Page 40 - Jamaica PO Guide 1952

OVERSEAS POS'l' 41

A:ny packet which ha.s been lost through a cause beyond control, generally speaking
where no question of negligence arises. No compensation will be paid for any loss due
to the act of the King's enemies.; ·
Any packet which the Post Office cannot account for in consequence of the lo~s of
official documents through a cause beyond cont.rol;
A:ny packet containing a prohibited article; and
Any packet in respect of which a claim is not made within a year of the date of posting.
Subject to the sarue conditions, which are prescribed by the Postal Union Convention,
the postal administrations of all countries included in the Postal Union accept responsi-
bility in respect of registered letters or packets lost whilst in their custody.
Under international regulations, compensation is not paid for the loss or damage
of the contents of a registered packet as distinct from the loss of the entire packet and
if it is desired to obtain compensation in the case of damage or loss of the contents of
a letter, or to provide for a higher maximum than £2 18/-, the insurance service should
be used.
The Postmaster General is not legally liable either personally or in his official capacity
to pay compensation in respect of any packet for which a registration fee has been paid.
The final decision upon the question of payment rests with the postal administration
of the country in which the loss has taken place.

INSURANCE
General Information
The insurance service is not universal, but it extends to most countries. The maximum
which can be covered is £400, but in some countries lower limits are in force, as indicated
in the letter and parcel post summary on pages 53 to 101.
The service is governed by international regulations which prescribe the manner in
which insured packets must be made up, addressed, sealed and so on; and it is essential
that these regulations should be complied wit.h in order to avoid disputes about claims
or delays in transmission.
Any insurance effected contrary to the following regulations is invalid.
Two kinds of packets are recognised in the insurance service: insured letters and
insured parcels. A letter or parcel intended for insurance must be presented at the
counter of a post office.
Insured letters may not be sent by air mail.
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.
Certificate of Posting
The certificate of posting which is given for an insured packet shows the amount for
which the letter or parcel is insured, and the sender should see that the amount is correctly
stated.

Seals
All seals on an insured letter or parcel must be of the same kind of wax (or lead or
steel in the case of parcels.), 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 curve 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 prescribed conditions as to packing and sealing,
it is his duty to refuse to insure it. Nevertheless, the onus of properly enclosing, packing
and sealing the packet lies upon the sender; and the Post Office assumes no liability for
loss arising from defects which may not be observed at the time of posting.

Insured Value
The amount for which an article is insured must l.Je written in ink 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). In the case of a parcel, the amount must also be entered in
the appropriate space on the despatch note, if one is used. No alteration or erasure
of the inscription on the letter or parcel or on the despatch note is allowed. If the
amount is entered on the despatch note in the wrong place, a fresh despatch note must be
prepared.