[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 assistants 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 Assembly.
[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 pass through a post
office except to the persons to whom they are addressed.
[Sidenote: Redirection of letters.]
Parties desiring their letters and papers to be re-directed should send
an intimation to that effect in writing to the postmaster of the office
from which the letters and papers are to be re-directed.
Postmasters are allowed to re-direct letters to the known places of
residence of the parties to whom they are addressed, after allowing a
reasonable time to elapse without their being called for.
[Sidenote: No extra charge.]
Letters and papers are not subject to any additional charge when
re-directed from one post office in Canada to another post office in
Canada.
[Sidenote: Objectionable matter.]
Postmasters are instructed not to receive any letter or packet which
there is good reason to believe contains glass or anything likely to
injure the contents of the mail bag or the person of any officer of the
post office.
[Sidenote: Change.]
A postmaster is not legally bound to furnish change, but if absolutely
necessary may require that the exact amount of postage on any letter or
packet be tendered to him in current coin, or in Canada postage stamps.
[Sidenote: Civility required from Postmasters.]
Postmasters and their assistants in the above matter, as well as in all
their official intercourse with the public, are expected to afford every
accommodation, and to treat every person having business at their
offices with every courtesy.
[Sidenote: Mail couriers to receive letters <i>en route</i>.]
Mail couriers are bound to receive letters offered to them whilst on the
road between one post office and another, provided that when a letter is
so offered the distance from the nearest post office exceeds one mile.
Such letters are termed Way Letters, and are subject to the ordinary
rates of postage.
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