son himself entitled to the franking privilege, each book, document or package entitled to be sent free in the mails must separately bear the frank of a Senator, Representative, or other person vested with the franking privilege. Sec. 249. Letters, etc., on Government Business Free.-It shall be lawful to transmit through the mail, free of postage, any letters, packages, or other matters relating exclusively to the business of the Government of the United States: Provided, That every such letter or package to entitle it to pass free shall bear over the words "Official business" an indorsement showing also the name of the Department, and, if from a bureau or office, the names of the Department and bureau or office, as the case may be, whence transmitted. And if any person shall make use of any such official envelope to avoid the payment of postage on his private letter, package, or other matter in the mail, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and subject to a fine of three hundred dollars, to be prosecuted in any court of competent jurisdiction. (Act of March 3, 1877, § 5, 19 Stat., 335.) Sec. 250. Penalty Envelopes for Official Matter.-For the purpose of carrying this act into effect, it shall be the duty of each of the Executive Departments of the United States to provide for itself and its subordinate offices the necessary envelopes; and in addition to the indorsement designating the Department in which they are to be used, the penalty for the unlawful use of these envelopes shall be stated thereon. (Act of March 3, 1877, § 6, 19 Stat., 335.) Sec. 251. Extension of the two Preceding Sections.—The provisions of the [two preceding] [fifth and sixth] sections [of the act entitled "An act establishing post-routes, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven] for the transmission of official mail-matter, be, and they are hereby, extended to all officers of the United States Government, and made applicable to all official mail-matter transmitted between any of the officers of the United States, or between any such officer and either of the executive departments or officers of the government, the envelopes of such matter in all cases to bear appropriate indorsements containing the proper designation of the office from which the same is transmitted, with a statement of the penalty for their misuse. And the provisions of said fifth and sixth sections are hereby likewise extended and made applicable to all official mail-matter sent from the Smithsonian Institution: Provided, That this act shall not extend or apply to pension-agents or other officers who receive a fixed allowance as compensation for their services, including expenses for postage. (Act of March 3, 1879, § 29, 20 Stat., p. 362.) The penalty-envelopes prescribed under this and the two preceding sections must be furnished by the various Departments at Washington to their subordinate officers throughout the country. Official penalty-labels to be affixed to mail matter may also be furnished in lieu of or in addition to the official penalty-envelopes. The effect of these three sections is to substitute for official postage-stamps and official stamped-envelopes furnished by the Post-Office Department, official penalty-envelopes and official penalty-labels furnished by each Department to its own subordinates. Sec. 252. Letters on Vessels to and from Foreign Ports.-The master of any vessel of the United States, bound from any port therein to any foreign port, or from any foreign port to any port of the United States, shall, before clearance, receive on board and securely convey all such maiis as the Post-Office Department, or any diplomatic or consular office of the United States abroad, shall offer; and he shall promptly deliver the same, on arriving at the port of destination, to the proper officer, for which he shall receive two cents for every letter so delivered; and upon the entry of every such vessel returning from any foreign port, the master thereof shall make oath or affirmation that he has promptly delivered all the mail placed on board said vessel before clearance from the United States; and if he shall fail to make such oath or affirmation, the said vessel shall not be entitled to the privileges of a vessel of the United States. (R. S., § 3976.) Sec. 253. Letters on Inland Steamboats.-The master of any steamboat passing between ports or places in the United States, and arriving at any such port or place where there is a post-office, shall deliver to the postmaster, within three hours after his arrival, if in the day-time, and if at night, within two hours after the next sunrise, all letters and packets brought by him, or within his power or control and not relating to the cargo, addressed to or destined for such port or place, for which he shall receive from the postmaster two cents for each letter or packet so delivered, unless the same is carried under a contract for carrying the mail; and for every failure to so deliver such letters and packets, the master or owner of said steamboat shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred and fifty dollars. (R. S. § 3977.) Sec. 254. Payment for Ship-Letters.-The Postmaster-General may pay to the master or owner of any vessel not regularly employed in carrying the mail two cents for each letter carried by such vessel between ports or places in the United States, or from any foreign port to any port in the United States; but all such letters shall be deposited in the postoffice at the port of arrival. (R. S., § 3978.) Sec. 255. Double Postage on Ship-Letters.-All letters conveyed by vessels not regularly employed in carrying the mail shall, if for delivery within the United States, be rated with double postage, to cover the fee paid to the vessel. (R. S., § 3913.) Sec. 256. Definition of Ship-Letters.-The terms ship-letters and packets embrace the letters and packets brought into the United States from foreign countries, or carried from one port in the United States to another, in any private ship or vessel not regularly employed in carrying the mail, and in the latter case over a route where the mail is not regularly carried, before such letters have been mailed. Sec. 257. Manner of Collecting Ship-Fees.-The rates of postage are not to be increased on letters and packets carried in a private ship or vessel, from one port in the United States to another, though a part of the voyage be over a water declared to be a post-road. Thus, the Mississippi River, from New Orleans to the mouth, is a post-road; yet letters carried by ship between New Orleans and any other sea-port in the United States are subject to the usual ship-letter postage. But if the whole of the water between any two ports be a post-road by law, then inland postage will be charged. It is the special duty of the postmaster at a port where vessels may enter to see that this section is strictly observed and enforced. Every such postmaster will obtain from the master of the ship or vessel a certificate specifying the number of letters, with the name of the ship or vessel, and place from which she last sailed; and upon each letter which has not been before mailed, and which shall be delivered into his post-office for mailing or delivery, he shall pay to the said master or owner two cents, and take his receipt therefor. Sec. 258. Rating up Postage on Ship-Letters.-At the post-office where deposited such letters will be charged with double rates of postage, to be collected at the office of delivery; that is to say, six cents for the single weight if mailed, and four cents the single weight if delivered at the post-office; but if such letter has been prepaid by United States stamps at such double rate of postage, no additional charge will be made, and all United States postage stamps affixed thereto will be recognized to the extent of their value as part payment. Sec. 259. No Fee on Foreign-addressed Letters.-If such letter is addressed to any point in a foreign country, no fee will be allowed thereon by the postmaster to the carrier. Such letters, however, should all be marked "Ship.” Sec. 260. No Fees to Passengers or Sailors. If the letters be delivered into the post-office by a passenger or sailor, and not in behalf of the master, nothing is to be paid for them; they are, nevertheless, to be charged with double postage, and the number entered in the account of ship-letters, with the name of the vessel in which they were brought. They will then be forwarded as other ship-letters, the postage to be collected at the post-office of delivery. Sec. 261. Letters on Mail-steamboats, how Disposed of.-All letters placed on a mail-steamboat, on which the mails are in charge of a route-agent, should go into the hands of such agent; and on these letters the master of the vessel is not entitled to receive any compensation. None but letters on which at least one full rate of postage has been paid should be received on such steamboat, and these should be duly mailed. But should any chance to be unpaid, they should be deposited by the route-agent in the post-office at the terminal point of his route, where the postmaster will treat them in all respects as other unpaid letters. Sec. 262. Account of Ship and Steamboat Letters to be kept.-Letters brought by steamboats should be marked "Steamboat" at the time of receiving them, and postmasters will keep an account of both ship and steamboat letters received, stating the sums paid for them and the postage chargeable thereon. Sec. 263. No Fees to Mail-Vessels.-No fees will be allowed to any vessel or to any person on board any vessel which carries the mail, nor to any mail-carrier on any mail-route by land or water. Sec. 264. Printed Ship-Matter, how to be Treated.-Printed matter delivered to a postmaster by the master of a vessel arriving from a foreign port, and not regularly engaged in carrying the mail, which is wholly unpaid, shall be forwarded by such postmaster to its post-office of destination charged with double third-class rates of domestic postage, to be collected on delivery. No fee, however, shall be paid for such matter. CHAPTER SIX. DELIVERY OF ORDINARY MAIL-MATTER. Sec. WITHDRAWAL BY SENDER FROM POST-OFFICE OF MATTER BEFORE ITS DISPATCH. 265. Opening of mails; placing matter on deliv ery. 266. Postmasters may remove wrappers of pack ages. 267. Double postage on unpaid matter. 268. Matter cannot be delivered until postage due is paid. 269. Weight of matter determined at post-office of mailing. 270. Postage-due stamps for insufficiently-paid matter. 271. Penalty for failing to affix postage-due stamps. 272. Time of affixing postage-due stamps. 273. Treatment of undelivered matter with postage-due stamps thereon. 274. Postage-due stamps on forwarded letters, how refunded. 275. What persons are entitled to receive mail- 276. Letters addressed to fictitious persons. Sec. 279. Mail-matter addressed to other post-offices not deliverable; exceptions. 280. Mail-matter addressed in care of another. 281. Letters from the Pension Office. 282. Under no pretext are letters in the mail to be opened. 283. Mail-matter to be delivered according to offi. cial designation. 284. Mail-matter addressed to minors. 285. Mail-matter addressed to deceased persons. 286. Mail-matter to be delivered to assignees, etc. 287. Mail-matter addressed to a defunct firm or corporation. 288. Postmaster to require appointment of a re- 289. Decision of disputed claims to mail-matter. Sec. 265. Opening of Mails; Placing Matter on Delivery.-Upon the arrival of the mail at any post-office, the mail sacks and pouches, or the packages in a mailbag addressed to that post-office, and none other, should be opened. Every postmaster, immediately upon the receipt of the mail, will, if possible, place the postmark of his post-office upon every letter received in the mail, showing the date and the hour of the day when the letters were received. He will then look over the letters or packages thus received to see if the postage thereon has been properly prepaid, noting on each letter or parcel the amount, if any, which is found to be due thereon, after which he will place the mail on delivery. Sec. 266. Postmasters may Remove Wrappers of Packages.-Postmasters at the office of delivery may remove the wrappers and envelopes from mail-matter not charged with letter-postage, when it can be done without destroying them, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is upon or connected with any such matter anything which would authorize or require the charge of a higher rate of postage thereon. (R. S., § 3882.) Sec. 267. Double Postage on Unpaid Matter.-If any mail-matter, on which by law the postage is required to be prepaid at the mailing [post] office, shall by inadvertence reach its destination without such prepayment, double the prepaid rates shall be charged and collected on delivery. (R. S., § 3898.) Sec. 268. Matter Cannot be Delivered until Postage Due is Paid.—No mailmatter shall be delivered until the postage due thereon has been paid. (R. S., § 3900.) Sec. 269. Weight of Matter Determined at Post-Office of Mailing.-Inasmuch as, through evaporation or other cause, mail-matter not infrequently loses weight in transit, so that upon its arrival at the post-office of destination its weight may not correspond with that indicated by the postage rated up at the post-office of mailing, postmasters are instructed that the weight at time of mailing determines the rate of postage, and they should collect the postage marked due accordingly. Sec. 270. Postage-due Stamps for Insufficiently-paid Matter.-All mail-matter of the first-class upon which one full rate of postage has been prepaid shall be forwarded to its destination, charged with the unpaid rate, to be collected on delivery; but postmasters, before delivering the same, or any article of mail-matter upon which prepayment in full has not been made, shall affix, or cause to be affixed, and canceled, as ordinary stamps are canceled, one or more stamps equivalent in value to the amount of postage due on such article of mail-matter, which stamp shall be of such special design and denomination as the Postmaster-General may prescribe, and which shall in no case be sold by any postmaster nor received by him in prepayment of postage. That in lieu of the commission now allowed to postmasters at [post] offices of the fourth class upon the amount of unpaid letter-postage collected, such postmaster shall receive a commission upon the amount of such special stamps so canceled, the same as now allowed upon postage stamps, stamped envelopes, postal cards, and newspaper and periodical stamps canceled as postages on matter actually mailed at their [post] offices: Provided, The PostmasterGeneral may, in his discretion, prescribe instead such regulation therefor at the [post] offices where free delivery is established as in his judg ment the good of the service may require. (Act March 3, 1879, § 26, 20 Stat., p. 361.) Sec. 271. Penalty for Failing to affix Postage-due Stamps.-Any postmaster or other person engaged in the postal service who shall collect, and fail to account for, the postage due upon any article of mail-matter which he may deliver, without having previously affixed and canceled such special stamps, as he rein before provided, or who shall fail to affix such stamp, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars. (Act March 3, 1879, § 27, 20 Stat., p. 362.) Sec. 272. Time of affixing Postage-due Stamps.-At all post-offices where the free-delivery service has not been established, postmasters will not affix the postagedue stamps until the delivery of the matter has been requested. At all free-delivery post-offices, matter which has not been sufficiently prepaid will be rated up, and postage-due stamps of the necessary denominations will be affixed as soon as the matter is received at the post-office, unless an order is on file for a letter to be forwarded, in which case it will be forwarded without affixing the postage-due stamp. Sec. 273. Treatment of Undelivered Matter with Postage-due Stamps thereon. -After the postage-due stamps have been affixed at free-delivery post-offices, such matter as may be refused, unclaimed, or cannot be delivered must be treated as required by the regulations. When sent to the Dead-Letter Office, credit must be claimed on the dead-letter bill for "postage-due stamps canceled on undelivered mail-matter." When returned to writer or redirected to another post-office within the United States, a numbered postage-due bill, stating amount due and name of person from whom it is to be collected, must be attached to and sent with each letter. |