51

F.—l

XXII.— Undelivered Correspondence. 1. Corespondence of all kinds which is not delivered, from whatever cause, must be returned as soon as possible after the period for keeping it required by the regulations of the country of destination, and at latest at the expiration of six months in relations with countries beyond sea, and at the expiration of two months in other relations, through the medium of the respective offices of exchange, and in a special bundle labelled " Bebuts," and bearing indication of the country where the correspondence originated. The periods of two months and six months count from the end of the month in which the correspondence has reached the office of destination. 2. Nevertheless, undelivered registered correspondence is returned to the office of exchange of the country of origin, as if it were registered correspondence addressed to that country, except that opposite the nominal entry in Table No. 1 of the letter-bill, or in the separate list, the word " Bebuts " is entered in the column of observations by the returning office. 3. As an exception, two corresponding offices may, by mutual consent, adopt a different mode of returning undelivered correspondence, and may also dispense with the reciprocal return of certain printed papers considered as destitute of value. 4. Before returning to the office of origin correspondence which for any reason has not been delivered, the office of destination must indicate in a clear and concise manner in the French language, on the back of such articles, the cause of the non-delivery in the following form : " Not known" (" inconnu"), "refused" {"refuse"), "gone away" ("parti"), "not claimed" (" non reclame"), "deceased" (" decide"), &c. This indication is furnished by the application of a stamp or by affixing a label. Bach office has the option of adding a translation, in its own language, of the cause of non-delivery, and any other useful particulars. XXlll.— Statistics of Transit Charges. 1. The statistics to be taken once every three years, in execution of Articles IV. and XVII. of the Convention, for the settlement of transit charges within the Union and outside the limits of the Union, are prepared according to the stipulations of the following Articles, during the first twentyeight days of the month of May or of November alternately of the second year in each triennial period, to take effect retrospectively from the first year. 2. The statistics of November, 1892, will apply to the years 1892,1893, and 1894 ; the statistics of May, 1896, will apply to the years 1895, 1896, and 1897 ; and so on. 3. If during the period to which the statistics apply a country having important relations should enter the Union, the countries of the Union whose situation with regard to the payment of transit dues might be modified in consequence of this circumstance have the option of demanding special statistics relating exclusively to the country which has lately entered. 4. The charges falling upon the despatching office under the head of territorial transit and sea conveyance are fixed invariably in accordance with the statistics for the whole period which they embrace, except in the case contemplated in the preceding paragraph. But when an important modification takes place in the flow of correspondence, and provided that that modification affects a period of six months at least, the intermediate offices come to an understanding for settling among themselves the division of those charges in proportion to the part taken by the said offices in the conveyance of the correspondence to which the charges relate. XXlV.— Correspondence a decouvert. 1. The office serving as the medium for the transmission of correspondence exchanged a decouvert, either between two countries of the Union or between a country of the Union and a country foreign to it, prepares beforehand, for each of its correspondents of the Union, a table according to the pattern B annexed to the present regulations, in which it indicates, distinguishing, if needful, the different routes of transmission, the rates of payment by weight due to it for the conveyance within the Union of the two categories of correspondence by means of the services at its disposal, as well of the rates of payment by weight to be allowed by the office itself to any other offices of the Union for the further conveyance of the said correspondence within the Union. If necessary, it communicates in due time with the offices of the countries to be traversed as to the route which the correspondence should take, and as to the rates.to be paid upon it. 2. When several routes, each involving different transit charges applicable to the routes which the intermediate offices use, are available for the transmission of correspondence to one and the same country, the despatching office pays the intermediate office according to a single rate based upon the average of the several transit rates. 3. A copy of the Table E is forwarded by the said office to the corresponding office interested, and serves as the basis of a special account to be established between them with reference to the intermediate conveyance of the correspondence in question. This account is prepared by the office which receives the correspondence, and is submitted to the examination of the despatching office. 4. The despatching office prepares, according to the particulars given in the form E furnished by its correspondent, tables in comformity with the pattern F hereto annexed, intended to show, for each mail, the charges for intermediate conveyance of the correspondence, without distinction of origin, sent in the mail for transmission by the medium of said corresponding office. With this view the despatching office of exchange enters in a Table F, which it sends with its despatch, the total weight, according to its nature, of the correspondence of this class, which it delivers a decouvert to the corresponding office of exchange ; and the latter, after verification, accepts such*, correspondence, and sends it to its destination, mixed with its own correspondence in respect of which the charges (if any) for further conveyance are the same. If required by the offices concerned, it is necessary to distinguish on the Table F the origin of