Postal Manual Vol. VIII - India Post

clerk must bring the matter at once to the notice of the Manager who is required to take action in
accordance with the instructions in the Chapter on Investigations in the Posts and Telegraphs
Manual, Volume V.
NOTE. – Postmasters-General may arrange with each other for the exchange of direct bags
between any two R.L.Os. where the average number of registered articles of the letter mail and of
registered for unregistered articles of the parcel mail to be exchanges is very large. A Postmaster-
General may also arrange in the same way for the exchange of direct bags between the Railway
Mail Service and the R.L.O. of his Circle.
410. Opening of bags and treatment of contents. – (1) Every bag received in a R.L.O.
will be opened in the presence and under the supervision of the Manager by the clerk entrusted
with this duty who will immediately examine the registered bag and the parcels received and make
them over together with the registered and parcel lists, to the registration clerk, under receipt or
keep them in his own custody until this can be done. The registration clerk will open the registered
bags and carefully examine the condition of every registered article and parcel, check the entries in
the lists, and then receipt, stamp, and sign the lists and place them on record.
(2) When a bag or an article is received bearing signs of damage or tampering the clerk
must at once bring it to the notice of the Manager who will take action in accordance with the
instructions in the Chapter on Investigations in the Posts and Telegraphs Manual, Volume V.
(3) The unregistered articles will be received ready sorted according to the following
classes, viz. :-
(a) undecipherable articles and articles with fictitious addresses,
(b) unclaimed articles.
(c) refused articles,
(d) undeliverable articles issued from R.L.O. and
(e) open letters and unpaid and insufficiently prepaid foreign articles of correspondence
other than letters and post cards.
These articles will be handed over to the clerk selected for the purpose who will tax such of them
as are unpaid or insufficiently prepaid and will have them stamped and then distribute them to the
several clerks for disposal in the manner hereinafter described. Unregistered letters received in an
open and torn condition will be stamped with the “Received open and torn” stamp before they are
distributed.
NOTE 1. – Unclaimed and refused articles received in the R.L.O. will be marked by the despatching
post offices with the words “Left”, “Not known”, “Not claimed”, “declared” or “Refused”, as the case may
be. The clerks who deal with the unregistered articles will be responsible that all unregistered and
registered inland articles of the letter and parcel be returned to the despatching office for supply of the
omission. This is an important duty and must be carefully attended to.
NOTE 2.- Any open or insecurely closed unpaid letters that may be received in the R.L.O, will be
destroyed daily by being burnt in the presence of the Manager, a note being kept of the total number of each
class destroyed each day. If, however, any such letter is found to contain anything valuable, it will be dealt
with in accordance with rule 424. This rule does not apply to service unpaid postcards or to open and
insecurely closed service unpaid letters. If any such articles, not being unclaimed are irregularly consigned