INLAND POSTAL RATES. THE prepaid postage of Letters, Books, and Parcels to any part of the United Kingdom, including the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and the Scilly Islands, is shown in the following table: Parcel Post. Charge. 8. d. Weight not exceeding Letter Book Post. Post. Weight. lb. oz. d. d. 1 Not ex. 1.. 12.. 1/2 2... 4. 2 1 8. 6. 22 12 4... 5.. 82... 22 6... 0 10. 0 4 and address of the sender, which it is advisable PARCEL POST. The parcel should be distinctly marked in the left-hand top corner" Parcel Post,' and handed across the counter of the receiving houses or given to a rural postman. It must not be pested in a letter-box, and the postage must be prepaid by stamps, affixed by the sender. The hours for Parcel Post business are the same as for general postal business. Money is received at the District Offices in London, at the offices in Bedford Street, Charing Cross, Gracechurch Street, Lombard Street, and Mark Lane; at the Leicester Square Parcel Dépôt, and at the head offices at Edinburgh and Dublin when the postage of a number of parcels amounts to 20s., and in certain large provincial towns when it amounts to £5. These parcels must be presented at the offices between 10 a.m. and 3.30 p.m., and must be tied NEWSPAPERS. A prepaid postage of one half-up in bundles representing a postage of 5. each. penny is charged for the inland transmission of any daily or weekly registered newspaper, the weight being disregarded. paper be included in a packet, the charge is as by book post. 0 12 1 0... One halfpenny for every additional two ounces. 8.1 1 NEWSPAPERS.-Not over 14 lbs. in weight, 2 ft. in length, or 1 ft. in width or depth. BOOKS.-No packet must exceed 5lbs. in weight, 18 inches in length, 6 in depth, or 9 in width, except to or from a Government office. PARCELS. The limit of weight is 11 lbs. The parcel must not be more than 3 ft. 6 ins. in length, or length and girth combined, more than 6 ft.; that is, so much of a tape 6 ft. long as is not used in measuring the length gives the limit of the girth. PATTERNS AND SAMPLES.-The limit of weight is 8 ozs., and the dimensions 12 x 8 x 4 inches. REGULATIONS. If the postage of letters, books, or patterns be not paid in advance, double postage will be demanded on delivery; and if the postage be insufficient, double the deficiency will be charged. NEWSPAPERS.-No writing in the nature of a BOOK POST.-Under this head are included Money payments as above are also received at Parcels left to be called for" are charged 1d. a day after they have lain in the office one clear day, the maximum charge being 1s. 5d. No parcels are received on Sundays, Christmas Day, or Good Friday. For Bank Holidays, see page 440. Insurance.-Compensation to the amount of £2 can be claimed for loss or damage. To secure compensation where no insurance fee is paid, a cerin for the signature of the post-office official. The tificate of posting should be filled up and handed office. See also REGISTRATION below. insurance fee in stamps can be paid only at a post (No compensation will be granted for damage done to a fragile article, unless the word "fraREGISTRATION. The fee for registering an ingile," or its equivalent, appears on the cover.) land letter, newspaper, or postal packet is 2d. in addition to the postage. These must be handed to an agent of the Post Office, and a receipt taken. is usually half an hour before the box closes for The latest time for registering for the night mails letters; for midnight and early morning mails the "Registered" be put in a letter-box it will be hour is 7.45 p.m. If an inland packet marked liable on delivery to a charge of 8d., less any amount prepaid for registration. The payment of the registration fee effects an insurance on the packet against loss or damage up to £50. at the following rates:-Fee 24., compensation £5; 3d, £10; 4., £15; 5d., £20: 6d., £25: 7d., £30; 8d., £35; 9d., £40; 10d., £45; 11d., £,50. PATTERN AND SAMPLE POST.-This is restricted to bona fide trade patterns and samples of mer*Postal packet includes parcels. 1894. chandise; no article sent for sale, in execution of an order, or by a private individual being admissible. The wrappers should be marked "Pattern | Post' or "Sample Post," and the articles so packed as to be easily withdrawn; but samples of seeds, &c., may be enclosed in boxes easy of examination, or in linen bags tied at the neck: glass in any form is excluded. Printed matter admissible by Book Post is allowed inside, but no writing except the number, price, and private business marks; and the name, address, and trade of the sender must be printed or stamped on the wrapper. Patterns may be returned at Pattern rates in the original wrappers by erasing the written address and prefixing to the printed address the words "Returned Patterns," or "Returned to." If posted unpaid double postage will be charged on delivery; or if insufficiently paid, double the deficiency; and if any of the regulations are infringed, the packet will be treated as a letter and charged double the deficient postage, with a fine of 6d. responsible up to £20 for articles intrusted to its messengers. CONVEYANCE OF SINGLE LETTERS BY RAIL.On payment of 2d. to a servant of the railway, in addition to the usual 1. stamp, Inland letters not exceeding 1 oz. may be forwarded by the next available train or steamship by those companies in agreement with the Post Office, to be called for at the station to which the letter is addressed, or to be transferred from thence to the nearest letter-box for postal delivery. The letter must be taken to a passenger station of the railway company. Railway letters may be handed in at any express delivery post office for conveyance to the railway station. STAMPS, ENVELOPES, ETC. POSTAGE STAMPS (used also for receipts, tele2s. 6d. are sold of the respective values of d., grams, and certain Inland Revenue duties up to 14., 12., 2d., 214d., 3d., 4., 41⁄2d., 5d., 6d., 9d., 10d., 15., 2s. 6d., 5s., 10s., and 20s. These may be purchased at most offices between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and at any office during the hours that attendance is given for telegraph business. RETURNED AND MISSING LETTERS.-Inland letters undelivered, and containing an address, are returned, a registration fee of 2d. being charged should anything of value be inside. If without an The perforation of stamps with initials is readdress, and containing nothing of value, they are commended. Stamps perforated otherwise than at once destroyed. Undelivered foreign letters are with initials, embossed stamps, or stamps cut from returned, unopened, to the countries whence re-envelopes, wrappers or post-cards, are not availceived. Inquiries for missing letters should be able for postage. made at the Secretary's office, G. P. O. West, St. Martin's-le-Grand, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Saturdays between 10 and 1. Parcels may be re-directed free of charge if the original address and the corrected address are both in a delivery from the same office. NOTICE OF REMOVAL and for the re-direction of letters must be given on printed forms, to be obtained from postmasters or from postmen. EXPRESS DELIVERY SERVICE.--Messages, letters, or parcels are now forwarded immediately in the London postal area, and in most large provincial towns, by special messengers, at the following rates:-In addition to ordinary prepaid postage, but inclusive of railway, omnibus, or tramcar charges, for every mile or part of mile. 34. If the packet exceeds 1 lb. in weight, for each lb. or part beyond first lb., 14. Cabs may be used if specially paid for. Fees to be paid in stamps. Letters and parcels must be handed in over the counter, and clearly marked Express Delivery above the address. No Express Delivery on Sundays, Good Friday, (except in Scotland), and Christmas Day. THE DISTRICT MESSENGER SERVICE.-By this system messages, letters, and parcels are conveyed, under licence from the Postmaster-General, from various stations in the City and the West-End. Fees: Half a mile and under, 3d., over half a mile to one mile, 6d. over one mile to one mile and a half, 9.; beyond this distance, special rates. Messengers can be engaged at the rate of 8. per hour, exclusive of omnibus or railway fares. The district offices are open day and night, including Sundays. The company holds itself EMBOSSED ENVELOPES.-Embossed Penny Envelopes of the following sizes are kept in stock:-A, 443, in packets of 20 for 1s. 10d.; C, 5 x 3, 24 for 2s. 24.; and a cheaper quality (Commercial), 20 for 1s. 9.; but all may be had in smaller numbers. Envelopes embossed with a twopence-halfpenny stamp (sizes L, 5 x 3, and M, 5% x 4 ins.) are sold at the following rates:-L, 1 for 2 d., 10 for 2s. 2d.; M, 1 for 23., 10 for 28. 3d. REGISTERED LETTER ENVELOPES, for foreign and inland letters, bearing a twopenny stamp embossed on the flap for the payment of the registration fee, are of five sizes, and are sold: F, 54 ins. × 34 ins.; G, 6 ins. x 8 ins., 2d. each, or 12 for 2s. 22d.; H, 8 ins. x 5 ins., H2, 9 ins. × 4ins., 24d. each, or 12 for 2s. 7d.; K, 111⁄2 ins. x 6 ins., 3. each, or 12 for 2s. 10d. LETTER CARDS are sold thus:-1 for 14d., and 8 for 9d. POST-CARDS impressed with a halfpenny stamp are sold at the rate of 10 for 5d., or 11s. per parcel of 240; a thicker quality being 10 for 6d., or 5s. per parcel of 100. They can also be had in sheets of 42 cards at £11 8. and £12 6s. per quarter ream (120 sheets) respectively. Reply Post-cards are about double the rates for single cards, but are not sold in sheets. WRAPPERS bearing a halfpenny stamp may be had at d. each or 7 for 4.; 22s. 10d. per parcel of 480. With a penny stamp the price is, singly 1d., or 4 for every 44d.; 21s. 3d. per parcel of 240. Uncut sheets of halfpenny wrappers, 14 on each sheet, may be obtained in quarter reams of 120 sheets for £3 18s. LONDON POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS. FOR the purpose of facilitating the collection and delivery of letters, the Metropolis is divided into eight districts, marked :— East Central (E.C.) Eastern (E. and N.E.) Northern (N.) North Western (N.W.) South Eastern (S.E.) Of these the E.C.-comprising the whole of the City, the W.C.-the district between Temple Bar and Charing Cross, and the S.W.-containing nearly all the Government Offices, are the most important. In the E.C. or City district there are twelve deliveries daily. By appending the initials the sorting of letters is facilitated, and frequently two or more hours saved in the delivery. In the other districts there are from six to eleven collec tions and deliveries. Letters properly directed, and properly posted, should be delivered within from two to four hours. FOR THE COUNTRY AND ABROAD.-Letters and cards to go the same evening should be posted at Chief District offices, Branch offices, Receiving houses, and Pillar boxes before 6; in suburban places, half an hour to an hour and a half earlier. Letters for the provincial morning mails are collected at the General Post Office at from 4.15 to 9.15 a.m.; for Scotland and Ireland at 6.15; for the Continent generally at 6.30 a.m. and 6.0 p.m.; for foreign and colonial mails, viâ Ostend, at 8.15 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.; and via Calais, at 9.15 a.m. At LATE INLAND LETTERS.-Inland letters and post-cards bearing an extra d. stamp are forwarded by the night mails if posted at the town Branch offices and Receiving houses before 7 p.m., and at St. Martin's-le-Grand before 7.45. certain District offices the hour for posting with the late fee is 7.30 and 8, when the letters are to go from the railways in their immediate neighbourhoods. Letters having an extra d. stamp may also be posted at the sorting carriage or platform barrier at the various railway termini up to the time of the departure of the train bearing the mails, varying from 8.15 to 9.45. NIGHT POSTING.-Country letters too late for the ordinary mails, but posted in the London districts before the 9 o'clock collection, are delivered by the first post next morning if for places (about 300) within the range of the supplementary night and midnight despatches. Later collections are made in London and the suburbs-mostly between 11 and 12-the letters, &c., for the provinces being despatched by the early morning trains, and those for London and suburban districts coming within the first morning delivery. For early trains and the same delivery a collection is made from 2 to 3 a.m. on certain main routes; also at many places in the N.W., S. W., W., and W.C. districts; and at 3.15 in the E.C. district. At the N., N.W., S.E., S.W., W., and W.C. Chief District Offices the boxes are cleared at 6 a.m. for the first delivery in London districts, and at 7 a.m. for local letters. LATE FOREIGN LETTERS, with an extra 1d. stamp, may be posted till 7 o'clock at Lombard Street, Gracechurch Street, Mark Lane, Eastcheap, Leadenhall Street, Throgmorton Avenue, Threadneedle Street, Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus, Queen Victoria Street, Charing Cross, Bedford Street, the District offices, and St. Martin's-le-Grand; with an extra 2d. at the latter office till 7.15, or till 7.30 with an extra 3d. At the railway termini the late letter-fee is 4d. for the Continent, and 2d. for the United States and Canada. The Foreign Post-card Rates to all places to which Post-cards are available is 1d. single, 2d. return. BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, &c. NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS, AND PRINTED PAPERS generally, d. per 2 ozs. PATTERNS AND SAMPLES, d. per 2 ozs.; but with a minimum charge of 1d., as at present. COMMERCIAL PAPERS, d. per 2 ozs.; but with a minimum charge of 22d. The postage on packets containing more than one newspaper will no longer be chargeable on each paper, but simply according to the bulk weight of the packet. The above-named rates should in all cases be prepaid; no packet can be sent forward wholly unpaid, but, if by inadvertence the postage is insufficiently prepaid, double the deficit will be chargeable on delivery. MAILS for Canada are made up every Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening; to the United States every Wednesday and Saturday evening; and to Newfoundland alternate Tuesday evenings. To the West Indies alternate Wednesday mornings. To Australasia, every Friday evening, and various other days. To India, every Friday evening. To China, Japan, and Ceylon, Friday evening, and various other days. To Portugal, Roumania, Tangier, and Morocco, every morning; to Greece, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings, and every Friday evening. To Egypt, Tuesday and Thursday morning, Friday evening, and various other days; to Cyprus, Thursday morning, Friday evening, and alternate Saturday evenings; to Malta, every morning except Sunday and Tuesday. To the Cape, Saturday morning; to West Coast of Africa and Abyssinia, every Friday evening. To Buenos Aires, Monte Video, and Rio Janeiro, alternate Thursday mornings, also weekly. To Mexico, Wednesday and Saturday evenings and Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings; to Chile, alternate Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings, and various other days, with U. S. mails. To other parts of the world, the places and rates are too numerous for insertion; particulars may be obtained at every Receiving house. • Our grandfathers had to pay 23. 2d. for letters weighing a quarter of an ounce to America and the West Indies, 28. 70. to Madeira, 28. 1od. to Gibraltar, 38. 2d. to Malta, 38. 6d. to South America, 2s. 6d. to Portugal, 18. zi to France, 18. 4d. to Holland, 18. 8d. to Hamburg, Prussia, Germany, Sweden, Russia, 28. ad. to Spain; while to Ireland there was a charge of 3d. above the common rates. To Edinburgh the single postage was 18. id. Straits Settlements.. 9d.. 6d. Continental rates: Austria-Hungary via Belgium Belgium3lbs. 1s. 8d. Constantinople 8d. 4d. d. 9d. 8d. 3 lbs. 33. 2d. 7 lbs. 3s. 7d. 8d. 1st lb. 10d.. 10d.. lbs. 8. d. lbs. 8. d. 3 1 5/2 1 11 2 2 2 21⁄2 2 lbs. 1s. 3d.; pr. lb. (to 11 lbs.) 3 2 6 3 1 9 7 1 8 2 6 3 6 vid Belgium Egypt.. 5 vid Brindisi 3 33 3 co co co co co cos. 33 0 101⁄2 བ ༷བཔ ༷སཋཾབས ཌཾབབབསབབསČསསཐČསཌཾསས་ྣ 1 8 2 92 1 51 2 1 2 1 3 3 2 5 2 1 61⁄2 2 6 2 10 7 2 7 Sweden 3 1 2 6/22 1 2 3/21⁄2 2 0 2 2 2 9 Turkish Ports To the British possessions generally and to Constantinople, Beyrout, Smyrna, and Egypt the dimensions are 3 feet 6 inches in length, or length and girth combined, 6 feet; Canada, length 2 feet, depth or width 1 foot; to Italy, Spain, Greece, and parts of Turkey, length 2 feet, length and girth combined 4 feet; other places in Europe, 2 feet in any direction. 10; INSURANCE OF COLONIAL PARCELS.-Insurance may be effected for parcels to most of the Colonies and colonial possessions, up to the value of £50, at the following rates:-6d. for £5; 1s., 1s. 6d., £15; 25., £20; 2s. 6d., £25; 39., £30; 3s. 6d., £35; 4s., £40; 4s. 6., £45; 5s., £50. The parcels insured must comply with the regulations of the Colonial Parcel Post. The limit of weight to British Bechuanaland and outside Cape Colony and to Canada is 7 lbs., to other British possessions in lbs. Money orders are legally void if not presented for payment within 12 months of date of issue. The rules and regulations are on the forms issued. TELEGRAPH MONEY ORDERS.-These are issued between all head and branch offices authorized to transact telegraph and money order business. They are limited to £10, and the commission is double the above rates in addition to the charge for an advice to the postmaster and its repetition, the minimum being 9d. Any communication to the payee, who must attend at the office to receive the money, is a further charge, the minimum being 6d. POSTAL ORDERS.-Unlike Money Orders, they are issued for fixed sums; those of 1s. and Ís. 6d. at a charge of 1⁄2d.; of 2s., 2s. 6d., 3s., 3s. Gd., 48., 4s. 6d., 58., 78. 6d., 10s. and 10s. 6., 1d.; those of 15s. and 20s., 11⁄2d. These orders must be presented for payment within 3 months from last day of the month of issue, or a fresh commission will be charged. Stamps to the amount of 5d. may be affixed to the face of an order, so that practically any odd sum can be transmitted by means of postal orders. The name of the payee should be inserted by the purchaser before parting with it. Payment inay be deferred by writing across the order the words "Payable after days," and by inserting the name of the office of payment. Postal Orders are payable at any office in the United Kingdom, and at Constantinople, Malta, and Gibraltar. Most bankers and moneychangers in the Colonies and on the Continent will also cash them. The Chief Money Order Office in London is at Mount Pleasant, E.C. MONEY ORDERS, FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.These are issued in the United Kingdom on the undermentioned places, the commission being for sumis not exceeding £2, 6d.; £5, 1s.; £7, 1s. 6d. ; £10, 28. : Seychelles Isls. *Siam Smyrna Straits Settle ments Swatow *Sweden Switzerland Postal Guide. *Tunis Orders issued for the places marked thus are retained by the remitter, and a new order in the currency of the country is forwarded by the Post Office to the payee. TELEGRAMS. INLAND.-Telegrams may be sent to all parts of the United Kingdom at the rate of 6d. for the first twelve words, and one halfpenny for every additional word; stamps in payment to be affixed to the form by the sender. The address of the receiver is charged for, but not that of the sender when written on the back of the telegram form. Five figures are counted as one word, so is a letter preceding or following a group of figures. The charge includes delivery within the town postal limits, or within one mile of a head office-beyond that limit the charge is 6d. per mile for the first three miles; if three or more miles, at the rate of 1s. per mile from the office door. Telegram forms are of two kinds-one issued gratis; the other (A1), embossed with a stamp, may be purchased singly, or interleaved with carbonic paper, in books of 20, price 10s. 2d. each. FOREIGN TELEGRAMS are subject to a code of 25 rules, too lengthy to be transcribed. The charges vary from 2d. a word to Belgium, France, Germany, and Holland, 2d. to Luxembourg, 3d. to Algeria, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Tunis, 32d. to Denmark and Norway, 4d. to Roumania, Servia, Bosnia, Spain, and Sweden, 4%d. to Bulgaria, Gibraltar, and Portugal, 5d. to Russia. 6d. to Malta and Morocco, 62d. to Cyprus and Turkey, 7d. to Greece, 1s. to Canada, and 1s. to 1s. 8d. to United States, 3s. 8d. upwards to India, 4s. 7d. upwards to Australia, 5s. to New Zealand, 58. to 12s. 2d. to South America; our own Colonies and possessions being charged generally at about the highest rates. SUNDAY TELEGRAMS.-In most provincial towns LONDON-PARIS TELEPHONE.-At the Public week days, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m), communication can be made daily. Fee-8s. per conversation of 3 minutes. Two consecutive conversations are permitted. NOTE.-Paris time is 10 minutes earlier than London time. SUNDAY AND HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS. At all offices open on Sunday postage stamps are sold, and letters may be registered during the time such offices are open (viz. from 9 to 10 a.m., and one other hour at least, beginning with the commencement of the delivery. If these hours coincide either wholly or in part, additional time is taken so as to complete two hours). The same regulation applies to CHRISTMAS DAY and Goo FRIDAY. The hours at which telegraph business is attended to are, as a rule, from 8 to 10 a.m.; but no Money Order, Savings Bank, Insurance or Annuity Business is transacted on these days, nor in Scotland on Sacramental Fast Days. In addition to the offices always open, as shown under "Sunday Telegrams," the following in London are opened for postal business on Sundays at 8 a.m., and closed at 8 p.m., unless otherwise indicated:-Blackheath Village, Bow (10 p.m.), Camberwell Green (10), Camden Road, Clapham Common (10), Ealing (8 to 10, 5 to 6), Eastern District Office, Euston Branch Office (10), Fulham Road (10), Greenwich-Nelson Street (10), Hammersmith, Hampstead Green, Holloway (10), -Young Street, Kilburn Branch Kensington Office, Kingsland-High Street (10), New Cross. Northern District Office, Norwood District Office (10), Notting Hill-near Archer Street (10), Paddington-London Street, Poplar Branch Office, Putney (8 to 10, 5 to 6), St. John's Wood-Circus Road (10), S. E. District Office, South Kensington -Exhibition Road, S. W. District Office, Stratford -Martin Street, Tottenham-White Hart Lane (8 to 10, 5 to 6), Western District Office, W.C. District Office, Wimbledon (8 to 10, 5 to 6). BANK HOLIDAYS AND FAST DAYS.-Where Bank Holidays are observed as public holidays, the counters of the head office and branch offices are closed at 12 noon (in some small places they are not even opened) except for telegraph business, the reception of parcels, the sale of postage stamps, and the registration of letters. At no provincial town in England or Ireland is there more than one delivery of letters on Sunday, Christmas Day, or Good Friday; nor in Scotland on Sunday or the Sacramental Fast Days; and any person is at liberty to prevent even this delivery so far as relates to himself. In London the holiday arrangements are of an exceptional character, and due notice of them is given by means of bills at the various offices. In POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS. These are established at all Money Order Offices, and are opened during the hours appointed for Money Order Business in the Chief London Offices from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., and in the suburban districts from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. London, beyond the hours for Money Order business, deposits are received at the District and Branch Offices until 8 p.m. on Saturday, and at the majority of the Receiving Houses both on Friday and Saturday until 7 p.m.: at Receiving Houses in provincial towns, as a rule, both deposits: and withdrawals can be made up to a late hour on Friday and Saturday. Deposits can be made from 1s. to £30 in one year, the total never to exceed £200, including interest, which is at 21⁄2 per cent. BRADBURY, AGNEW & CO., LIMITED, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. |