(3) Shape. (1) Envelopes, cards, and self-mailers shall be rectangular, regardless of size or class of mail.

(ii) Letter-size mail shall have a maximum ratio of height to length of 1 to 1.4, and a minimum ratio of 1 to 2.5.

(f) ZIP Coding of mail—(1) Addressing. The address on all official mailings of Federal Exceutive Departments and Agencies under § 137.2 must include the ZIP Code number.

(2) Presorting and postage charges. When identical pieces of individually addressed matter are included in a single mailing, and the reimbursement to the U.S. Postal Service required by paragraph (a) of this section is made at the bulk third-class postage rates prescribed by § 134.1(b), they must be prepared in packages and sacks as prescribed by § 134.4 (c).

§ 137.3 Mail sent to Government depart

ments.

(a) Census mail. All mail, of whatever class, relating to the census and addressed to the Census Office, or to any official thereof, and endorsed "Official Business, Census Office," will be sent without prepayment of postage. Such mail may not exceed 4 pounds. (See § 137.2(a) of this chapter regarding postage reimbursement.) Mail sent by the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce or one of its officers in envelopes of that Bureau is subject to the conditions in § 137.2(c) (1) chapter.

of this

(b) Immigration and Naturalization Service mail. All mail of whatever class, relating to naturalization, including duplicate papers required by law or regulation to be sent to the Service by clerks of courts addressed to the Department of Justice or the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or any official of either, and endorsed "Official Business,” will be transmitted without prepayment of postage and marked "Naturalization Papers." Mail relating to naturalization may not exceed 4 pounds. (See § 137.2(a) regarding postage reimbursement.)

§ 137.4 State employment security mailings.

All mail of State employment security offices cooperating with the Department of Labor that bears, in the upper left corner of the address side, the words "Official Business" printed immediately below the name and address of the State employment agency and, in the upper

right corner, the words "Postage and Fees Paid, Employment Security Mail” will be accepted without prepayment of postage or fees. Postage and fees chargeable are collected periodically under a special arrangement with the Postal Service. Such matter will be given the service indicated on the cover.

§ 137.6

Absentee balloting materials.

(a) Purpose. Balloting materials consisting of post card applications, ballots, voting instructions, and envelopes, are sent through the mail without prepayment of postage, including airmail postage, for the purpose of enabling every person in any of the following categories to vote by absentee ballot when he is absent from the place of his voting residence and is otherwise eligible to vote:

(1) Members of the Armed Forces while in the active service and their spouses and dependents.

(2) Members of the merchant marine of the United States and their spouses and dependents.

(3) Civilian employees of the United States in all categories serving outside the United States and the District of Columbia and their spouses and dependents when residing with or accompanying them, whether or not the employee is subject to the civil-service laws and the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, and whether or not paid from funds appropriated by the Congress.

(4) Members of religious groups or welfare agencies assisting members of the Armed Forces, who are officially attached to and serving with the Armed Forces, and their spouses and dependents.

(5) Citizens of the United States temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia and their spouses and dependents when residing or accompanying them. To be mailable free of postage, the balloting materials must be deposited at a U.S. post office, an overseas U.S. military post office, or presented to an American embassy.

(b) Elections affected. The materials may be sent for any general election of electors for President and Vice President or of Senators and Representatives in Congress and for other general, primary, and special elections.

(c) Markings required on ballot envelopes and post card applications. (1) Envelopes used to send balloting material and envelopes supplied for return of the

$137.7 President-elect, former Presidents, widows of former Presidents and surviving spouses of Members of Congress.

(a) President-elect. All mail, including airmail, of any President-elect sent by him in connection with his preparations for the assumption of official duties as President may be accepted subject to the provisions of § 137.2(c) (3).

(b) Former Presidents and widows of former Presidents.-All mail of former U.S. Presidents, all mail of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, widow of former President John F. Kennedy, all mail of Mamie Doud Eisenhower, widow of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, all mail of Beth Wallace Truman, widow of former President Harry S Truman, and all mail of Lady Bird Johnson, widow of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson, shall be accepted without prepayment of postage if it bears the written signature of the sender, or a facsimile signature, in the upper right corner of the address side. Such matter may be dispatched by air if it bears the word "Airmail" on the address side.

(c) Surviving spouses of Members of Congress. Upon the death of a Member of Congress during his term of office the surviving spouse of such Member may send, without prepayment of postage for a period not to exceed 180 days after the death of the Member, correspondence relating to the death of the Member, provided it bears the written signature of the sender, or a facsimile signature in the upper right corner of the address side. [35 FR 19440, Dec. 23, 1970, as amended at 38 FR 15509, June 13, 1973]

§ 137.8 General Secretariat of the Organization of American States and Pan American Sanitary Bureau. The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States and Pan American Sanitary Bureau are authorized by law to transmit official matter without prepayment. The mail must bear the printed clause citing the penalty for private use instead of postage stamps. It must be prepared like Federal Government penalty mail and is subject to the same restrictions. See § 137.2 (c) (3), (d), and (e).

[35 FR 19440, Dec. 23, 1970, as amended at 38 FR 15509, June 13, 1973]

§ 137.9 General instructions.

(a) Official mail not to be detained. Official mail of any kind must not be detained even though there are indications of abuse of official mailing privileges. It must be promptly dispatched and delivered to the addressee. Reports of the indicated abuse must be submitted to the Finance Department, Office of Rates and Classification.

(b) Separation of official mail by mailer. Airmail, special delivery, special handling, and first-class mail should be segregated by the mailers from circulars, printed matter, and parcels before mailing. The postmaster will furnish appropriate sack labels with which to identify the various types of mail.

The following conditions are applicable to articles mailable free of postage under this section:

(a) Except as provided in § 138.2(a) the matter is for the use of the blind or other persons who cannot use or read conventionally printed material because of a physical impairment who are certified by competent authority as unable to read normal reading material;

(b) No charge, or rental, subscription, or other fee, is required for such matter or a charge, or rental, subscription, or other fee is required for such matter not in excess of the cost thereof;

(c) The matter may be opened for postal inspection;

(d) The matter contains no advertising. § 138.2

Items mailable free.

(a) Unsealed letters sent by a blind person or a person having a physical impairment as described in § 138.1(a) in

raised characters or sight-saving type or in the form of sound recordings;

(b) Reading matter and musical scores;

(c) Sound reproductions;

(d) Paper, records, tapes, and other material for the production of reading matter, musical scores, or sound reproductions;

(e) Reproducers or parts thereof for sound reproductions; and

(f) Braille writers or typewriters, or parts thereof, used for writing by or specifically designed or adapted for use of a blind person or a person having a physical impairment as described in § 138.1(a).

(g) Educational or other materials or devices, or parts thereof, specifically designed or adapted for use of a blind person or a person having a physical impairment as described in § 138.1(a).

ment of letters to parcels of second-, third-, and fourth-class mail.

§ 139.2 Combination mailings of two classes.

(a) Attachment. Letters or other pieces of first- or third-class mail may be placed in an envelope and securely tied or otherwise attached to the address side of a second-, third-, or fourth-class mailing piece including airmail articles. The envelope must be placed on the address side of the principal mailing piece. Combination envelopes or containers having separate parts for the two classes of mail may be used. See § 134.8 concerning the sealing of third-class mail.

(b) Addressing. The name and address of the sender and the name and address of the addressee should be placed on both the principal mailing piece and the attachment. If both names and addresses do not appear on both pieces, the sender's name and address must be placed on one and the name and address of the addressee must be placed on the other. Combination containers having inseparable portions or compartments are mailable with the names and addresses on only one portion.

(c) Postage. Postage on the second-, third-, or fourth-class mail must be prepaid at the appropriate rate and must be placed in the upper right corner of the address space. Postage at the appropriate first- or single piece third-class rate must be paid for the attachment and affixed to it.

(d) Markings required. First-class attachments may be marked "First Class" or "Letter Enclosed". Third-class attachments must be marked "Third Class".

§ 139.3 Mailing enclosures of different classes.

(a) Enclosures mailed with secondclass and controlled circulation publications (1) First- and third-class enclosures. Separate and independent pieces of first- or third-class mail may be mailed as enclosures with second-class and controlled circulation publications.

(2) Payment of postage. Postage at the appropriate first- or single piece thirdclass rate must be paid for each separate enclosure. Pieces of related matter enclosed with a publication as a unit may be regarded as a single enclosure for pur

pose of computing postage. The postage may be placed on the enclosure by using precanceled or meter stamps, or the postage may be placed on the outside envelope, wrapper, or cover. Postage at the second-class pound or per copy rates or postage at the controlled circulation rates must be paid on the publication in the manner prescribed by Part 125. When postage at the transient second-class rate is paid on the publication, follow the procedure ir. paragraph (b) of this section.

(3) Marking required. When postage for the enclosure is placed on the outside envelope, wrapper, or cover of a publication, the mailer must mark each piece as required by § 139.3(b) (5). Markings are not required when postage is placed on the enclosure.

(b) Enclosures mailed with third- and fourth-class parcels—(1) First-class enclosures. Letters may be enclosed with books, catalogs, and merchandise mailed at third-class rates. (See § 139.2 for mailing letters with other third-class matter.) Letters may be enclosed in fourth-class parcels. Postage at the firstclass rate must be paid for each letter.

(2) Third-class enclosures. Third-class mail may be enclosed in a fourth-class parcel mailed at the special rates in § 135.1 (b), (c), and (d) or mailed free under Part 138. Postage at the applicable third-class rate must be paid for enclosures except the items listed in § 135.6.

(3) Placement of enclosure. The enclosure be placed on top of other items in the parcel when practical.

(4) Payment of postage. Postage for the enclosure must be placed on the outside of the parcel. It may be added to the postage for the parcel and the total amount paid together, or the postage for the enclosure may be affixed separately from the postage for the parcel.

(5) Marking required. The mailer must place the endorsement "First-Class Mail Enclosed" or "Third-Class Mail Enclosed" on each parcel below the postage and above the address. The endorsement may be handstamped, handwritten, typewritten, printed, or put on by any other method.

(c) Penalty-(1) Failure to pay. If postage is not paid at the appropriate rate in the manner provided for by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section for

letters or other pieces of first- or thirdclass mail, the second-class publications: or the third- or fourth-class parcels in which they are enclosed will be subject to the higher rate applicable to the enclosure.

(2) Concealment. Mailers are subject to a fine of not more than $100 if they knowingly conceal letters or other pieces of first- or third-class mail in secondclass publications or in the third- or fourth-class parcels without paying the appropriate rate of postage on the enclosures in the manner provided for by paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section. § 139.4 Treatment.

(a) Forwarding. Pieces of second-, third-, or fourth-class mail having other classes of mail enclosed under the combination mail arrangements provided for by section 139.2 are subject to the same conditions for forwarding as single pieces of second-, third-, or fourth-class mail (see Part 157). If the enclosure is firstclass mail, that fact will not affect the conditions of forwarding.

(b) Return. (1) Undeliverable combination mail pieces, including those which cannot be forwarded, one part of which is first-class mail, shall in all cases be returned to the sender subject to the charge for return according to its class. See 159.2 (b) through (f) of this chapter. The weight of the first-class piece will not be included when computing the charge for return of the second-, third-, or fourth-class portion.

(2) Any undeliverable combination mailing piece which does not include first-class matter shall be disposed of as provided in Part 159.

(3) If for any reason an undeliverable combination mailing piece, one part of which is first-class mail, is not returnable to the sender, it will be treated as provided in § 159.7(b) of this chapter. § 139.5 Special services.

Combination mailing pieces may be sent as special delivery or in the case of third- or fourth-class parcels as special handling, and only one fee applicable to the parcel is required. Combination pieces may not be registered. They may be sent insured or COD, the insurance to cover only the value of the parcel: