Towns > Glasgow > 1828-1912 - Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1874-1875

POST OFFICE REGULATIONS.
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10. Whea a letter is sent to a place where there is
only a Sub-oiBce, the name of the Head Office should
be given. Letters posted in one part of the United
Kingdom and intended for another (as, for example,
letters posted in England and intended for Scotland)
should have the name of the Country to which they
are sent added to the address, unless the letters be
intended for some well-known large town; when
such addition is unnecessary.
11. The number, too, of the house should appear ;
its omission being a cause of delay in the sorting ;
and tending to retard the general delivery. la the
case of letters for places abroad, the name of the
country as well as the town should be given in full,
and should be the last word in the address. Atten-
tion to this latter precaution will often assist in
deciphering the name of a town, and prevent the
letter from being mis-sent when there are towns of
the same name in different countries. For example:
a letter intended for London in Western Canada, but
simply addressed " London, W.C.," would be for-
warded to the Western Central District of the
Metropolis in England.
12. Letters for well-known firms and persons in
Glasgow are sometimes addressed " Glasgow " only ;
but this practice often causes delay in their
delivery.
13 A letter addressed to a Post Office to be
called for is retained one month ; and if nor
called for b)' the end of that time, is sent to the
Returned Letter Office to be sent back to the
writer. But if the letter be addressed to a Posi
Office at a seaport town for a person on board .•;
ship expected to arrive at that port, it is kept three
months.
14. Every letter should contain the full address of
the writer, in order to ensure its return if the person
to whom it is directed cannot be found. A much
larger portion of the undelivered letters could be
returned if the names and addresses of the senders
were always either fully and plainly written inside,
or embossed on the envelopes.
15. To facilitate the delivery of letters, a letter-
box should be affixed to every house-door.
16. All letters, &c., should be posted as early as
practicable, especially when sent in large numbers,
as is frequently the case with newspapers and circu-
lars, and care should always be taken to see that the
packet falls into the letter-box, and does not stick in
its passage. Much trouble is saved to the office if
circulars, before being posted, are tied in bundles
with all the addresses in one direction.
17. Stamps should be placed on the front, that is,
on the addiess side of the letter, and upon the right
hand upper corner. On re- directed letters care
should be taken not to place fresh stamps over those
which have been previously used.
18. The practice of sealing letters passing to and
from the East and West Indies, and other countries
with hot climates, with wax (except such as is
specially prepared), is attended with much incon-
venience, and frequently with serious injury, not
only to the letters so sealed, but to the other letters
in the mail, from the melting of the wax and ad-
hesion of the letters to each other. The public are
therefore recommended, in all such cases, to use
either wafers or gum, and to advise their correspon-
dents in the countries referred to, to do the same.
19. When complaint is made of a letter or other
postal packet being lost, missent, or delayed, infor-
mation, as precise as possible, regarding all the facts
of the case should be furnished, together with any
documents that may throw light upon the matter.
The day and hour at which the letter, &c., was
posted, as well as the office at which and the person
by whom this was done, should always be stated ;
and when possible, in the case of delay, the cover or
wrapper in an entire state should be sent, in order
that the place of delay may be ascertained by an
examination of the stamps.
20. Neither money nor any other article of con-
siderable value ought ever to be sent through the
post, except by means of a money order or in a
registered letter. Any person who sends money or
jewellery in an unregistered letter, not only runs a
risk of losing his property, but exposes to tempta-
tion every one through whose hands his letter passes,
and may be the means of ultimately bringing some
clerk or letter carrier to moral ruin. Every letter
which contains money or other valuable article even
when registered, ought to be securely sealed, and if
there be postage stamps in it, these should be enclosed
in paper thick enough to prevent their being seen or
felt through the cover.
21. Sunday. — During the time the office is open
on Sunday (viz. from nine to ten in the morning),
the public are allowed to prepay foreign and colonial
letters, to purchase postage stamps, and to have
letters registered ; and all other duties are performed
as usual, except Money Order and Savings Bank
business, which on that day is wholly suspended,
22 . Sacramental Fast Days. — On the Sacramental
Fast Days there are two deliveries by Letter Carriers,
commencing at 7 and 8 a.m. respectively, and letters
are delivered to Private Box holders and to strangers
from 7 to 10 a.m. The Paid Letter Office is again
opened for the sale of postage stamps and registration
of letters, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Penalties for sending Letters otherwise than through
the Post.
23. Any person conveying (otherwise than by
the Post) a letter not exempted from the exclusive
privilege of the postmaster-general incurs, by law, a
penally of £5 for every letter, and £100 for every
week the practice is continued. The sender also is
liable to a penalty of £5 for every letter.
EXCEPTIONS.
24. The exclusive privilege of the postmaster-
general is confined strictly to letters, and does not
therefore extend to newspapers, books, or money ;
any of which may be legally conveyed by other
means. The following kinds of letters also need not
be sent through the post: —
§ 1. Letters sent by a private friend, to be de-
livered by such friend to the person to whom they
shall be directed.
§ 2. Letters sent by a messenger on purpose, con-
cerning the private affairs of the sender or receiver
thereof; commissions or returns thereof, and affidavits
and writs, process or proceedings or returns thereof,
issuing out of a court of justice.
§ -3. Letters sent out of the United Kingdom by
a private vessel (not being a packet boat).
§ 4. Letters of merchants, owners of vessels of
merchandize, or of the cargo or loading thereio, sent
by such vessels of merchandize, or by any person