JANUARY 15, 1907. Parcel Post Agreement between the United States of America and the The Postmaster-General of the United States of America and the Postmaster of the British Colony of Bermuda, being desirous of establishing a regular direct exchange of parcels between the United States of America and Bermuda, have agreed, on behalf of their respective Governments, to the following Articles: ARTICLE I. The provisions of this Agreement relate only to parcels of mail matter to be exchanged by the system herein provided for, and do not affect the arrangements now existing under the Universal Postal Union Convention, which will continue as heretofore; and all the agreements hereinafter contained apply exclusively to mails exchanged under these Articles. ARTICLE II. the mails. 1. There shall be admitted to the mails exchanged under this Agree-Articles admitted to ment articles of merchandise and mail matter-except letters, postcards, and written matter-of all kinds, that are admitted under any conditions to the domestic mails of the country of origin, except that no packet may exceed 11 pounds (or 5 kilograms) in weight, nor the following dimensions: Greatest length in any direction, three feet six inches; greatest length and girth combined, six feet; and must be so wrapped or inclosed as to permit their contents to be easily examined by postmasters and customs officers; and except that the following articles are prohibited admission to the mails exchanged under this Agreement: Publications which violate the copyright laws of the country of Articles prohibited. destination; poisons, and explosive or inflammable substances; fatty substances, liquids and those which easily liquefy, confections and pastes; live or dead animals, except dead insects and reptiles when thoroughly dried; fruits and vegetables which easily decompose, and substances which exhale a bad odour; lottery tickets, lottery advertisements, or lottery circulars; all obscene or immoral articles; articles which may in any way damage or destroy the mails or injure the persons handling them. 2. All admissible articles of merchandise mailed in one country for the other, or received in one country from the other, shall be free from any detention or inspection whatever, except such as is required for collection of customs duties, and shall be forwarded by the most speedy means to their destination, being subject in their transmission to the laws and regulations of each conntry, respectively. ARTICLE III. Freedom from inspection. Letters, etc., not to 1. A letter or communication of the nature of personal correspond- accompany parcel. ence must not accompany, be written on, or inclosed with any parcel. VOL XXXIV, PT 3-10 Rejection. Address. Rates of postage. Delivery. Receipt. Post, p. 2987. Registry. Return receipt. Notice to addressee. Customs declara tion. Post, p. 2987. Collection of duties. 2. If such be found, the letter will be placed in the mails if separable, and if the communication be inseparably attached the whole package will be rejected. If, however, any such should inadvertently be forwarded, the country of destination will collect upon the letter or letters double rates of postage, according to the Universal Postal Union Convention. 3. No parcel may contain packages intended for delivery at an address other than that borne by the parcel itself. If such inclosed packages be detected, they must be sent forward singly, charged with new and distinct parcel-post rates. ARTICLE IV. 1. The following rates of postage shall in all cases be required to be fully prepaid with postage stamps of the country of origin, viz. : 2. In the United States, for a parcel not exceeding one pound in weight, 12 cents; and for each additional pound, or fraction of a pound, 12 cents. 3. In Bermuda, for a parcel not exceeding one pound in weight, sixpence; and for each additional pound, or fraction of a pound, sixpence. 4. The parcels shall be promptly delivered to addressees at the postoffices of address in the country of destination free of charge for postage; but the country of destination may, at its option, levy and collect from the addressee for interior service and delivery a charge the amount of which is to be fixed according to its own regulations, but which shall in no case exceed 5 cents or two and one-half pence for each parcel, whatever its weight. ARTICLE V. 1 The sender will, at the time of mailing the package, receive a certificate of mailing from the post-office where the package is mailed on a form like Form 1 annexed hereto. 2. The sender of a package may have the same registered in accordance with the regulations of the country of origin. 3. An acknowledgment of the delivery of a registered article shall be returned to the sender when requested; but either country may require of the sender prepayment of a fee therefor not exceeding five cents or two and one-half pence. 4. The addressees of registered articles shall be advised of the arrival of a package addressed to them by a notice from the post-office of destination. ARTICLE VI. 1. The sender of each parcel shall make a customs declaration, pasted upon or attached to the package, upon a special form provided for the purpose (see Form 2 annexed hereto), giving a general description of the parcel, an accurate statement of its contents and value, date of mailing, and the sender's signature and place of residence and place of address. 2. The parcels in question shall be subject in the country of destination to all customs duties and all customs regulations in force in that country, for the protection of its customs revenues; and the customs duties properly chargeable thereon shall be collected on delivery in accordance with the customs regulations of the country of destination. ARTICLE VII. Fees to be retained. Each country shall retain to its own use the whole of the postages, registration and delivery fees, it collects on said parcels; consequently, this Convention will give rise to no separate accounts between the two countries. ARTICLE VIII. JANUARY 15, 1907. 1. The parcels shall be considered as a component part of the mails Transportation. exchanged direct between the United States and Bermuda, to be despatched to destination by the country of origin at its cost and by such means as it provides; but must be forwarded at the option of the despatching office, either in boxes prepared expressly for the purpose or in ordinary mail sacks, marked "parcels-post," and securely sealed with wax, or otherwise, as may be mutually provided by regulations hereunder. 2. Each country shall promptly return empty to the despatching Return of bags, etc. office by next mail all such bags and boxes. 3. Although articles admitted under this Agreement will be transmitted as aforesaid between the exchange offices, they should be so carefully packed as to be safely transmitted in the open mails of either country, both in going to the exchange office in the country of origin and to the office of address in the country of destination. 4. Each despatch of a parcels-post mail must be accompanied by a descriptive list, in duplicate, of all the parcels sent, showing distinctly the list number of each parcel, the name of the sender, the name of the addressee, with address of destination, and the declared contents and value; and must be enclosed in one of the boxes or sacks of such despatch. (See Form 3 annexed hereto.) ARTICLE IX. Packing. Descriptive list. Post, p. 2988. Exchanges of mails under this Agreement from any place in either Exchange offices. country to any place in the other, shall be effected through the postoffices of both countries already designated as exchange post-offices or through such others as may be hereafter agreed upon; under such regulations relative to the details of the exchange as may be mutually determined to be essential to the security and expedition of the mails and the protection of the customs revenues. ARTICLE X. 1. As soon as the mail shall have reached the office of destination, Receipt of mail. that office shall check the contents of the mail. 2. In the event of the parcel bill not having been received a substitute should be at once prepared. 3. Any errors in the entries on the parcel bill which may be discovered, should, after verification by a second officer, be corrected and noted for report to the despatching office on a form " Verification Certificate," which should be sent in a special envelope. 4. If a parcel advised on the bill be not received, after the nonreceipt has been verified by a second officer the entry on the bill should be cancelled and the fact reported at once. 5. If a parcel be observed to be insufficiently prepaid, it must not be taxed with deficient postage, but the circumstance must be reported on the verification certificate form. 6. Should a parcel be received in a damaged or imperfect condition, full particulars should be reported on the same form. 7. If no verification certificate or note of error be received, a parcel mail shall be considered as duly delivered, having been found on examination correct in all respects. ARTICLE XI. 1. If a parcel cannot be delivered as addressed, or is refused, it must be returned without charge, directly to the despatching office of exchange, at the expiration of thirty days from its receipt at the office Parcel bill. Errors. Nonreceipt of par cel. Insufficient postage. Damage to parcels. Correct mails. Failure to deliver. Ante, p. 2983. Perishable articles. Reforwarding. Nonresponsibility for loss, etc. Further regulations. Ante, p. 2983. Duration, etc. Signatures. JANUARY 15, 1907. of destination; and the country of origin may collect from the sender for the return of the parcel, a sum equal to the postage when first mailed: Provided, however, that parcels prohibited by Article II, and those which do not conform to the conditions as to size, weight, and value prescribed by said Article, shall not be returned to the country of origin, but may be disposed of, without recourse, in accordance with the customs laws and regulations of the country of destination. 2. When the contents of a parcel which cannot be delivered are liable to deterioration or corruption, they may be destroyed at once if necessary, or, if expedient, sold, without previous notice or judicial formality, for the benefit of the right person, the particulars of each sale being noticed by one post-office to the other. 3. An order for re-direction or re-forwarding must be accompanied by the amount due for postage necessary for the return of the article to the office of origin, at the ordinary parcel rates. ARTICLE XII. The Post Office Department of either of the contracting countries will not be responsible for the loss or damage of any parcel, and no indemnity can consequently be claimed by the sender or addressee in either country. ARTICLE XIII. The Postmaster-General of the United States of America and the Postmaster of Bermuda shall have authority to jointly make such further regulations of order and detail as may be found necessary to carry out the present Agreement from time to time; and may, by agreement, prescribe conditions for the admission to the mails of any of the articles prohibited by Article II of this Convention. ARTICLE XIV. This Agreement shall take effect and operations thereunder shall begin on the first day of February, 1907, and shall continue in force. until terminated by mutual agreement, but may be annulled at the desire of either Department, upon six months' previous notice given to the other. In witness whereof the respective duly authorized Representatives have signed this Agreement, and have hereunto affixed their seals. Done in duplicate at the city of Washington, United States of America, this 13th day of December, 1906, and at Bermuda this 15th day of January, 1907. [SEAL.] [SEAL.] GEO. B. CORTELYOU, Postmaster-General of the United States of America. The foregoing Parcels-Post Convention between the United States of America and the British Colony of Bermuda has been negotiated and concluded with my advice and consent, and is hereby approved and ratified. In testimony whereof, I have caused the Seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed. |