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duras, British New Guinea, British N. Borneo, Caicos Islands, Canada, Ceylon, Cyprus, Egypt, Falkland Islands, Fed. Malay States, Gambia, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Johore, Labuan, Leeward Islands, Malta, Mauritius, Natal, Newfoundland, Orange River Colony, St. Helena, Sarawak, Sierra Leone, South Sea Islands, Southern Nigeria, Straits Settlements, Transvaal, Trinidad, Turks Islands, Zanzibar. Newspapers for Australia and British New Guinea exceeding 20 oz. in weight for each copy are still liable to an additional -Jd. for each 10 oz. over 20 oz. The United Kingdom also continues to accept New Zealand newspapers prepaid Id. each, irrespective of weight, subject to certain conditions. Post-office Inspection. During the year the four Assistant Inspectors of post-offices visited and inspected 1,535 offices, and travelled 80,046 miles. In addition to this they also acted as relieving Chief Postmasters in several districts. Offences. A sea captain was prosecuted and fined 10s., with £1 Bs. costs, for failing to give notice of the intended sailing of his vessel, as required by sections 39 and 40 of " The Post Office Act, 1900." A letter-carrier was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for unlawfully detaining postal matter, &c. A Maori who forcibly took illegal possession of a letter, and on being remonstrated with violently assaulted a Postmaster, was convicted and bound to keep the peace. He was also ordered to pay costs, or in default to be imprisoned for two months with hard labour. For forgery of a receipt for £26 3s. 6d. withdrawn from a Savings-Bank account, a young man at Wellington was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, to be concurrent with a term which he was then serving. The presiding Justice in giving sentence took occasion to denounce in strong terms the prevalent gambling mania which in that instance had been responsible for the crime. A man obtained wrongful possession of a letter, addressed to another person, containing a money-order, and exchanged the order for, cash from a third person. He was prosecuted, and failing to pay a fine which was inflicted was imprisoned for one month. A person who was found guilty of sending a false telegram by which he fraudulently obtained a sum of money, and of forgery of the receipt on a money-order telegram, was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for the first offence and two years for the second, the sentences to be concurrent. At Wellington a man was charged with having " fraudulently stated that he had posted a packet containing money, which he had not done," an empty envelope only having been posted. The suspicion laid upon Postal officers by such fraudulent action was regarded as casting a serious aspect on the case, as against which the Judge ruled that "a false statement did not mean an attempt to defraud." His Honour said the point to be considered by the jury was " whether the prisoner, when he made the false statement to the detective, intended to deceive the Post Office people into believing that the amount had been posted, and whether he intended to deceive the addressee by his act." The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and the accused was admitted to probation for twelve months. His Honour was of opinion "that the offence lay; but it might be that argument before the Court of Appeal would show that no offence had been committed, and if it could be established that a man could make a statement reflecting upon the honesty of our Post Office officials without creating a breach of the law, it might be well to make an alteration in the law. An officer was charged in five indictments with the theft of postal packets and the misappropriation of moneys. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to one year's imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent. There have been prosecutions of persons who have posted post-cards considered to be of an indecent and immoral nature, with the result in one instance that a fine of £3 and costs was inflicted. Strict measures are taken to intercept in the post obscene cards, but the evil effect of such articles being circulated cannot be overcome while the cards are imported and sold in the colony. , New Postage-stamps, etc. The former plates from which the Id. postage-stamp was printed having become worn, new plates were brought into use in January last. The design of the Id. and 2d. postage-due stamps is now the same as that for the -|d. value— viz., green with red centre. Post-cards. During the year arrangements have been made whereby pictorial post-cards bearing communications on the left-hand half of the address side may be sent to the following countries: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Dahomey, Danish West Indies, Denmark, Egypt, Erithrea, France, French Congo, French Guiana, French Guinea, French Indo-China, Germany, Hayti, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, India (French), Italy, Ivory Coast, Luxemburg, Macao, Madagascar, Martinique, Mexico, Montenegro, New Caledonia, Norway, Portugal, Portuguese East Africa, Portuguese India, Portuguese Timor, Portuguese West Africa, Reunion, Roumania, Russia, Senegambia, Sia.m, Society Islands, Somaliland (French), Somaliland (Italian), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Tunis, Tripoli (Africa), Italian Agencies at Tripoli and

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