Court of Summary Jurisdiction. Post Office. Executing Precept, Decree, or Order, where the Sum to be recovered shall exceed $100 and not exceed $250, $2.50 3.78 0.50 0.50 0.15 Copies of any Proceedings, per folio, Bailiffs' Fees. For Service of Summons, Subpoena, Order, or Notice, 0.50 For every Arrest or Execution, 1.00 When left in Possession, per Diem, 1.00 Attorneys' Fees. Title. Preamble. General Post Office to be in Appointment of Postmaster General. Postmaster General solely authorized to receive and de liver all Correspondence. Upon every Sum of $100 in Dispute, 3.00 5.00 Note. Upon the Judge's Certificate being granted, as provided for in Section XVIII., the Attorney of the successful Party shall recover the above Fees from the opposite Party; in this Case the per-centage Fee shall be calculated upon the Sum recovered or successfully resisted. No. 8. of 1862. An Ordinance to provide for the Management and Control of a Post Office for the Colony of Hongkong. [3rd May, 1862.] WHEREAS it has become necessary to provide for the Establishment and Regulation of a Post Office within the I. It shall be lawful for His Excellency the Governor to constitute one General Post Office in the City of Victoria and to appoint so many Post Offices in the said City and in other Disstricts of the Colony as to His Excellency shall seem proper, and the present Post Office shall be such General Post Office until the Site thereof shall be changed by His Excellency. II. A fit and proper Person shall be appointed to be Postmaster General in and for the said Colony. III. The Postmaster General shall, by himself or his Deputy or Deputies, have the entire Charge of the General Post Office and of all the Postal Duties within the Colony, and he shall have sole Power, within this Colony, of receiving from Her Majesty's Naval and Post Office Agents, and from all Ship Masters and other Persons authorized to deliver the same, all Correspondence arriving in this Colony, by, from, or through Her Majesty's General Post Office, or any Colonial or Foreign Post Office, or arriving in any Ship or Vessel other than Vessels carrying by Contract Her Majesty's Mails; and the said Postmaster General shall, by himself or his Deputy or Deputies, have the sole and exclusive Power, within this Colony, of collecting, receiving, and delivering to all Persons within this Colony and also to Her Majesty's Naval and Post Office Agents, and to all Ship Masters and Post Office. and to all other Persons authorized to receive the same, all Correspondence for Transmission from this Colony by or through Her Majesty's said General Post Office to Parts out of this Colony; and the said Postmaster General shall also have the exclusive Privilege within this Colony of performing all the incidental Services of receiving, collecting, despatching and delivering all Letters arriving within this Colony from any Part out of this Colony or transmitted from this Colony to any Part out of this Colony; and no Correspondence shall be delivered or transmitted from this Colony, otherwise than by or through the said General Post Office: Provided always, Proviso as to that nothing herein contained shall be construed to render neces- Letters arrivsary the delivery to the Postmaster General by a Captain of a ing by Ship. Ship or Vessel other than those carrying Her Majesty's Mails, of any Letters or Papers which shall arrive addressed to Persons in this Colony which, before the passing of this Ordinance, were not required by the Law then in Force to be so delivered: Provided Proviso as to also, that nothing in this Ordinance contained shall in any way Imperial Acts be construed to affect or interfere with the exclusive Rights and of Parliament. Privileges of Her Majesty's Postmaster General or with the Provisions of the Imperial Acts of Parliament relating to the Imperial Post Office Provided also, that such exclusive Privilege as aforesaid shall not apply to the Transmission of Correspondence to and from Places on the Canton River or to and from Macao. IV. All Correspondence which in and by the Statutes of the Imperial Parliament, is excepted from and out of the exclusive Privilege of the Imperial Post Office, shall within this Colony be, and the same are hereby declared to be, excepted from and out of the exclusive Privilege of the Postmaster General. Letters excepted under Acts of Impe rial Parliament. No Person to act under General until after Declara Postmaster tion. Postmaster V. Fit and proper Persons shall be appointed to be Postmasters or Deputy Postmasters, Clerks, Agents, or Servants in the managing, receiving, sorting, marking, or delivering of Correspondence, and every Postmaster General and every such Person so appointed shall, before he shall enter upon the Duties of his Office, take and subscribe the Declaration contained in the Schedule marked A. hereto annexed, before a Justice of the Peace for this Colony, who shall administer such Declaration accordingly. VI. The Postmaster General to be appointed under the Provisions of this Ordinance shall, within the Limits of this Colony, and subject also to the Provisions of this Ordinance and to the Rules to be established under the Authority of the same, and so long as he shall be in the Execution of his Office, have and exercise and be invested with and enjoy all and every such and the same Powers and Authorities, Privileges and Exemptions, and be But subject to liable to the same Duties and Liabilities as the Postmaster ap- the Rules, &c. pointed for this Colony by Her Majesty's Postmaster General and then existing. acting at the time of the passing of this Ordinance, had, or was invested with, or was entitled to, or enjoyed, or was liable to, whether by Statute or otherwise. VII. The Postmaster General shall keep Accounts of all Letters and other Papers received and dispatched by him, by virtue of his Office, with the Particulars of the Postage thereof, in like Manner and Form as the Postmaster kept such Accounts heretofore and at have Powers of Postmaster acting when Ordinance passed. Postmaster Accounts. For Imperial Post Office. the time of the passing of this Ordinance, or in such other Form as His Excellency the Governor shall hereafter and from Time to Time direct or require; and shall keep a separate Account of Monies which, under the Regulations in that Behalf for the Time being in Force, and his Instructions in reference thereto, shall be payable to the Imperial Postmaster General or to the said Postmaster General, in respect of the Postage of Letters or Papers received at, or transmitted from this Colony, and a separate Account of all Monies which shall be payable to the Treasury of this Colony in respect thereof; and the Accounts so to be kept in relation to the Monies payable to Her Majesty's Postmaster General, shall be kept and governed in all Respects according to the Instructions to be issued from Time to Time from Her Majesty's Postmaster General, in relation thereto; and the Accounts so to be kept in reference to the Monies payable to the Colonial Treasury shall be kept and governed in all Respects according to the Instructions to be given by His Excellency the Governor, and Duplicate Copies of all such Accounts respectively, tion how to be shall be forwarded within Seven Days next after the last Day of paid. For Colonial Local Collec How Monies General Post tions. every Month to the Auditor General of this Colony, and Payments VIII. The Postmaster General, his Deputies and Servants, and Office Regula- the Post Office Establishment of this Colony shall be guided by and subject to such Rules and Regulations as shall be made in that Behalf by His Excellency the Governor, and a Copy of all such Rules and Regulations shall be furnished to the Postmaster General, and such of the same as relate to the Public shall be at all Times exhibited openly at the General Post Office for the Information of the Public: Provided that no such Rules or Regulations as shall relate to the Public shall be in Force until the same shall have been published in the Hongkong Government Gazette. Correspondence by Contract Packet to bear Imperial Postage only. Postage prepayable in Mo ney until IX. No Correspondence coming from, or through or sent to the United Kingdom, or carried elsewhere, or brought here by any Contract Packet, shall be liable to any other Rate of Postage, than that charged by the Imperial Government, and the Postmaster General shall collect and receive as well all Postage payable in this Colony, to Her Majesty, for the Imperial Postmaster General as for the Colonial Treasury. X. The Postage on all Correspondence, posted in this Colony for Transmission to any Place out of the same, shall be paid by the Sender on delivering the same at the Post Office in Money until Stamps shall be provided under the Provisions of this Ordinance. Provided always that Correspondence enclosed in Stamped used when pro- Covers, or having a Stamp affixed thereto (the Stamp in every Stamps provided. Stamps may be vided. such Post Office. such Case being of the Value or Amount in this Ordinance expressed, and specially provided for the Purpose under the Authority of this Ordinance) shall, if within the Limitation of Weight fixed by or under the Authority of any Statute of the Imperial Parliament in that behalf and if the Stamps have not been used before, pass by the Post free, except as to such Postage as the same shall or may be liable to on Arrival at their Places of Destination, when other than the United Kingdom, under the Laws of such Places respectively. XI. On every Letter arriving in this Colony by Private Ship Ship Letters. or in a Ship Letter Mail from any Place beyond the Limits of this Colony, and on every Letter posted in this Colony for Transmission to any Place beyond the Limits of the same, there shall be charged and paid to the Postmaster General for the Use of this Colony, Postage by Weight according to the following Scale, that is to say : Not exceeding Half an Ounce One Rate of Four Pence. Exceeding Half an Ounce, but not exceeding One Ounce, Two Exceeding One Ounce, but not exceeding Two Ounces, Four Exceeding Two Ounces, but not exceeding Three Ounces, Six And so on in Progression an additional Two Rates being XII. The Postmaster General is hereby authorized to receive from Masters of Vessels not being Government Vessels, or Post Office Packets, all Correspondence and shall allow and pay to Masters of such Vessels a Sum of Two Pence for each Letter or Pamphlet or such like Packet and One Halfpenny for each Newspaper brought to or delivered at the General Post Office from any Place beyond the Limits of the Colony; upon and when and as soon as such Master shall have made the Declaration in Schedule B. hereto annexed, which every such Master shall make before the Postmaster General, and no Master of a Vessel or other Person shall be allowed to deliver any Letter brought to the said Colony, except to the Postmaster General or his Deputy at the General Post Office, save and except Correspondence as under the Provisions herein-before contained may be otherwise delivered. The Sums so paid by the Postmaster General or his Deputy shall be charged in his Account against this Colony. XIII. The Postage of all Correspondence not provided for by this Ordinance shall be fixed from Time to Time by an Order under the Hand of His Excellency the Governor and published in the Hongkong Government Gazette. Provided that all single Letters received or sent by Seamen or Soldiers shall, subject to the same Provisions as heretofore, be charged with such reduced Rates of Postage as they have hitherto been charged in this Colony. XIV. In Case of the Arrival of any Vessel in the Harbour of Victoria having any Mail on Board of which the Delivery shall not have been demanded, the Master shall forthwith without unnecesQ 4 sary Masters of each Letter Postage in Cases not pro vided for, and of Seamen's and Soldier's Letters. Master of Ves- Mails without Penalty. Persons proposing to despatch Vessel to give Notice to the Post master General. Fees payable on late Correspondence by English Steam ers. Late Fees pay able on late Letters per all other Steamers. Post Office. sary Delay deliver to the Postmaster General or to his Deputy at the Post Office all Mail Bags, Boxes, and Packages brought by such Vessel; and every Master of a Vessel offending against this Provision shall for every such Offence forfeit a Sum not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars, recoverable before a Police Magistrate. XV. Every Person or Firm proposing to despatch a Vessel to any Port or Place out of this Colony, excepting the Ports or Places on the Canton River and Macao, shall, so soon as any Day or Hour is named for the Departure of such Vessel, give the first Intimation of such proposed Departure to the Postmaster General by forwarding to him a Copy of any Circular or Advertisement by which it is intended to apprise the Public of such Departure, and shall, in like Manner, intimate to the Postmaster General any Alteration in the Hour of Departure of the said Vessel, and the Postmaster General shall, on receiving such Intimations, give Notice to the Public of the Day and Hour when Mails will be made up by such Vessel; and any Person or Firm failing to give the Information above provided for to the Postmaster General shall, for every such Offence, forfeit a Sum not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars, recoverable before a Police Magistrate, unless the Postmaster General on a Representation made to him of the Circumstances of the Case consent, with the Sanction of His Excellency the Governor, to waive the Enforcement of such Penalty. XVI. It shall be lawful for the Postmaster General to demand and receive the extra Sums herein-after expressed which are respectively hereby declared payable for the Use of this Colony, that is to say, on all Correspondence brought to and received at the General Post Office, for Transmission to any Place out of the Limits of this Colony by Contract Packets carrying the Mails for England, after the Time fixed for closing Office for the general Receipt of Letters for such Mail, and up to Four Hours before the actual despatch of the same Mail, a Fee of Six Pence on each Letter, and of One Penny on each Newspaper; and from the said Four Hours before the said actual Despatch and up to the actual Closing of the Mail at the said Office, the Fee of One Shilling on each Letter, and of Two Pence on each Newspaper; and after the Closing of the said Mail at the said Office the Postmaster General shall be authorized to receive on Board the Packet Steamer then about to sail a Fee of One Shilling and Six Pence on each Letter, and a Fee of Three Pence on each Newspaper; and if any Correspondence shall be posted or sent after such respective Times as aforesaid without Payment of such Fees respectively, it shall be the Duty of the Postmaster General to refuse and not to forward the same by such Mail. XVII. The Postmaster General shall by himself or his Deputy attend on Board every Steamer other than those for England then about to leave the Harbour with a Mail, and shall there receive all Correspondence which up to the Time of Departure shall be brought on Board to be dispatched, and shall receive the Rates of Postage payable on such Correspondence, or otherwise ascertain that such Correspondence has affixed thereon Stamps to the Amount payable for Transmission, and he shall also receive a late Fee of Six Pence on each Letter, and of One Penny on each Newspaper |