Page 45 - Jamaica Post Office Guide 1938

50 OVERSEA m a i l s : p a r c e l p o s t .

In the case of a long envelope with a seam down the centre, the seam should be
secured with seals placed not more than three inches apart.
A letter which, although addressed to a country or place to which the insurance
system does not extend, has been irregularly insured, will be returned to the sender.
Insured letters cannot be sent by all the routes available for ordinary letters, and
therefore, may occupy a longer time in transit.
Insured articles have all the safeguards of the registration system; and, subject to the
following regulations, compensation will be paid if an insured article or any part of its
contents is lost or damaged in the post.
An insured article may not be addressed to initials or in pencil.
It may not bear any erasure or correction in the address at the time of posting.
A certificate of posting must always be obtained by the sender. Particulars of the
amount for which the letter has been insured should be entered on the certificate and
the sender should at once satisfy himself that the entry is correct. He may obtain an
advice of the delivery of an insured letter under the conditions shown at page 46.
All the seals on the insured letter must be of the same kind of wax, and must bear
distinct impressions of the same private device, A coin may not be used for sealing; -
and the device may not consist merely of straight, crossed, or curved lines which could
readily be imitated.
If an article tendered for insurance does not, in the opinion of the officer of the Post
Office to whom it is tendered, fulfil the foregoing conditions as to packing and sealing, it
is his duty to refuse to insure it. Nevertheless, the onus of properlyenclosing, packing, I
and sealing the packet lies upon the sender; and the Post Qffi e assumes no liability for loss
arising from defects which may not be observed at the time of posting.
The amount for which an article is insured must be written by the sender both in
words and in figures, at the top of the address side of the cover, thus:—“ Insured for
fifteen pounds (£15).” No alteration or erasure of the inscription on the letter is
allowed.
No letter can be insured for more than the actual value of the contents and the pack-j
ing or for more than the sum entered in the Table of Bates (pp. 62-72) agiinst the name
of the Country or Colony to which it is addressed; but it may be insured for part of its
value. An injured letter containing documents of value on account of the cost of their
preparation (e.g., plans, estimates, contracts, etc.), may not be insured for an amount
exceeding the cost of replacing them in case of loss. Over-Insurance is an obstacle to
compensation.
The sums payable for insurance, including registration, are as follows:—

Pee. Limit of Fee Limit of Fee. Limit of
Compensation. Compensation. Compensation.
s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £
0 7 12 5 7 156 10 2 288
1 0 24 6 0 168 10 7 300
1 5 36 6 5 180 li 0 312
1 10 48 6 10 192 li 5 324
2 3 60 7 3 204 li 10 336
2 8 72 7 8 216 12 3 348
3 1 84 8 1 228 12 8 360
3 6 96 8 6 240 13 1 372
3 11 108 8 11 252 13 6 384
4 4 120 9 4 264 13 11 396
4 9 132 9 9 276 14 4 400
5 2 144
Legal liability to give compensation in respect of any letter for which an insurance
fee has been paid will not attach to the Postmaster for Jamaica either personally, or in
his official capacity. The final decision upon all questions of compensation rests with the
postal administration of the country in which the loss has taken place.