[Sidenote: Erroneous orders.]

Money orders which, in consequence of misapprehension of the name of the remitter or place of payment have been erroneously made out, can be returned to the postmaster, and a correct order given in exchange; a new commission, however, will be charged on the corrected order.

[Sidenote: Repayment of orders at issuing office.]

Parties obtaining money orders on Canadian offices can procure repayment thereof on presentation of the orders at the office at which issued, signing the receipt at the foot. No order, however, can be repaid without the authority of the superintendent, unless presented for repayment on the day on which it is issued. Neither can orders on the United Kingdom be repaid without his special authority.

[Sidenote: Orders on United Kingdom can be paid through a bank.]

When a remitter desires an order on the United Kingdom to be paid through a bank, it is left to his option to give or withhold the name of the payee, or to subst.i.tute for the name of the payee any other designation or modification, such as "the Cashier of the Bank of England," "the Chief Clerk of the Foreign Office." Such orders must, however, be crossed by the issuing postmaster with the name of bank through which the order is to be paid.

[Sidenote: No credit allowed.]

The issue of money orders on credit, or for cheques not marked "good" by the bank drawn upon, is strictly prohibited.

If a payee is unable to write, he must sign the receipt at the foot of the order, in the presence of the paying postmaster, by making his mark, to be witnessed in writing; as, for example:-- His Witness,--John Kenny, Joseph X Allen.

Queen Street, Toronto. Mark.

[Sidenote: Order of payee in favor of second person.]

In cases of money orders issued in Canada, postmasters are at liberty to accept the written order of the payee on the order itself in favour of a second person, if through illness or insuperable difficulty the payee is prevented from presenting the order in person.

[Sidenote: Lost orders.]

When a Canadian money order has been lost, either by the remitter or payee, the circ.u.mstance must be made known to the superintendent, who, under certain precautions, will issue a duplicate.

[Sidenote: Duplicates of British orders.]

Duplicates of sterling orders can only be granted by the paying country.

Thus the British post office issues duplicates of orders drawn in Canada on the United Kingdom, and the Canadian Head Money Order Office grants duplicates of orders drawn in the United Kingdom on Canada.

[Sidenote: Lapsed orders.]

Money orders which are not presented until one full year after their date are considered as lapsed orders, and cannot be paid without the special permission of the superintendent. In all such cases satisfactory reasons should be given explanatory of the delay in the presentation of the order.

[Sidenote: Orders on Canada issued in Malta and Gibraltar.]

The Deputy Postmasters General of Malta and Gibraltar are authorized to issue money orders on the several money order offices in Canada. Money order offices in Canada do not, however, grant money orders on Malta and Gibraltar.

GENERAL REGULATIONS.[Sidenote: Exemption from juries, inquests, and militia.]Postmasters and certain other officers of the department are exempt from serving on juries or inquests, or in the militia. This exemption applies to mail carriers, but not to a.s.sistants appointed and paid by postmasters.[Sidenote: Officers prohibited from voting.]The postmasters of Quebec, Montreal, Three Rivers, and Sherbrooke, and the postmasters of incorporated cities and towns in Upper Canada, divided into wards, and other officers of the Post Office Department, excepting Postmasters at other than the above places, cannot legally vote at the election of any member of the Legislative Council or of the Legislative a.s.sembly.[Sidenote: No credit allowed.]Postmasters are not authorized to give credit for postage, if they do so it is entirely at their own risk.[Sidenote: Return of letter to sender not allowed.]A letter once posted becomes the property of the person to whom it is addressed, and must be forwarded according to its direction. On no application, however urgent, can it be delivered back to the writer, or to any other person.[Sidenote: Letters addressed to firms, &c.]A letter addressed to a firm may be delivered to any member of the firm.If addressed to several persons it may be delivered to any one of them.[Sidenote: Letters delivered to wrong parties.]A letter delivered to the wrong person in consequence of his name being the same as the one of the person for whom the letter is really intended, should be at once returned to the postmaster from whom received, the party writing on the cover "opened by me through mistake,"and signing his name thereto.[Sidenote: Letters posted without proper direction or prepayment.]Letters posted without any direction, or addressed so imperfectly that they cannot be forwarded to their intended destinations, and also unpaid or insufficiently paid letters addressed to countries to which letters cannot be sent without the postage is pre-paid, are returned to the writers through the Dead Letter Office.[Sidenote: Information not to be given.]No information can be given respecting letters which pa.s.s through a post office except to the persons to whom they are addressed.[Sidenote: Redirection of letters.]