S.I. No. 253/1965:

FOREIGN POST AMENDMENT (NO. 8) WARRANT, 1965.

FOREIGN POST AMENDMENT (NO. 8) WARRANT, 1965.

I, JOHN LYNCH, Minister for Finance, on the representation of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs as testified by his official seal affixed hereto, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 2, 4, 12 and 82 of the Post Office Act, 1908, hereby order as follows :--

1.--(1) This Warrant may be cited as the Foreign Post Amendment (No. 8) Warrant, 1965.

(2) This Warrant shall come into operation on the 1st day of January, 1966.

2. The Interpretation Act, 1937 (No. 38 of 1937), applies to this Warrant.

3. In this Warrant--

"the Principal Warrant" means the Foreign Post Warrant, 1949 ( S.I. No. 267 of 1949 ) ;

"the Warrant of 1959" means the Foreign Post Amendment (No. 6) Warrant, 1959 ( S.I. No. 47 of 1959 ) ;

"the Warrant of 1964" means the Foreign Post Amendment (No. 7) Warrant, 1964 ( S.I. No. 123 of 1964 ).

4. Regulation 3 of the Principal Warrant shall be amended as follows :

(a) Paragraph (4) is hereby revoked ;

(b) Paragraph (15), as amended by Regulation 7 of the Warrant of 1959 and Regulation 4 of the Warrant of 1964, is hereby amended by the deletion of "commercial packet," ;

(c) the following paragraph is hereby substituted for paragraph (17):

Printed packet.

"(17) The expression 'printed packet' means a packet consisting of or containing one or more than one reproduction on paper, cardboard or other material commonly used in printing and produced in two or more identical copies by means of a mechanical or photographic process involving the use of a block, stencil or negative, provided that in case the packet contains two or more such reproductions, the reproductions bear neither the names nor the addresses of different senders or addressees. In addition the said expression includes--

(a) letter post items exchanged between pupils of schools, provided that the items are sent by the authorities of one of the schools concerned ;

(b) pupils' exercises in the original, or with corrections, but without any note other than a note which relates directly to the performance of the exercise ;

(c) author's manuscripts ;

(d) musical scores or sheets of music in manuscript ;

(e) cards bearing the title 'postcard' or the equivalent of this title in any language provided that they satisfy the general conditions applicable to printed packets contained in this Warrant." ; and

(d) the following paragraph is hereby substituted for paragraph (20) ;

Sample packet.

"(20) The expression 'sample packet' means a packet containing a specimen or a fragment of merchandise which is sent free of charge to advertise it and enable it to be assessed by prospective buyers, and which is not intended for exchange with a third person for payment. In addition the said expression includes tubes of serum and vaccine and medicines which are shown to the Minister's satisfaction to be urgently required and difficult to obtain, provided the said articles (except those sent in the public interest by officially recognised laboratories or institutions) are not sent for a commercial purpose".

5. The following Regulation is hereby substituted for Regulation 7 of the Principal Warrant ;

Printed packets and sample packets.

"7. Except as otherwise provided in this Warrant, there shall be charged and paid on--

(a) every outgoing printed packet the rate of postage specified in respect thereof in the First Schedule to this Warrant ;

(b) on every outgoing sample packet the rate of postage specified in respect thereof in the said First Schedule".

6. The following Regulation is hereby substituted for Regulation 12 of the Principal Warrant :

"12. Articles transmissible in printed packets and sample packets respectively (not being literature for the blind), or packets to which the Foreign Post Amendment (No. 5) Warrant, 1957 ( S.I. No. 58 of 1957 ), as amended, applies, may be enclosed in a single postal packet subject to the following conditions :

(a) each article shall not exceed the weight and dimensions which would be applicable thereto under the First Schedule to this Warrant if the article were--

(i) in case the article is transmissible in a sample packet--sent as a sample packet,

(ii) in any other case--sent as a printed packet,

(b) the total weight of the packet shall not exceed the limit specified in the First Schedule to this Warrant in respect of printed packets,

(c) the minimum rate of postage on the packet shall be the mimimum rate in force for sample packets to which the provisions of this Warrant apply.

(d) in case the postal packet contains articles normally transmissible in packets to which the Foreign Post Amendment (No. 5) Warrant, 1957, as amended, applies, the rate of postage shall, subject to subparagraph (c) of this Regulation, be the rate in force for printed packets to which the provisions of this Warrant apply".

7. Subparagraph (b) of paragraph (4) of Regulation 15 of the Principal Warrant is hereby revoked.

8. Regulation 21 of the Principal Warrant shall be amended as follows :

(a) "an amount calculated in accordance with paragraph (4) of this Regulation" is hereby substituted for "double the amount of the deficient postage" in paragraph (1), in paragraph (2) and in paragraph (3) ;

(b) in paragraph (2) "commercial packet," is hereby deleted ;

(c) in paragraph (3) "commercial packet", is hereby deleted ; and

(d) in paragraph (4)--

(i) "be an amount equal to--

(a) in the case of an outgoing postal packet--double the amount of the deficient postage,

(b) in the case of an incoming postal packet--the minimum rate in force in the State for outgoing letters to which the provisions of this Warrant apply multiplied by the fraction of which the numerator equals double the amount of the deficient postage and the denominator equals the minimum letter rate for outgoing letters to the State in force in the country in which the packet was posted,

provided that the charge shall"

is hereby inserted before "not", and

(ii) "three pence" is hereby substituted for "one penny".

9. Paragraph (2) of Regulation 23 of the Principal Warrant is hereby amended by the substitution of "illustrated postcards" for "postcards" where that word firstly occurs.

10. The following Regulation is hereby substituted for Regulation 25 of the Principal Warrant (inserted by Regulation 6 of the Warrant of 1964) :

SPECIAL CONDITIONS AS TO PRINTED PACKETS, SAMPLE PACKETS, SMALL PACKETS, AND PACKETS CONSISTING OF LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND.

Condition of posting.

"25. Every printed packet, sample packet, small packet and packet consisting of literature for the blind, shall be subject to examination in the post, and, subject to the provisions of this Warrant, shall not contain anything sealed or otherwise closed against inspection, or contain or bear anything in the nature of a current and personal correspondence."

11. Regulation 26 of the Principal Warrant is hereby revoked.

12. The following Regulation is hereby substituted for Regulation 27 of the Principal Warrant :

Rules for printed packets.

"27.--(1) No printed packet shall contain films, sound recordings, stationery, postage stamps or forms indicating prepayment whether obliterated or not, papers representing monetary value, papers obtained by means of a typewriter of any type, copies obtained by means of handwriting, tracing, heliography, or typewriting on any type of machine, or by means of stamps, with or without movable type, or printed papers of which the text has been modified after printing or which bear any marks whatever of such kind as to constitute a conventional language.

Provided that by way of exception and subject to paragraph (2) of this Regulation, it shall be allowed :

(a) Outside or inside a printed packet--

(i) to indicate by any process the name, occupation, profession or firm and the address of the sender or the addressee, as well as the place and date of despatch, the signature, telephone number, telex exchange and number, telegraphic address and code, and postal cheque or banking account of the sender, and also a serial or identity number referring solely to the packet.

(ii) to correct errors in printing,

(iii) to delete, mark or underline certain words or certain parts of a printed text :

(b) To indicate or add by any process--

(i) in advices of departure and arrivals of ships and aircraft--the dates and times of departures and arrivals, as well as the names of the ships and aircraft and the ports of departure, call and arrival,

(ii) in travellers' advices--the name of the traveller, the date, time and place of his intended visit, and the address at which he is staying,

(iii) in forms of order, subscription or tender for publications, newspapers, engravings, or pieces of music--the works and the number of copies required or offered, the price and notes representing the essential elements of the price, the method of payment, the edition, the names of the authors and publishers, the catalogue number and the words "paper covers", "stiff covers" or "bound",

(iv) in forms used by lending library services--the titles of works, the number of copies required or sent, the names of authors and publishers, the catalogue numbers, the number of days allowed for reading and the name of the person desiring to consult the work,

(v) on illustrated printed cards, on printed visiting cards, and on printed cards expressing felicitations or condolences--conventional formulas of courtesy expressed in either five words or five initials at the most,

(vi) in proofs of printing--alterations and additions concerned with corrections, form and printing, and also notes such as "Passed for press", "Read-Passed for press", or any similar note concerned with the execution of the work. (In case of want of space these additions may be made on separate sheets. The "copy" may also be enclosed.),

(vii) in price lists, tenders for advertisements, stock and share lists, market quotations, trade circulars, and prospectuses--figures and any other notes representing essential elements of a price,

(viii) on printed literary and artistic productions--a dedication consisting of a simple conventional expression of regard,

(ix) on cuttings from newspapers and periodicals--the title, date, number and address of the publication from which the article is extracted,

(x) on change of address notices--the new address of the sender and the date on which the change takes effect, or the old address and the date on which the change was made ;

(c) to enclose a card, envelope, or wrapper bearing the printed name and address of the sender of the packet and prepaid for return by means of postage stamps of the country to which the packet is addressed ;

(d) to enclose with literary or artistic printed works the relevant open invoice reduced to its essential elements together with a deposit note bearing the printed particulars of a current postal account or an international money order form of the country to which the packet is addressed, on which it shall also be permissible, after it has been agreed by the Postal Administrations concerned, to show the amount to be paid and the address of the beneficiary of the money order,

(e) to enclose with fashion papers a cut-out pattern provided the instructions in respect of the pattern appear on and form an integral part of the copy of the paper with which the pattern is sent.

(2) Every addition or correction mentioned in subparagraph (a) of paragraph (1) of this Regulation shall have a direct bearing on the content of the relevant reproduction and shall not be of such a nature as to constitute a conventional language.

(3) No printed packet sent in the form of an unenclosed card shall be forwarded or delivered by post unless it complies with the requirements of Regulation 23 of this Warrant relating to the size and make-up of postcards".

13. Regulation 28 of the Principal Warrant shall be amended as follows :

(a) the following paragraphs are hereby substituted for paragraph (1) :

Rules as to sample packets.

" (1) No sample packet shall contain postage stamps or forms indicating prepayment whether obliterated or not, or papers representing monetary value.

(1A) The words 'Free specimen' or 'Free sample' (or their equivalent in another language) shall be indelibly marked on the article contained in a sample packet, or on the packing, if it is inseparable from the article, and also on the address on the packet. The Minister may, in his discretion, require that the article contained in a sample packet shall be defaced in a way such that it can no longer be offered for sale." ; and

(b) the following paragraph is hereby substituted for paragraph (5) :

"(5) It shall be permissible to show on the outside or on the inside of a sample packet and, in the latter case, on the sample itself or on a special sheet, the address of the sender or the addressee, any abbreviation, contraction or other identification in use in commerce, a manufacturer's or trade mark, a reference to a correspondence exchanged between the sender and the addressee, a short note referring to the manufacturer, the person supplying the goods or the person for whom the sample is intended, as well as serial or registration numbers, prices and any other note giving essential elements of a price, particulars relating to the weight volume and size, the quantity available or such particulars as are necessary to determine the source and the character of the goods."

14. Regulation 38 of the Principal Warrant shall be amended as follows :

(a) The following paragraphs are hereby substituted for paragraph (2) :

"(2) Every re-directed postal packet upon which the postage chargeable for its first transmission is fully prepaid shall, if, but only if, the postage so prepaid is less than the postage chargeable if the packet had been originally addressed to the new destination, be chargeable on delivery with an amount equal to the minimum rate in force in the State for outgoing letters to which the provisions of this Warrant apply multiplied by the fraction of which the numerator equals the amount of the deficient postage and the denominator equals the minimum letter rate for outgoing letters to the State in force in the country in which the packet was posted.

(2A) Every re-directed postal packet upon which no part or part only of the postage chargeable for its first transmission is prepaid shall be chargeable on delivery with an amount equal to the minimum rate mentioned in paragraph (4) of Regulation 21 of this Warrant multiplied by the fraction mentioned in the said paragraph."; and

(b) the following paragraph is hereby inserted after paragraph (3) :

"(4) In this Regulation the expression "first transmission" indicates transmission to an address within the country in which the packet was posted."

15. Paragraph (2) of Regulation 42 of the Principal Warrant is hereby amended by the substitution for "with the deficient postage only" of the following :

"(a) in case the packet is an outgoing packet--the deficient postage only,

(b) in case the packet is an incoming packet--an amount equal to the minimum rate mentioned in paragraph (2A) of Regulation 38 of this Warrant multiplied by the fraction mentioned in the said paragraph".

16. The entries in the Schedule to this Warrant are hereby substituted for the entries in the First Schedule to the Principal Warrant (inserted therein by Regulation 11 of the Warrant of 1964).

SCHEDULE.

SCHEDULE--continued

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 16th day of December, 1965.

JOHN LYNCH.

The Official Seal of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs is affixed this 16th day of December, 1965.

JOSEPH BRENNAN.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Warrant, which comes into operation on 1st January, 1966, gives effect to changes in the foreign post consequent upon the Universal Postal Convention of Vienna, 1964.

The principal changes are

(i) reductions in the ordinary rates for letters and postcards--the rates for letters are reduced from 8d. to 7d. for the first oz. and from 5d. to 4d. for each additional oz. ; the rate for a single postcard is reduced from 5d. to 4d. and for a reply postcard from 10d. to 8d. ;

(ii) changes in the regulations governing the classification of foreign second class mail including the abolition of the category of "commercial packet" ;

(iii) increase from 1d. to 3d. in the minimum surcharge payable on an unpaid or insufficiently paid postal packet and alteration in the method of calculation of the surcharge; also alteration in the method of calculation of the charge payable on an unpaid or insufficiently paid redirected packet.