its carriers, shall be uniform at one cent each; but periodicals weighing more than two ounces shall be subject to a postage of two cents each, and these rates shall be prepaid by stamps. SEC. 100. That no extra postage or carriers' fees shall be charged or collected upon any mail-matter collected or delivered by carriers. No extra post age, &c., on inatter by carriers. Expenses of letter-carriers, SEC. 101. That all expenses of letter carriers, branch-offices, and receiving-boxes, or incident thereto, shall be kept and reported in a separate branch-offices, account, and shall be shown in comparison with the proceeds from post- and receiving age on local mail-matter at each office, and the Postmaster-General shall boxes to be kept in separate acbe guided in the expenditures for this branch of the service by the income count, &c. derived therefrom. SEC. 102. That to promote public convenience, and to insure greater Money-order security in the transfer of money through the mail, the Postmaster-Gen- system, or eral may establish, under such rules and regulations as he may deem ex- offices. money-order pedient, a uniform money-order system, at all suitable post-offices, which shall be designated as "money-order offices." Agreements with foreign governments for the exchange by postal orders, of SEC. 103. That the Postmaster-General may conclude arrangements with the post departments of foreign governments, with which postal conventions have been or may be concluded, for the exchange, by means of postal orders, of small sums of money, not exceeding fifty dollars in amount, at such rates of exchange, and compensation to postmasters, and under such rules and regulations as he may deem expedient; and the Expenses expenses of establishing and conducting such system of exchange may be thereof. paid out of the proceeds of the money-order business. small sums of money. Postal money in cities where branch post offices are in operation. SEC. 104. That the postmaster at a money-order office shall issue, in such manner and form as the Postmaster-General may prescribe, an order orders, rules for issuing; for a specified sum of money, payable by the postmaster at any other money-order office which the person applying therefor may select; but no money-order shall be delivered until the amount thereof, and the proper fee therefor, have been deposited with the postmaster issuing it: Provided, That the postmaster of every city where branch post-offices or stations are established and in operation, subject to his supervision, is hereby authorized, under the direction of the Postmaster-General, to issue, or to cause to be issued, by any of his assistants or clerks in charge of branch post-offices or stations, postal money-orders payable at his own or at any other money-order office, or at any branch post-office or station of his own, or of any other money-order office, as the remitters thereof may direct; and that the postmaster and his sureties shall in every case be Postmaster and held accountable upon his official bond for all moneys received by him or his designated assistants or clerks in charge of stations from the issue for money reof money-orders under the provisions of this act, and for all moneys ceived for moneywhich may come into his or their hands, or be placed in his or their orders. custody by reason of the transaction by them of money-order business. Laws now in And all the provisions of law now in force respecting the issue and the force to apply. payment of money-orders, and the disposal of money-order funds in the custody of postmasters, shall apply to all money-orders issued under the authority given by this act, and to all moneys received from the issue thereof. SEC. 105. That any postmaster who shall issue a money-order without having previously received the money therefor shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars. sureties on his bond accountable Penalty for issuing a moneyfirst receiving the money therefor. Postmaster at money-order order without authorize some SEC. 106. That in case of the sickness or unavoidable absence from his office of the postmaster of any money-order post-office, he may, with the office may, in approval of the Postmaster-General, authorize the chief clerk, or some case of, &c., other clerk employed therein, to act in his place, and to discharge all the clerk to act in duties required by law of such postmasters: Provided, That the official his place. Bond to cover bond given by the principal of the office shall be held to cover and apply acts of such perto the acts of the person appointed to act in his place in such cases: And son. Person so acting subject to penalties, &c. Money-orders $50; fees therefor. provided further, That such acting officer shall, for the time being, be subject to all the liabilities and penalties prescribed by law for the official misconduct in like cases of the postmaster for whom he shall act. SEC. 107. That no money-order shall be issued for more than fifty dolnot to be for over lars, and the fees therefor shall be, for orders not exceeding ten dollars, five cents; exceeding ten and not exceeding twenty dollars, ten cents; exceeding twenty and not exceeding thirty dollars, fifteen cents; exceeding thirty and not exceeding forty dollars, twenty cents; exceeding forty dollars, twenty-five cents. Blanks for money-order offices. Applicant to fill blanks. Applications to be preserved. Forms for money-orders. No order valid unless, &c. Notice of money-order to postmaster by mail. Money-orders not valid after one year. New orders in lieu of, &c. Payee of money-order may indorse the same to third person, who may receive the money thereon, if, &c. SEC. 108. That the Postmaster-General shall supply money-order offices with blank forms of application for money-orders, which each applicant shall fill up with his name, the name and address of the party to whom the order is to be paid, the amount, and the date of application; and all such applications shall be preserved by the postmaster receiving them for such time as the Postmaster-General may prescribe. SEC. 109. That the Postmaster-General shall furnish money-order offices with printed or engraved forms for money-orders, and no order shall be valid unless it be drawn upon such form. SEC. 110. That the postmaster issuing a money-order shall send a notice thereof by mail, without delay, to the postmaster on whom it is drawn. SEC. 111. That no money-order shall be valid and payable unless presented to the postmaster on whom it is drawn within one year after its date; but the Postmaster-General, on the application of the remitter or payee of any such order, may cause a new order to be issued in lieu thereof. SEC. 112. That the payee of a money-order may, by his written indorsement thereon, direct it to be paid to any other person, and the postmaster on whom it is drawn shall pay the same to the person thus designated, provided he shall furnish such proof as the Postmaster-General may prescribe that the indorsement is genuine, and that he is the person empowered to receive payment; but more than one indorsement shall More than one render an order invalid and not payable, and the holder, to obtain payment, shall be required to apply in writing to the Postmaster-General for a new order in lieu thereof, returning the original order, and making such proof of the genuineness of the indorsements as the Postmaster-General may require. indorsement renders order invalid. Money-orders SEC. 113. That after a money-order has been issued, if the purchaser may be changed; desires to have it modified or changed, the postmaster who issued the a new fee to be order shall take it back and issue another in lieu of it, for which a new fee shall be exacted. exacted. Postmaster is SEC. 114. That the postmaster issuing a money-order shall repay the suing a moneyorder shall repay amount of it upon the application of the person who obtained it, and the amount on, &c., return of the order, but the fee paid for it shall not be returned. but not the fee. Duplicate orders in place of those lost, &c. Penalty for forging, &c., a money-order; SEC. 115. That whenever a money-order has been lost, the PostmasterGeneral, upon the application of the remitter or payee of such order, may cause a duplicate thereof to be issued, without charge, providing the party losing the original shall furnish a certificate from the postmaster by whom it was payable that it had not been, and would not thereafter be, paid, and a similar certificate from the postmaster by whom it was issued that it had not been, and would not thereafter be, repaid. SEC. 116. That any person who shall, with intent to defraud, falsely make, forge, counterfeit, engrave, or print, or cause or procure to be falsely made, forged, counterfeited, engraved, or printed, or willingly aid or assist in falsely making, forging, counterfeiting, engraving, or printing, any order in imitation of or purporting to be a money-order issued by the Postoffice Department, or any of its postmasters or agents, or any material for falsely al signature or indorsement thereon; any person who shall falsely alter, or tering or passing, cause or procure to be altered, or willingly aid or assist in falsely altering money-order. any such money-order; any person who shall, with intent to defraud, pass, &c., with intent utter, or publish, or attempt to pass, utter, or publish, as true, any such to defraud any false, forged, counterfeited, or altered money-order, knowing the same, or any signature or indorsement thereon, to be false, forged, counterfeited, or altered, every such person shall be deemed guilty of felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than two nor more than five years, and be fined not exceeding five thousand dollars. SEC. 117. That all payments and transfers to and from money-order Payments and offices shall be under the direction of the Postmaster-General. He may from moneytransfer money-order funds from one postmaster to another, and from the order offices; postal revenue to the money-order funds; and he may transfer moneyorder funds to creditors of the department, to be replaced by equivalent transfers from the postal revenues. transfers to and Transfers by warrant to meet SEC. 118. That the Postmaster-General may transfer to the postmaster at any money-order office, by warrant on the treasury, countersigned by money-orders. the auditor for the Post-office Department, and payable out of the postal revenues, such sum as may be required over and above the current revenues at his office to pay the money-orders drawn upon him. Accounts of &c., 'may be re SEC. 119. That the Postmaster-General shall require each postmaster at a money-order office to render to the Post-office Department weekly, money-orders, semi-weekly, or daily accounts of all money-orders issued and paid; of quired daily, &c. all fees received for issuing them; of all transfers and payments made from money-order funds; and of all money received to be used for the payment of money-orders or on account of money-order business. SEC. 120. That the auditor for the Post-office Department shall keep Accounts of the accounts of the money-order business separately, and in such manner business to be as to show the number and amount of money-orders issued at each oflice, kept separatel the number and amount paid, the amount of fees received, and all the expenses of the money-order business. money-order Money re ceived for noney order funds." SEC. 121. That all money received for the sale of money-orders, including all fees thereon, all money transferred from the postal revenues to orders, &c., to be the money-order funds, all money transferred or paid from the money- deemed "moneyorder funds to the service of the Post-office Department, and all moneyorder funds transferred from one postmaster to another, shall be deemed and taken to be money-order funds and money in the treasury of the United States. And it shall be the duty of the assistant treasurer of the AssistantUnited States to open, at the request of the Postmaster-General, an account of money-order funds" deposited by postmasters to the credit of the Postmaster-General, and of drafts against the amount so deposited, funds. drawn by him and countersigned by the auditor. treasurer to open an account of money-order Misusing, &c., any money-order Failure to pay SEC. 122. That any postmaster, assistant, clerk, or other person employed in or connected with the business or operations of any money funds, or aiding order office who shall convert to his own use, in any way whatever, or therein to be emloan, or deposit in any bank, or exchange for other funds, any portion of bezzlement; the money-order funds, shall be deemed guilty of embezzlement; and any penalty theresuch person, as well as every other person advising or participating therein, for. shall, on conviction thereof, for every such offence, be imprisoned for not less than six months nor more than ten years, and be fined in a sum equal to the amount embezzled; and any failure to pay over or produce any money-order funds intrusted to such person shall be taken to be prima- over, &c., to be prima facie evifacie evidence of embezzlement; and upon the trial of any indictment dence of embezagainst any person for such embezzlement, it shall be prima-facie evidence zlement. of a balance against him to produce a transcript froin the money-order. In trials for, &c., transcript account-books of the auditor for the Post-office Department. But nothing from, &c, to be herein contained shall be construed to prohibit any postmaster depositing, prima facie eviunder the direction of the Postmaster-General, in a national bank designated by the Secretary of the Treasury for that purpose, to his own credit as postmaster, any money-order or other funds in his charge, nor prevent his negotiating drafts or other evidences of debt through such dence of balance against. Disbursing officers to issue duplicates of lost checks, for, &c. Payment to postinasters at money-order offices for, &c. Limit. Stationery and incidentals in money-order business. Additional order offices. bank, or through United States disbursing officers, or otherwise, when instructed or required to do so by the Postmaster-General, for the purpose of remitting surplus money-order funds from one post-office to another, to be used in payment of money-orders. That disbursing officers of the United States shall be required to issue, under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, duplicates of lost checks drawn by them in favor of any postmaster on account of money-order or other public funds received by them from some other postmaster. SEC. 123. That postmasters at money-order offices may be allowed, as compensation for issuing and paying money-orders, not exceeding onethird of the whole amount of fees collected on orders issued, and onefourth of one per centum on the gross amount of orders paid at their respective offices, provided such compensation, together with the postmaster's salary, shall not exceed four thousand dollars per annum, except in the case of the postmaster at New York city, as hereinbefore provided. SEC. 124. That the Postmaster-General may pay out of the proceeds of the money-order business the cost of stationery and such incidental expenses as are necessary for the transaction of that business. SEC. 125. That the Postmaster-General may employ such an additional clerks at money- number of clerks at money-order offices as may be necessary for conducting the operations of the money-order system, who shall be paid out of the proceeds of the money-order business. Registration of mail-matter. Provisions for registering mailmatter and fees therefor. SEC. 126. That for the greater security of valuable mail-matter, the Postmaster-General may establish a uniform system of registration. SEC. 127. That mail-matter shall be registered only on the application of the party posting the same, and the fee therefor shall not exceed twenty cents in addition to the regular postage, to be, in all cases, prepaid; and all such fees shall be accounted for in such manner as the PostmasterCertain official General shall direct: Provided, That letters upon the official business of letters to be reg- the Post-office Department which require registering shall be registered free of charge, and pass through the mails free of charge. istered free of charge. Receipts for SEC. 128. That a receipt shall be taken upon the delivery of any regregistered letters; istered mail-matter, showing to whom and when the same was delivered, which shall be returned to the sender, and be received in the courts as prima-facie evidence of such delivery. to be evidence. No liability for SEC. 129. That the Post-Office Department, or its revenue, shall not loss of registered be liable for the loss of any registered mail-matter. mail-matter. Mailable matter divided in three classes. 1st class. 2d class. 3d class. SEC. 130. That mailable matter shall be divided into three classes: first, letters; second, regular printed matter; third, miscellaneous matter. SEC. 131. That mailable matter of the first class shall embrace all correspondence, wholly or partly in writing, except book-manuscripts and corrected proof-sheets passing between authors and publishers. SEC. 132. That mailable matter of the second class shall embrace all matter exclusively in print, and regularly issued at stated periods from a known office of publication, without addition by writing, mark, or sign. SEC. 133. That mailable matter of the third class shall embrace all pamphlets, occasional publications, transient newspapers, magazines, hand-bills, posters, unsealed circulars, prospectuses, books, book-manuscripts, proof-sheets, corrected proof-sheets, maps, prints, engravings. blanks, flexible patterns, samples of merchandise not exceeding twelve ounces in weight, sample cards, phonographic paper, letter envelopes, postal envelopes and wrappers, cards, plain and ornamental paper, photographic representations of different types, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, roots, scions, and all other matter which may be declared mailable by law, and all other articles not above the weight prescribed by law, which are not, from their form or nature, liable to destroy, deface, or otherwise injure the contents of the mail-bag or the person of any one engaged in Certain articles the postal service. All liquids, poisons, glass, explosive materials, and obscene books shall be excluded from the mails. All matter of the excluded from mails. ceed what third class, excepting books and other printed matter, book-manuscripts, Matter of 3d proof-sheets, and corrected proof-sheets, shall not exceed twelve ounces class, except, in weight, and all matter of the third class shall be subject to examination &c., not to exand to rates of postage as hereinafter provided. Samples of metals, ores, weight. and mineralogical specimens shall not exceed twelve ounces in weight, and shall be subject to examination and to rates of postage as hereinafter Metals, ores, &c. provided. SEC. 134. That no package weighing more than four pounds shall be received for conveyance by mail, except books published or circulated by order of Congress. SEC. 135. That the Postmaster-General shall furnish to the post-offices exchanging mails with foreign countries, and to such other offices as he may deem expedient, postal balances denominated in grams of the metric system, fifteen grams of which shall be the equivalent, for postal purposes, of one-half ounce avoirdupois, and so on in progression. SEC. 136. That the Postmaster-General may prescribe by regulation the manner of wrapping and securing for the mails all matter not charged with letter-postage nor lawfully franked, so that it may be conveniently examined by postmasters; and if not so wrapped and secured, it shall be subject to letter-postage. Packages of more than four ., not to go by pounds, except, mail. Postal balances denominated in grams to be furnished, &c. Equivalent of ounce. Wrappers of mail-matter not paying letter postage, &c.; may be removed at office SEC. 137. That postmasters at the office of delivery may remove the wrappers and envelopes from mail-matter not charged with letter-postage of delivery; nor lawfully franked, when it can be done without destroying them, for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is upon or connected with any such matter any thing which would authorize or require the charge of a higher rate of postage thereon. not to be carried, SEC. 138. That no newspapers shall be received to be conveyed by Newspapers mail unless they are sufficiently dried and inclosed in proper wrappers. SEC. 139. That where packages of newspapers or other periodicals are received at a post-office, directed to one address, and the names of the subscribers to whom they belong, with the postage for a quarter in advance, is handed to the postmaster, he shall deliver such papers or periodicals to their respective owners. when to be deliv ered to owners. newspaper, &c., is not taken from office. SEC. 140. That postmasters shall notify the publisher of any newspaper, Notice that or other periodical, when any subscriber shall refuse to take the same from the office, or neglect to call for it for the period of one month. SEC. 141. That publishers of newspapers and periodicals may print or Publishers may write, upon their publications sent to regular subscribers, the address of write address of regular subscribthe subscriber, and the date when the subscription expires, and may inclose ers on paper, and therein bills and receipts for subscription thereto, without subjecting such inclose bills. publications to extra postage. mail-matter not SEC. 142. That any person who shall inclose or conceal any letter, Penalty for inmemorandum, or other thing in any mail-matter not charged with letter-closing letter in postage, or make any writing or memorandum thereon, and deposit, or charged with letcause the same to be deposited, for conveyance by mail at a less rate than ter postage, or letter-postage, shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay five dollars, writing thereon. and such mail-matter or inclosure shall not be delivered until the postage No extra postis paid thereon at letter rates; but no extra postage shall be charged for a card printed or impressed upon an envelope or wrapper. SEC. 143. That contractors or mail-carriers may convey, out of the mail, newspapers for sale or distribution to subscribers. age for card on wrapper. Mail-carriers may carry newspapers out of may receive packages of SEC. 144. That the Postmaster-General may provide by order the mail for, &c. terms upon which route-agents may receive from publishers or any news- Route-agents agents in charge thereof, and deliver the same as directed, if presented and called for at the mail-car or steamer, packages of newspapers and newspapers. other periodicals not received from or intended for delivery at any post office. SEC. 145. That any postmaster who shall unlawfully detain in his Penalty upon |