‘File 15/9 I RULES AND REGULATIONS. File No. 15/9 ORDERS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 1. POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT 2. INDUSTRY AND LABOUR DEPARTMENT & COMMERCE 3. INDIAN WORDS CODE CORRECTIONS ETC. 4. ARMY DEPARTMENT. 5. EDUCATION AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 6. Policy Dept.’ [‎280v] (530/570)

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T he POLITICAL RESIDENT A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the PEESTAN GULE,
BUSHTRE.
T he AGENT to the GOVERNOR-GENERAL, PUNJAB
STATES, LAHORE.
S ubject :— Despatch of mails in contravention of sections 4 and 5 of the •
Indian Post Office Act.
\
S ir,
I am directed to address you on the subject of the reported instances of
infringement of the exclusive privilege, vested in the Governor General in
Council section 4 of the Indian Post Office Act, of conveying by post from
one place to another of letters and of performing all the incidental services
of receiving, collecting, sending, despatching and delivering all letters.
2. An investigation was recently undertaken by the Director-General
of Posts and Telegraphs in this connection. Where private individuals,
firms or associations were found to have been guilty of such infringement
they were either prosecuted under sections 58 or 59 of the Indian Post Office
Act, or warned to desist from such illegal practices. During the course of
this investigation it has been ascertained that some local Governments and
some Government officers have adopted practices which constitute an in
fringement of section 4 of the Indian Post Office Act. These practices so
far ascertained are of the following character :
(1) Some local governments or officers under them have made arrange
ments for the collection, conveyance and distribution of their
correspondence between their provincial capital and their
summer headquarters or between places under their jurisdic
tion.
(2) The secretariat of one local Government has adopted the practice
of enclosing in one cover letters addressed to a number of officers
at another station and sending this cover to an officer at that
station, the officer effecting the distribution of the letters con
tained in the cover.
(3) Some executive engineers have made arrangements with the owners
of a motor service for the conveyance of their correspondence
♦ and its delivery through the driver of the motor vehicle to
their subordinate or other offices on the route.
(4) Some heads of departments of Government have adopted the
practice referred to in (2) above.
(5) Some Police officers have adopted the practice of collecting and
conveying correspondence between district headquarters and
the different police stations in the district through agents of
their own.
3. These practices were considered by the government of India as involv
ing prima facie a contravention of section 4 of the Indian Post Office Act
and the local Governments concerned were addressed ^for their views. In
reply it has been urged by the local Governments that—■
\a) the methods adopted involve a definite saving to the local Govern
ments or the officers concerned in the expenditure on postage
charges and have therefore been adopted as a measure of
economy ;
(5) the practices adopted are covered by exception (6) to section 4 of
the Indian Post Office Act;
(c) the exclusive privilege conferred by the Act on the Governor
General in Council cannot operate against the Crown, that is,
against any local Government or a department of Government or
an officer of Government in connection with his official corres
pondence.