REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK ACT, 1865.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1867 Session I, D-06

D.—No. C.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK ACT, 1865.

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY COMMAND OF HIS EXCELLENCY.

WELLINGTON.

1867.

D.—No. G.

TirE following Eegulations are made under authority of an Act of the General Assembly, intituled "The Post Office Savings Bank Act, 1865." 1. Every Post Office, being a Money Order Office, at which the Postmaster-General shall permit deposits to be received, will be open for that purpose, and for the repayment of moneys withdrawn, during the hours appointed for the transaction of Money Order business at the said Post Office. Any Post Office not being a Money Order Office, at which the Postmaster-G-eneral shall permit deposits to be received or repaid, shall be open for that purpose during such hours and on such days as the Postmaster-G-eneral shall determine. 2. Deposits of one shilling, or of any number of shillings, or of pounds and shillings, will be received frqm any depositor at the Post Office Savings Bank. 3. Every depositor on making a first deposit shall bo required to specify his Christian name and surname, occupation, and residence to the officer of the Postmaster-G-eneral appointed to receive the deposit, and make and sign the following declaration, to be witnessed by the officer of the PostmasterGeneral appointed to receive deposits or by some persons known to him, or by a Justice of the Peace:— Copy of Declakatto>~ to be Sigxed uy Depositor ox jiakixo fibst Deposit. Depositor's Book. Place No T, of do hereby declare to the Postmaster-Greneral that I am desirous on my own behalf, to become a depositor in the Post Office Savings Bank. Ido further hereby declare, that lam not directly or indirectly entitled to any sum or sums standing in the name or names of any other person or persons in the books of the said Post Office Savings Bank, save and except such benefit as I may be entitled to from such sum or sums as may be standing in my name as trustee jointly with the name or names and on behalf of any other depositor or depositors, or as a member of the Friendly Society jailed the ; and I do hereby also test ify my consent that my deposits in the said Post Office Savings Bank shall be managed according to the regulations thereof. Witness my hand, this day of ,186 . Signed by the said depositor in the presence of me, ) If such declaration, or any part thereof, shall not be true, the depositor making the same shall forfeit and lose all right and title to his deposits. A copy of the above declaration shall be printed within the cover of every depositor's book. 4. On making the declaration, and in all cases in which the signature of the depositor is required, if the depositor cannot write, his mark must be affixed in the presence of a witness, and attested by the signature of that witness. 5. Every deposit received by any officer of the Postmaster-General, appointed for that purpose, shall be entered by him at the time in a numbered book, and the entry shall be attested by him, and by the dated stamp of his office, and the said book, with the entry so attested, shall be given to the depositor and retained by him as primary evidence of the receipt of the deposit. The depositor shall sign his name in a place to bo provided for his signature in the depositor's book. As soon as possible after the commencement of each month, the amount placed to the credit of each depositor in the books of the Postmaster-General during the preceding month shall be acknowledged in the following form by the officer whom the Postmaster-General shall appoint for the purpose, and the acknowledgment shall be forthwith transmitted by post to the depositor. Depositor's Book. Place No Savings Bank Department, Wellington 186 . Tite Postmaster of having reported to the Posf master-General the receipt by him of your deposit amounting to £ : : , during the month of 18 , that amount has been placed to the credit of your account in the books of this department. To G. Interest, calculated yearly, at the rate of 5 per cent per annum on sums less than two hundred pounds, and at the rate of 4 per cent, on sums over two hundred pounds, and in the same proportions for any shorter time will be allowed ou every complete pound deposited, provided that no interest be allowed on more than five hundred pounds. Interest shall be computed from the first day of the calendar month next following the day on which a complete pound shall have been deposited, or on which deposits of a less amount shall have made up a complete pound, up to the first day of the calendar month in which moneys are withdrawn. The interest will be calculated to the 31st December in every year, and will then be added to, and become part of the principal money. 7. Deposits may be made by a trustee on behalf of another person, in the joint names of such trustee and the person on whose account such money shall be so deposited; but repayment of the same, or any part thereof, shall not be made without the receipt or receipts of both the said parties, or the survivor or survivors, or the executors or administrators of such survivor, whose receipt or receipts either personally or by agent appointed by power of attorney, which power of attorney may

REGULATIONS UNDER "THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK ACT, 1865."

D.—No. 6,

POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS.

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be executed by an infant of or exceeding the age of fourteen years, shall alone be a valid discharge, except in case of insanity or imbecility of the party on whose behalf the deposits were made, when the Postmaster-General may, on proof of the fact to his satisfaction, allow repayment to be made to the trustee alone. The following declaration must be made in such cases : — Form op Declaration to be sigked by the Trustee op a Depositor. Depositor's Book. Place No I, of do hereby declare to the Postmaster-General, that I am desirous of becoming a depositor in the Post Office Savings Bank, as the trustee of of , and I do further declare on behalf of myself and also on behalf of the said that "we are not either jointly or severally directly or indirectly entitled to any sum or sums in the books of the Savings Bank above mentioned, save and except such benefit as I or he may be entitled to from such sum or Bums as may be standing in my name as a depositor, on my own account, or as trustee jointly with the name or names, and on behalf of any other depositor or depositors. Witness my hand, this day of 186 . Signed by the said trustee in the presence of me, 8. Deposits may be made by, or for the benefit of any person under twenty-one years of age, and repayment shall be made to such minor after the age of seven years in the same manner as if he were of full age. In case of minors under the age of seven years, the declaration must be made by one of the parents, or a friend on behalf of the minor. 9. Deposits may be made by married women, and deposits so made, or made by women who shall afterwards marry, will be repaid to any such woman, unless her husband shall give notice in writing of such marriage to the Postmaster-General, and shall require payment to be made to him. 10. The trustees of any Friendly Society, or of any charitable or provident Society, or Savings Bank, may deposit their funds, without restriction as to amount, in the Post Office Savings Bank, provided always that such deposits shall not be of less amount than one shilling, nor of any sum not a multiple thereof, and that a copy of the rules be forwarded by post to the Postmaster-General, with the names and addresses of the trustees, who will then be furnished with the necessary instructions. The following declaration must be made in cases of Friendly Societies : — Declaration by Trustee of a Friendly Society. Depositor's Book. Place No I, being the (Trustee, Treasurer, Steward, or Clerk) of the Friendly Society called the held at in the do hereby declare that I am desirous on behalf of the trustees of the said Society, of depositing in the Post Office Savings Bank the sum of £ and I further declare that the sum above stated is the exclusiveproperty of the said Society specified in this declaration, and arises from the contributions of the members of the said Societj'. (and from donations, if donations have been received). Witness my hand, this day of 186 . Signed in the presence of me, (Trustee, or Treasurer, or Steward, or Clerk) of the said Society. 11. Every depositor shall, once in each year, on the anniversary of the day on which he made his first deposit, forward his book to the principal office in the Province in a cover to be obtained at any Post Office Savings Bank, in order that the entries in the said book may be examined, and that the interest due to the depositor may be inserted in his book. 12. No charge for postage shall be made upon the depositors for the transmission of their books to the principal office in the Province, or for the return thereof to them, or for any applications they may have to make for acknowledgments of deposits, or for any application or necessary letter of inquiry respecting the sums deposited by them, or for the replies thereto. 13. Any depositor at the principal office in the Province can make withdrawals thereat without the necessity in all cases of making application in writing; but any depositor at a sub office of the Province, &c, wishing to withdraw the whole, or part of the sum deposited by him, must make application for the same to the Chief Postmaster of the Province, in the following form, a printed copy of which may be obtained at any Post Office Savings Bank: — Depositor's Book. Place No To the Chief Postmaster of the Province of (Date) day 186 . I iieeeby give notice that I wish to withdraw the sum of from my deposit account bearing the above number in the books of the Post Office Savings Bank, and I request that a warrant may be issued for the abovenanicd sum, and made payable to me at the Post Office. Signature ~) Address £of Depositor. Occupation ) In this form the depositor must specify the number of his book, the name of the office at which his first deposit was made, the sum he wishes to withdraw, his occupation and residence, and the Post Office at which he wishes to receive his money. By the same post, the Postmaster at whose office the warrant is made payable shall bo advised of the issue of the warrant. This warrant must be presented by the depositor at the Post Oflice named thereon, together with the depositor's book, in which the Postmaster shall enter the amount repaid, and attest the entry with his signature and the dated stamp of his office. The Postmaster shall in all cases take a receipt from the depositor for the amount repaid to him. Depositor's Eeceipt. I hebeby acknowledge the receipt of the sum of . (Stamp of paying Post Office.) £ : : (Signature of Depositor.) The Postmaster will endeavour to prevent fraud, and to identify every depositor transacting business with the Post Office Savings Bank ; but if any person shall fraudulently represent himself to be a depositor, and by forwarding a proper notice of withdrawal, and by presentation of the depositor's book, and compliance with the rules of the department, shall obtain any sum of money belonging to that depositor, the Postmaster will not be responsible for the loss thereof.

POST OEEICE SAVINGS BANKS.

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D.—No. 6.

A depositor who is about to remove from one Province to another, should give a written authority to the Chief Postmaster to transfer the balance of deposits standing to his credit to the office of the Chief Postmaster of the Province to which he is about to remove. The Postmaster will thereupon transmit a certificate to the Post Office Savings Bank to which the balance of deposits is to be transferred, and will at once close the depositor's account. The transaction will be indorsed on the back of the monthly account, and the depositor's written authority for tho transfer forwarded in support thereof. The authority for transfer shall be in the following form : — Notice to teansfeb Account. ' Depositor's Book. Place No To the Chief Postmaster of (lie Province of (Date) day of , 186 . I, tiie undersigned, do hereby authorize and direct, you to transfer on my account to tho Post Office Savings Bank at the sum of being the balance of deposits due to me. Witness my hand this day of 180 . The certificate of the amount due to the depositor, when received at the office of the Chief Postmaster, will be shown in an account to be opened with the said depositor. The transaction will also be indorsed on the back of the monthly account, and the certificate forwarded in support thereof. The certificate shall be in the following form : — Certificate of tbansfer of Account. Depositor's Book. Place No To the Chief Postmaster of the Province of It is hereby certified that the balance standing in tho books of the Post Office Savings Bank, to the credit of tho depositor, of , numbered as above, on the day of in the year 18 , amounts in the whole to tho sum of , and you are requested to place the same to the credit of the said depositor. (Signature of Postmaster) 14. Repayments shall be made only to the depositor in person, or to tho bearer of an order under his hand, signed in the presence of a Justice of the Peace, or, in case of sickness, of the Medical Attendant. If the depositor be resident abroad, his signature must be verified by some constituted authority of the place in which he resides. Printed form of order can be obtained at any Post Office Savings Bank. 15. Applications to withdraw money deposited by any Friendly, Charitable, or Provident Society, or Savings Bank, must be signed by two of the Trustees of any such Society or Savings Bank, or when there is no Trustee, then by the Treasurer ; and the names of tho Trustee or Treasurer, or other officer of tho Society authorized to receive tho amount to be withdrawn, shall be stated in the notice of withdrawal, and the warrant for payment of the amount shall be made out in tho name of such Trustee, Treasurer, or Officer, and tho receipt of such person apparently authorized shall bo a sufficient discharge for the same. 16. In case any depositor shall die leaving any sum of money not exceeding £20, inclusive of interest, deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, and Probate of his Will or Letters of Administration, be not produced to the Chief Postmaster of the Province, or if notice in writing of the existence of a will and intention to prove the same, or to take out Letters of Administration, be not given to the Chief Postmaster of the Province, at his chief office, within the period of one month from the death of the depositor ; or if such notice be given, but such will bo not proved or Letters of Administration be not taken out, and tho Probate or Letters of Administration (as the case may be) produced to the Chief Postmaster of the Province within tho period of two months from tho death of the depositor, it shall be lawful for the Postmaster-General, after such period of one or two months, as the case may be, to pay all just debts due or owing by such deceased depositor, and to defray the expenses of his funeral, so far as the said sum of money shall extend, and divide the surplus, if any, at his discretion, to or amongst the widow or relatives of tho deceased depositor, or any one or more of them ; or, if ho shall think proper, according to the Statute of Distributions. 17. In case any derjoaitor shall die leaving any sum of money in the Post Office Savings Bank which (inclusive of interest) shall exceed the sum of £20, the same shall only be paid to the Executor or Administrator on the production of the Probate of the Will or Letters of Administration of the estate or effects of the deceased depositor, to the Chief Postmaster of the Province. 18. If any depositor, being illegitimate, shall die intestate, leaving any person or persons who, but for the illegitimacy of such depositor, and of such person or persons, would be entitled to the money due to such deceased depositor, it shall be lawful for the Postmaster-General, with the authority in writing of the Attorney-General or Law Adviser of the Crown, to pay the money of such deceased depositor to any one or more of tho persons who in his opinion would have been entitled to the same according to the Statute of Distributions, if the said depositor and such person or persons had been legitimate. 19. If any depositor shall bocomo insane, or otherwise incapacitated to act, and the same shall be proved to tho satisfaction of tho Postmaster-General, and if tho Postmaster-General shall be satisfied of the urgency of the case, he may authorize payment from time to time, out of the funds of such depositor, to any person whom he shall judge proper, and the receipt of such person shall bo a good discharge for tho same. 20. If any dispute shall arise between the Postmaster-General and any individual depositor, or any executor, administrator, next of kin, or creditor, or assignee of a depositor who may become bankrupt or insolvent, or any person claiming to be such executor, administrator, next of kin, creditor or assignee, or to be entitled to any money deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank, then and in every such case the matter in dispute shall be referred to arbitration, as provided in " Savings Bank Act, 1858," one arbitrator to be chosen and appointed by the Postmaster-General, and the other by the party with whom the dispute arose. 21. When a depositor applies for payment of the balance of money deposited, and of interest, 2

D.—No. 6

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POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS.

and desires the account to be closed, the deposit book must bo given up. Should a new account be afterwards opened, it will be necessary that a new deposit book be issued, and that the other regulations should be strictly conformed to. 22. The officers of the Postmaster-General engaged in the receipt or payment of deposits shall not disclose the name of any depositor, nor the amount deposited or withdrawn by him, except to the Postmaster-General, or to such of his officers as may be appointed to assist in carrying out the provisions of the Post Office Savings Banks Act. 23. In the construction of these regulations, unless there is something in the subject or context repugnant thereto, every word importing the singular number only shall mean and include several persons or things, as well as one person or thing, and the converse; and every word importing the masculine gender only shall mean and include a female as well as a male ; and the word "month" shall refer to a calendar and not a lunar month. Approved this 29th day of October, 1866, pursuant to " Post Office Savings Bank Act, 1865." "William Eitzhebbeet, Colonial Treasurer. Wellington, 29th October, 18G6. John Hall, Postmaster-General.