, 1868-11-20
IPuBLIc-No. 9s.]

1PuBLIc-No. 9s.]
An ACT to further amend the postal laws.
Be It enacted 5y the Senate and House Of Repre-
,eatatiues of tie United States Of America IN Con-
grsss assembled That when any writer OF let
ter. on which the postage is prepaid, shall en-
dorse in writing or in print upon the OUTSIDE
thereof his name and address, the same, aiter
remaining uneIalled luncalled] for at the post
Office to which it is directed thirty days, or the
time the writer may direct, shall be returned to
the said writer without additional postage,
whether specific request for such return be en-
dorsed on the letter or not.
SEC, ?, And be Il further enacted, That all per-
sons who receive money orders shall be required
to paw therefor the following charges or fees,
viz: For one dollar or any sum not exceeding
twenty dollars, a fee of ten cents shall be charR-
ed and exacted by the postmaster giving said
order; for all orders exceeding twenty dollars
ard not exceeding thirty dollars, the charge snAIl
be fifteen cents for all orders exceeding thirty
dollars and not exceeding forty dollars, the fee
shall be twenty cents for all orders exceeding
forty dollars aad not exceeding fifty dollars, the
fee shall be twenty-five cents and furthermore
that the compensation of deputy postmasters for
the payment of money orders is hereby increased
from one. eighth to onefourth of one per centum
on the gross amount of orders paid at their re-
spectiye offices, and that nothing contained in
any act shall be so construed as to deprive post
masters at money order offices of the compensa-
tion for transacting the money order business
fixed by the act of May seventeenth, eighteen
bundred and sixty four, and modified as stated
in this section Provided alVdys, that the amount
of such annual compensation, together with the
postmaster's salary, shall not in any case exceed
the salary established by law for postmasters of
the first class.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That section
thirty-fve of the act of March third eighteen
hundred and sixty three, shall be so construed
as to permit weekly newspapers, properly folded
and addressed, when sent to regular subscribers,
in the county where printed and published, to be
delivered free of postage, when deposited at the
office nearest to the office OF publication but
nothing in this act shall be so construed as to
require carriers to distribute said papers, unless
postage is paid upon them ut the rate Of i've cents
per quarter, and such postage must be prepaid
tor a term of not less than one quarter or more
than one year, either at the office of mailing OF
Of delivery, at the option of the subscriber.
SEC. T. and be 1t further enacted, That iu
case of the loss of a money order, duplicate
thereof shall be issued by the superintendent oi
the money order office without charge, on the
application OF the remitter or payee of the orgi>
nal: ProUided, That the applicant furnish "A Ger
tifcate from the postmaster on whom the same
was drawn that it had not been and would not
thereafter be paid, and similar certificate from
the postmaster by whom it was issued that IT had
not been aud would not be repaid to the pur-
chaser and a second fee shall not be charged
for n duplicate money order issued to replace an
order that has been rendered invalid because
of non presentation for payment within one year
after its date or because of illegal endorsements
SEC s. Ind be ii further enacted, That if any
person shall falsely forge or counterfeit, or will
lingiy aid assist or abet in falsely forging OF
counterfeiung, or shall procure, directly or indl
rectly, to be falsely forged or cOunterfeited any
postal money order, or any material signature
or endorsement to any postal money order issued
bv the Post Office Department, or any of II:
agents, for the purpose and with the intent o.
obtaining or receiving, directly OF Indirectly oI
Of procuring or enabling others to obtain or re-
ceive, directly or indirectly, any sum or sums o
money, and thereby to defraud either the United
States or any person of such sum or sums o
money or any part thereof, or shall pass, utter
or publish or attempt to pass, utter, or publist
as true, any such forged or couOterteited posta
money order with intent to defraud either thu
United States or any person of any sum or SUM
of money, knowing such postal money order, Of
any signature or endorsement thereon, to be 81
falsely forced or couuterfeited, every such per
son shall be deemed guilty of felony, and being
thereof duly convicted shall be sentenced TO bt
imprisoned and kept at hard labor for perioC
of not less than two years nor more than fy
years and to 6e fined in SUN not exceeding
five thousand dollars.
SEC. 6. Ind be ii further enacted, That th
Postmaster General be, and be is hereby, author
lied to appoint aud employ on board of each o
the mail steamers plying on the route between
San Francisco, Japan, and China, and between
San Francisco and Honolulu, Hawaiian islands,
a government agent in charge Of the United
IL e
sand dollars each per annum,
SEC. I. And be IL further enacted, That thu
Postmaster General be, and be is hereby, author
lied TO establish in connection with the United
States mail steamship service to Japan auC
China, a general postal agency at Shanghai
China, with such branch agencies at other port!
in China and Japan as shall, in his Judgment
be necessary for the prompt and efficient manage
ment of the postal service in those countries
and to pay the postal agents so appointed RnC
employed reasonable compensation for tbei
services, in addition to the necessary expense
for rent furniture clerk hire, aud so forth, to b.
allowed at each agency for conducting the Posta
business, report on which shall be embraced
in the annual report Of the Postmaster General
SEC. S. Ind be IL further enacted, That 70
the more efficient management of the increased
postal business connected with the foreign mai
service, the Postmaster General be, and be i
hereby, authorized to appoint IN bis department
superintendent Of foreign mails at an annuA
salary Of three thousand dollars, and also thre
additional clerks for that branch of the posta
service, to wit one Of class four, aud two o
class three and that the salary of the superin
teudent Of the money order system shall be thre
thousand dollars per annum.
SEC. 8. ARd il be further enacted, That th
Postmaster General be, aud he is hereby, author
lied to aPpoiutin the Office of the Third Ass!stAn
Postmaster General, a chief Of. division for th
dead-letter Office at salary of two thousand dv
hundred dollars per snnum.
Sec. 10. And be Il further enacted, That If an
person employed in any department Of the DO,
Office establishment Of the United States shall
wilfully and Knowingly, use or cause to be use
in prepayment OF postage any postage stamp @
stamped envelope issued or which may hereaf,e
be issued BY authority Of any act of Congress !
of the Postmaster General which has aIread
been once used for like purpose, or shat, rs
move or attempt to remove the eancellip0 :
detaeing marks from any such postage staup !
stamped envelope With intent to use or cause N
use OF the same second time, or TO sell or of,
TO sell the same, or shall remove from letters ,
other mail matter deposited in or received a,
post o'hee the stamps attached to the same !
payment OF postage, with iateut TO use the sam
a second m 10 n H.