of the Post Office Department. (See Form No. 8a.) If the Department is satisfied that the order has not been paid, a duplicate will be issued made payable to the remitter, payee, or indorsee, as may be requested in the application, and the same will be sent to the postmaster for delivery or payment, as the case may be. LIST OF THROUGH REGISTERED POUCH OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH THE NAMES AND NUMBER OF POST OFFICES WITH WHICH THEY EXCHANGE THROUGH REGISTERED POUCHES DAILY. Burlington, Iowa EXCHANGES WITH *Boston, * New York, * Chicago, * Cleveland, * St. Louis, * Cin- New York, Washington, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, and Boston. New York. Texarkana. *New York, * Richmond, and * Philadelphia. *New York, * Philadelphia, * Washington, New Orleans, * Chi- † New York. *Boston, New York, * Chicago, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. * Chicago, Ill. New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. * * * * Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, San Francisco, * Cincinnati, St. Louis, Detroit, Quincy, Sacramento, St. Paul, * Burlington, Omaha, Ogden City, * Albany, * Buffalo, * Cleveland, Pittsburgh, * Cedar Rapids, * Davenport, * Dubuque, Milwaukee,* Quincy, * Nashville, Louisville, New Orleans, *Kansas City, Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass., and Denver. Cincinnati, Ohio. . Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, * St. Louis, * Chi * * cago, New Orleans, Louisville, Nashville, Atlanta, Chattanooga, * Albany, * Pittsburgh, Memphis, Jackson, Toledo, *Cleveland, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. *New York, * Chicago, Albany, Boston, St. Louis, * Cincinnati, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. Chicago. St. Louis. St. Louis and Chicago. Chicago and New York. Chicago. Texarkana and St. Louis. New Orleans and Houston. St. Louis and Galveston. *New York, * Boston, * Philadelphia, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. Cincinnati. Pouches exchanged twice daily. Pouches exchanged three times daily. Savannah, Ga. Washington, D. C. . *New York. * St. Louis and * Chicago. St. Louis. *Cincinnati, Atlanta, * Chicago, and * St. Louis. Cincinnati and Texarkana. * Chicago and St. Paul. * Cincinnati, Atlanta, * Chicago, and * St. Louis. * *Boston, * Philadelphia, Washington, New Orleans, *Chicago, New York, Chicago, Omaha, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Chicago, St. Louis, and Ogden City. * Boston, *New York, Washington, New Orleans, * Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Albany, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Ogden City, San Francisco, and Sacramento. * Chicago. *New York, Washington, * Boston, * Philadelphia, and * Balti more. Chicago, New York, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. Chicago and Milwaukee. Chicago, New York, Portland, Oreg., Yuma, and Postal Card New York. St. Louis, Fort Worth, Austin, and Memphis, *New York, Cincinnati, * Boston, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. *Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Atlanta, Wilmington, Richmond, Pittsburgh, and Postal Card Agency, Holyoke, Mass. Wilmington, N. Car. Washington and New York. Yuma, Ariz. San Francisco. * Pouches exchanged twice daily. † Pouches exchanged three times daily. |