lands. Philippine Is- (p) Postmasters (except postmasters at United States exchange offices when specifically authorized) shall refrain from addressing inquiries to postmasters or other postal officers in the Philippine Islands regarding the alleged loss, rifling, delay, wrong delivery, or improper treatment by postal employees of or damage to any article of mail matter, registered or ordinary. ments and concealments of losses forbidden. Direct settle- 2. Postmasters and other postal employees shall not make nor attempt to make settlements directly with losers on account of the loss, depredation, delay, wrong delivery, or other mistreatment of mail matter, either before report is made to the Chief Inspector or after such report and pending the determination by the Chief Inspector of the responsibility for such loss or irregularity, nor conceal the facts of a depredation upon or loss of mail matter. Insurance of fourth-class mail. Collect-on-delivery service. 1912, Aug. 24, 8; 37 Stat., 557. fee. Indemnity and Tag or label. Sender's re ceipt. CHAPTER 2. INDEMNIFICATION FOR LOST FOURTH-CLASS MAIL, I.-INSURANCE OF FOURTH-CLASS (PARCEL-POST) MAIL. 2. Fourth-class mail shall not be registered, but may be insured against loss in an amount equivalent to its actual value, but not to exceed $25 in any one case, on payment of a fee of 5 cents, or not to exceed $50 on payment of a fee of 10 cents, in addition to the postage, both to be prepaid by stamps affixed; but indemnity will not be allowed in cases of loss of such mail addressed to the Philippine Islands or the Canal Zone, unless the loss occurred in the postal service of the United States. 3. No article of any class bearing the word "Insured" on the outside envelope or wrapper, or on a tag or label attached thereto, shall be accepted for mailing, except insured parcel-post mail. 4. When a parcel is insured, the sender shall be given a receipt showing the office, date of mailing, number of package, and amount of the insurance fee paid. The coupon retained at the mailing office shall also show the amount of the insurance fee paid. The parcels should be numbered consecutively, the numbering to commence anew on July 1 or other authorized times. The number on the receipt shall correspond with that on the parcel, and the latter shall be marked or stamped "Insured" and an insurance tag securely attached. The package Treatment parcel. shall then be treated as ordinary mail until it reaches the office of address. 5. Delivery of insured fourth-class mail shall be made Delivery. in accordance with the regulations governing the delivery of registered mail. (See sec. 935.) When delivery is Receipts. effected, a receipt for the parcel shall be obtained on the tag attached thereto. When an insured parcel is received without the insurance tag attached, the prescribed receipt shall be obtained from the addressee on delivery. A receipt signed by a person other than the addressee shall show the name of the addressee as well as that of the person signing it. A signature made by mark (X) shall be attested by a reputable witness. The records of insured parcels shall be preserved one year. the cles. -record of condi 6. Damaged articles should not be withheld from de- Damaged arti livery. The postmaster making delivery shall note to be delivered. extent of damage or the condition of the article and tion on tags. record the facts on the delivery tag. routes. 7. Rural carriers shall accept parcels of fourth-class Parcels on rural mail to be insured at the office to which they are attached, the tags to be made out at the office. 8. When a return receipt is desired by the sender of an Return receipt. insured parcel he should indorse the envelope or wrapper and the insurance tag which he is required to fill out "Return receipt desired." This indorsement may be written or stamped by the postmaster at the mailing office, and the postmaster at the office of delivery shall obtain a return receipt from the addressee, on Form 3811, which shall be mailed to the sender. livery. 9. When an insured parcel fails of delivery at the office, Failure of deof address it may be forwarded or returned to writer in accordance with sections 595 and 637 without the payment of an additional insurance fee. When the parcel is disposed of in either of these ways a duplicate of the tag Claim for in demnity, made. -at office mailing. dress. how receipt attached thereto shall be filled out and shall show the name of the office to which the parcel is forwarded or returned, and be filed with the tags of insured parcels delivered. 10. When an insured parcel is lost or rifled and a claim for indemnity is made, the sender shall be required to file an affidavit, which may be executed at a post office without cost (see sec. 156, par. 3), on Form 3812, furnished for the purpose, showing the number of the parcel, the name of office and date of mailing, the name and address of the addressee, the contents of the parcel, its actual value, the amount of the insurance fee paid, and to whom the insurof ance should be paid. The postmaster at the mailing office shall certify on this form as to the mailing of the parcel, the amount of the insurance fee paid, and the declared actual value as shown by the record of his office. The form shall then be forwarded to the postmaster at the office of address, who shall certify as to whether or not the parcel has been received, and if so, the disposition thereof. The addressee shall be required to make affidavit on the form that the parcel has not been received, or as to the contents and condition, if rifled or totally damaged, as may be appropriate in each case, and that no reimbursement has been received therefor. -at office of ad- 11. When the addressee makes claim for indemnity, the postmaster at the office of address shall notify the postmaster at the office of mailing, who shall take action in accordance with the provisions of the foregoing paragraph. Where sent. Payment of in demnity. Procedure. 12. The form, when completed, shall be sent promptly to the Third Assistant Postmaster General for consideration of the payment of indemnity. 13. Indemnity for lost insured mail shall be paid in Limit of time. accordance with the provisions of section 971, except that no indemnity shall be paid unless the claim is made within six months from the date the parcel was mailed, unless it shall be established to the satisfaction of the Third Assistant Postmaster General that the delay was unavoidable and due to no fault of the claimant. Division of Dead When sent to 14. If it becomes necessary to send insured fourthclass mail to the Division of Dead Letters, the procedure prescribed in section 646 shall be followed. vertently regis 15. Fourth-class mail which has been inadvertently Parcels inadregistered shall be handled in transit and delivered as tered. registered mail, but any deficiency in postage on such mail shall be collected at the fourth-class rates (see sec. 941) by means of postage-due stamps and report made to the Third Assistant Postmaster General, Division of Registered Mails. 16. Parcels addressed to foreign countries may be registered, but can not be sent as insured mail. 17. All irregularities in respect to the preparation, dispatch, and handling of insured fourth-class mail shall be reported to the Third Assistant Postmaster General. See sec. 487 regarding reports to Chief Inspector. II. COLLECT-ON-DELIVERY SERVICE. Registered but not insured when to foreign countries. Reports of ir regularities. price and charges Sec. 489. The sender of a mailable parcel of fourth-Collection of class matter on which the postage is fully prepaid may from addressee. have the price of the article and the charges thereon collected from the addressee on payment of a fee of 10-fee for. cents in postage stamps affixed, provided the amount to -amount not to be collected does not exceed $100. Such a parcel will exceed $100. be insured against loss, without additional charge, in an amount equivalent to its actual value, but not to exceed $50. -sender to be 2. The sender of a collect-on-delivery (C. O. D.) parcel given receipt. shall be given a receipt showing the office and date of mailing, the number of the parcel, and the amount due him. -accepted for de money-order 3. C. O. D. parcels shall be accepted for mailing only_C.O. D. parcel. at a money-order office and when addressed to a money-livery only at order office. Money-order offices are designated in the offices. parcel-post guide by an asterisk (*) or a dagger (†). The postmaster at the mailing office will be held responsible for the postage required for the return of a parcel addressed to a nonmoney-order office. -treatment office. 4. If a C. O: D. parcel is received at a non-money-order when sent to nonoffice, the postmaster shall notify the office of mailing of money-order the amount of postage required for its return. The postmaster at the office of mailing shall ascertain from the sender whether he desires the parcel returned or delivered without collection of the charges. If the sender notifies him in writing that the parcel may be delivered without -C. O. D. tag, indicia on. collecting the charges, he shall attach the order to the office coupon and notify the postmaster at the office of address to that effect. If no reply is received from the mailing office, the parcel shall be treated as provided in sections 637 and 638. 5. The C. O. D. tag shall show the amount due the sender, the money-order fee necessary to make the remittance, and the total amount to be collected. It shall be securely attached to the parcel, which shall be numbered to correspond with the tag, stamped C. O. D., and the charges to be collected plainly written thereon. The parcel shall be treated as ordinary mail until it reaches the office of address, where, on payment of all charges, -delivery of par- it shall be delivered to the addressee or, unless otherwise directed by the addressee, to the person, firm, or corporation in whose care it is addressed, or to any responsible person to whom the addressee's ordinary mail is cus-receipt re-tomarily delivered. A receipt for the parcel shall be obtained on the tag attached thereto. (See par. 4, sec. 488.) cels. quired. -C. O. D. parcels without tags. --employees to receipt for all parcels. sender to be re order. 6. When a C. O. D. parcel is received without the tag attached, the charges shown on the parcel shall be collected and the prescribed receipt obtained from the addressee. 7. An employee shall receipt for the total number of parcels given him for delivery. This receipt shall be surrendered to him either on the return of the parcels or the receipted tags and the total amount to be collected. -amount due 8. The receipted tag shall be considered as the admitted by money dressee's application for a money order for the amount due the sender. A money order shall then be issued, stamped C. O. D., and mailed to the sender in a penalty envelope by the postmaster, who shall enter on the tag the number of the money order, the amount and date of issue, and file it with other money-order applications. No return receipt shall be furnished the sender, as the money order serves that purpose. -parcel may not be examined by addressee. 9. The addressee shall not be permitted to examine the contents of a C. O. D. parcel until it has been receipted for and all charges paid. A parcel may be refused when it is tendered for delivery, but after delivery has been effected it can not be returned on account of dissatisfaction with the contents or the amount collected. |
