The expression ‘Postmaster-General’ means a Principal Chief Postmaster-General, Chief Postmaster-General, Regional Postmaster General, or a Director of Postal Services and includes any other officer exercising the powers of the Principal Chief Postmaster -General, Chief Postmaster-General or Regional Postmaster-General.

The expression Railway Mail Service means the service responsible for the carriage of mails by rail, road, river and air and for the collection and distribution of mails received from Post Offices by Mail Offices and sections.

Superintendent of Post Offices is the Chief Officer in charge of a Postal Division and Superintendent of RMS is the Officer holding a similar position of a RMS Division. A Superintendent is in administrative charge of the Division under his control and all officers in the Division are subordinate to him. He is immediately subordinate to the Head of the Circle/Region.

NOTE- The expression “Superintendent” used in this book includes Superintendents and Senior Superintendents of Postal and RMS Divisions unless it is clear from the context that only one of these classes of Superintendents is meant; when used to signify a Superintendent of Post Offices; the term includes a SeniorSuperintendent of Post Offices and a first class Postmaster except where there is anything contrary to the context.

A Head Office is the main office of a group Post Offices consisting of itself and a number of small offices called sub and branch offices which have been placed under its Accounts jurisdiction. It is the main office of account for itself and for all the sub and branch offices within the group, and the monetary transactions of the latter offices are incorporated in its accounts. The Officer in – charge of a Head Office is designated a Head Postmaster

Important Head Post Offices are identified as Very Small Aperture Terminal Stations. From these Post Offices, money orders are transmitted using V-SAT technology.

This involves electronic transmission of written material from one place to another using computer terminals connected through VSAT which can be delivered to one or more than one addressee at the receiving station.

The first class Head Office situated at the Headquarters of the Head of a Circle or, where there are more than one such Head Office, the one attached to the Headquarters, is termed General Post Office.

NOTE.- Classes of Head Offices: First Class Head Offices under the control land supervision of Senior Time Scale Officer. He is called Chief Postmaster. Second Class Head Offices under the control and supervision of a Group ‘B’ Officer. He reports to Sr. Superintendent of Post Offices.

(1) A sub-office is Post Office subordinate to and in account with a Head Office and its monetary transaction are incorporated in the accounts of the latter office. The officer in-charge of a sub-office is designated a Sub-Postmaster.

(2) A sub-office situated in a town or its suburbs where there is also a Head Office is termed a town sub-office.

(1) A Brach Office is a Post Office of lower status than a sub-office. It is in direct account with a Head or sub-office which is termed its accounts office and its monetary transactions are in-corporated in the accounts of the latter office. The Office in -charge of a Branch Office is designated as Branch Postmaster.

(2) A Branch Office situated in a town or its suburbs where there is also a Head Office is termed as town branch office.

Any Post Office which is situated on a line of through mail communication, and receives and sorts bags intended for offices in advance, without opening them, is a transit office. The bags which are thus forwarded onwards unopened are termed forward bags. The transit bags addressed to a transit office are opened there, and the forward bags contained in them are sent onwards, either loose or enclosed in other transit bags. The use of a transit office is to reduce the number of loose bags.

A branch of RMS where closed bags are received and dispatched, sorting of letters is not done in this unit. Mail Agent or Mail Guard is in charge of this unit. This can function in number of sets depending upon requirements.

E.g. Bangalore City TMO Set No. 1 – 06.00 to 14.00

Bangalore City TMO II – 14.00 to 21.40

If TMO is functioning in the night set, the set works throughout the night. One batch of officials who are working on a particular night will not work in the following night. Another batch of Officials will work in the following night. Both these batches will alternatively work.

In certain cities, computers have been provided to handled the work of the Transit Mail Office. These Offices are called Computerized TMOs

An office charged with the duty of opening the sorting mail bags received by its and disposing of their contents is termed as Sorting Office. A Sorting Office may receive articles of all kinds in sorting. The use of a Sorting Office is (a) to simplify the work of sorting in other offices, (b) to reduce the number of bags exchanged between Post Offices, and (c) to reduce the weight of mails carried on mails lines.

In important cities where mail traffic is high, sorting machine have been provided which have high speed of sorting. At present, these machines are functioning in Delhi ,Mumbai and Chennai.

The Registration Branch of the Mail Office, where the processing of registration work is done on computers, is called Computerized Registration Sorting Centre (CRC). A CRC can be situated in the Mail Office itself or in a separate location.

A sorting sub-office is a sub-office which is selected from its position at or near the junction of several mail lines, to serve as a Sorting Office for articles addressed to, or received from, offices to which the route lies through the sorting sub-office. It is authorized to receive articles of all kinds in sorting.

In important cities and towns, some Post Offices are authorized to receive letters from neighboring Post Offices and sort the mail as per the sorting diagram given by the RMS Superintendents. This is to reduce the peak hour pressure in the local sorting offices. Such offices are identified as Nodal Post Offices.

This Unit is a branch of RMS Office. Here the bundles prepared by the Post Offices/ Mail Offices grouped and enclosed in a direct bag. For instance, if there are 80 :Post Offices in a city and each Post Office is preparing 20 bundles for 20 Post Offices/ Districts/Circles/Mail Offices, all these bundles will reach Central Bagging Unit/KBU in ‘L’ Bag/’R’ Bag. KBU/CBU will open the ‘L’/’R’ bags, group the bundles with reference to the destination, i.e. Circles-wise or District-wise or PO-wise or Mail Office-wise and include them in respective bags for the PO/Sorting Office concerned for delivery/further transmission, as the case may be.

A Returned Letter Office is established at the Headquarters of a Postal Circle and deals with unclaimed and refused articles and articles without addresses or with undecipherable or incomplete addresses.

NOTE- The abbreviation RLO is used for Returned Letter Office.

A transcription center is a cell established in a Sorting Office, situated normally at the Headquarters of the Circle or at any other convenient Sorting Office in the Circle.

Transcription center transcribes into English the addresses written in regional languages on postal articles posted in Post or Mail Offices.

(a) A Post Office or Sorting Office or Section which exchanges mails with offices in foreign countries is known as an “Office of Exchange”. It is referred to as the dispatching office of exchange in respect of mails it makes up and addresses to an office of exchange in another country, while it is called the receiving office of exchange in respect of mails addressed to it by an office of exchange from another country. The term “outward office of exchange” and “inward office of exchange” are also used to describe them. Even offices functioning as both inward and outward offices of exchange may function in one of the capacities only for certain countries.

(b) An Office of Exchange on the border which only receives and dispatches closed bags addressed to or received from other offices of exchange in India is known as an “Office of Exchange of transit”. Such an office will not close bags for foreign countries or open inward foreign bags. Its function is only to exchange mails with the carrier or with the officials of a foreign administration.

( c) A “Foreign Post Office” is an office of exchange in which the work of assessment of customs duty on foreign mails is also carried out. Although mails may be intercepted (and articles not suspected to contain anything dutiable released) inmany exchange offices, the work of actual assessment of duty (and opening of articles for this purpose where necessary) is done only in the Foreign Post Offices. Articles received in one office of exchange and suspected to contain dutiable goods, for delivery from an office nearer another office of exchange are directed to the latter for actual examination and assessment of duty.

(d) A “Sub-Foreign Post Office” is an office which is not an exchange office (i.e., which does not close bags for other countries and which does not receive from foreign countries bags addressed it) but in which the work of customs examination, assessment and accounting of customs duty is carried out. Such sub-Foreign Post Offices are opened mainly for the convenience of senders and addressees who may be required to present documents, etc., for the release or dispatch of their foreign articles.

Transit Sections are traveling offices of the Railway Mail Service working on Railway or river steamer lines. The officer-in-charge of a set of a transit section is called a Mail Guard or Mail Agent.

NOTE.- Sections are numbered serially and designated by the name of the RMS Division followed by the Serial No.

Mail Offices are stationary offices of the Railway Mail Service and are of two kinds, viz., Sorting Mail Offices and transit Mail Offices. The principal point of difference is that, while the former deal with the contents of mail bags addressed to them as well as with closed forward bags, the latter deal only with closed bags. The officer in-charge of a set of a Sorting Mail Office is designated a Head Sorting Assistant and the officer in –charge of a set of transit Mail Office, a Mail Agent irrespective of the status of the incumbent.

Consequent on the increase of corporate mail, RMS units, viz., Corporate Mail Offices/Bulk Mail Centres are opened in big cities. Each bulk Mailer, i.e., a firm which is capable of posting of 5000 unregistered articles/250 registered articles at a time is identified a bulk mailer. These bulk mailers are supplied with customized sorting list. Bundles are prepared by the bulk mailers as per the customized sorting list. The details of bundles prepared are entered in one invoice which is prepared in duplicate and brought to Bulk Mail Centre. The officer in-charge of the center verifies bundles received from each bulk mailers with reference to invoice received and group them destination-wise for further despatch.

In order to help the customers who are regularly posting maximum number of letters, Department of Posts started assistance centres which are called Mass Mailing Centres in bigger cities. The responsibility of this Centre is to receive the loose letters, circulars and blank envelopes separately from the customers and help them in writing the addresses, enclose the circulars/letters inside the envelopes and if necessary, affixing the postage stamps/franking the mail. For this purpose, Mass Mailing Centre may engage the assistance of college students, house-wives, pensioners, etc., on payment of some amount on hourly basis. To meet this expenditure, the customers will have to pay extra in addition to the postage as decided by the Department from time to time.

This sorting office is situated on the premises of the Newspaper. The entire expenditure towards wages for the establishment is borne by the Newspaper publisher apart from providing required stationery for working the sorting office. This office works to suit the dispatch timing of the newspaper and closes direct letter bags to the Post Offices/sorting offices concerned which are dispatched through local regular sorting offices.

NOTE- Mail offices located at Railway Stations are designated by the names of the stations followed by the letters RMS while those not so located are designated sorting offices, e.g., Delhi RMS Hindustan Times Press Sorting Offices.

A Record Office is a stationary office of the Railway Mail Service where the work-papers of the sections attached to it are prepared, checked and placed on record, and by which all forms, bags and stationery required for the use of those sections are supplied. The official in-charge of a Record Office is designated a Record Officer.

It is a stationary office situated at the Headquarters of RMS Division which, in addition to the ordinary duties of a Record Office is entrusted, with the preparation salary and contingent bills for the entire Division and the accounts connected therewith is termed a Head Record Office. The official incharge of a Head Record Office is designated a Head Record Officer.

A sub-record office is a stationary office of the Railway Mail Service, situated at the same station as a Mail Office, where the work papers of the Mail Office as well as the sections, if any, attached to the Sub-Record Office are prepared, checked and place on record and by which all forms, bags and stationery required for the use of the Mail Office and the sections are supplied. The official in-charge of a Sub-Record Office is designated a Sub-Record Officer. A Sub- Record Officer may also work as Head Sorting Assistant or Sub-Sorting Assistant or Mail Agent.

For avoiding unnecessary movement of bags, the new system of bag accounting has been introduced classifying PO/RMS Office into Bag Office: the office handling it as under:-

(1) Unit Bag Office (UBO).-

Every Post Office other than Branch Post Offices and EDSOs is identified as Unit Bag Office. This office is given a minimum/maximum bag balances once in a year by the Superintendent of Post Offices concerned preferably on 1st July. Each office will maintain a day bag book and submit a daily bag balance report to its District Bag Office.

(2) District Bag Office (DBO).-

Every HRO/SRO in RMS is identified as a District Bag Office. This Office will maintain bag account for all types of bags category-wise not only in respect of bags received and dispatched by the Sorting Offices and TMOs attached too them but also in respect of UBO attached to them. In exceptional cases, Head Post Offices can also function as DBO.

(3) Circle Bag Office (CBO)-

The Postal Stores Depot situated at the Headquarters of Postal Circle is identified as Circle Bag Office. This office is responsible for inspection of DBOs and UBOs and verification of balances. This office is also responsible for procurement of bags, distribution of bags, repair and auction of bags.

(4) Central Bag Office.-

‘D’ Section of Postal Directorate works as Central Bag Office. This does not deal with any bags but only deals with the correspondence relating to procurement and distribution of bags.

NOTE- Wherever the terms “Record Office’ and “Record Officer” are used, they include Head and Sub-Record Offices and Head and Sub-Record Clerks, respectively, unless there is anything to the contrary in the extent.

The term Sorting Assistant is used to designate all officials in the Railway Mail Service other than Supervising Officers, Mail Guards and Class IV servants.

A Sorting Assistant who works with a Sorting Office over only a portion of its working hours to assist the set where the work is heavy is called a Subsidiary Sorting Assistant.

The establishment of RMS Sorting Assistants which works together throughout the beat of the same section in both directions is termed a set of that particular section. Sets are numbered serially and are designated by their serial numbers preceded by the name of the section. Thus A-26/Set No. 4 denotes the fourth set of A-26 Section. Each set of the same section has the same working hours, same number of officials and the same mail exchange arrangement. The number of set of a section are determined on the basis of weekly working hours.

The establishment of RMS Sortin g Assistants which is on duty at the same time in Mail Office is termed a set. The sets of Mail Offices are numbered in a consecutive series, Set No. 1 commencing at or immediately after zero hours. Thus, Nagpur RMS/1 denotes the first set of Nagpur RMS working in the morning. Unlike the sets of a section, each set of a Mail Office has different working hours, different mail and sorting pattern. The strength may also vary depending upon the volume of work. In the case of the sets of a Mail Office working on alternate nights with the same number of officials and the same mail and sorting pattern, the words ‘Batch A’ and ‘Batch B’ shall be used in addition to the usual consecutive number. Thus:

Nagpur RMS/Set No. 3 Batch ‘A’

Nagpur RMS/Set No. 3 Batch ‘B’

The batches ‘A’ and ‘B’ will be working on alternate night.

NOTE- Suffixes like “Parcel’, “PSO”, “Regd. Packet”, “TMO”, etc., may be used to denote the Sorting Offices with particular functions and separate serials may be used for numbe ring Sets of such Sorting Offices as “Chennai Sorting Parcel Set 2”, “Bangalore City TMO Set 1” and “Bangalore City TMO Set 2”.

A journey performed by a set of a section traveling on duty from one end of its beat to the other is called a trip. The trip from the Headquarters of the set towards its out-station is called the Out-trip, while that towards its Headquarters is called the In-trip.

Station articles are articles intended for delivery from the Post Office to which they are sent but unpaid and insufficiently paid articles of the letter mail intended for delivery from sub and branch offices are, when sent to the Head Office or the sub-office, treated as station articles for the Head Office or the sub-office, as the case may be. Sorting articles are articles that are to be sorted by the Post Office or mail Office to which they are sent, and forwarded thence to offices of final destination or to other Sorting Offices.

(1) A labelled bundle is a collection of faced unregistered articles of the letter mail securely tied with a check-slip at the top. It is treated in sorting as a single article, and is opened by the office or section to which it is addressed.

(2) Labelled bundle s are of two classes, viz., station bundles and sorting bundles:-

(i) A station bundle contains station unregistered articles, and may be either a paid articles bundle, consisting of only paid articles, or an unpaid articles bundle consisting of only unpaid articles. Station bundles are prepared, ordinarily, when the number of articles – either paid or unpaid – for any office exceeds fourteen.

(ii) A sorting bundle contains both paid and unpaid unregistered articles which are not included in station bundles. Sorting bundles may be of two kinds, viz., express bundles and deferred bundles. An express bundle contains articles which require to be sorted immediately on receipt by the Mail Office or Post Office to which they are consigned, and a deferred bundle contains articles which can be disposed of later. When a sorting bundle is prepared for a state, a clearly defined tract of country, or a foreign country, it is termed a territorial bundle. Territorial bundles are prepared when the number of articles is 25 and more.

(3) Labelled bundles are not due.

Pre-sorted bundles.- These are received from the customers as well as from Post Offices. These should not be opened if they are station bundles and can be opened and sorted, only if they are sorting bundles.

A check-slip is a label tied to the top of the labeled bundle: the from is printed on paper of different colours, pink for ordinary paid and unpaid bundles, white or ordinary sorting bundles and blue with the words “Air Mail” forforeign air mail bundles. The white check-slip is used for both express and deferred bundles, the slip being marked on the face with 2 diagonal lines in blue pencil, for express bundle. The slip being marked on the face with 2diagonal lines in green colour for local articles, yellow strip in corner for Rajdhani and blue strip in corner for Metro bundles. Every check-slip bears the name and date stamps of the office which prepares the bundle, the name of the office to which it is addressed and signature infullof the officer by whom it is made up. In case of a territorial bundle, it also shows the name of the State, Territory, etc., to which the articles in the bundle are addressed as well as the office by which it is to be opened, thus:-     (Delhi Air Sorting)

Check-slips are designated to fix responsibility for the mis-sending of any article wrongly included in a labeled bundle.

A check-slip (M.O. 70) printed in red ink on white or Badami paper is prescribed for use in preparing money orders bundles for dispatch to destination. The number of money orders included in the bundle is required to noted on this check-slip.

(1) A mail bag is a bag containing unregistered and registered articles of the letter mail, viz., letters, postcards, and book and pattern packets: and also unregistered parcels, the registered articles being enclosed in a registered bag: but when a registered packet bag is prescribed, heavy registered packets, are dispatched inside the registered packet bag and not inside the mail bag. When parcel bags are not prescribed, mail bags may also contain articles of the parcel mail. A mail bag exchanged between a Branch office and a Post Office other than its accounts office, mail office or section, with which it is in direct communication contains all fully prepaid articles except V.P. and insured articles and those on which customs duty is to be realized. There are three kinds of mail bags, viz., station mail bags, sorting mail bags and combined mail bags, Mail Bags are due bags.

(2) Mail bags exchanged between a cash office and the sub-office which it finances will also contain inside the registered bag, a cash bag. These mail bags are denoted in the due mail lists of the cash office, of the sub-office and of the offices through which they transit by a distinguishing symbol “F”.

NOTE – In any case in which the Head of the Circle or the Heads of the Circles concerned consider it advantageous that the Registered bag should not be sent inside the mail bag, the Registered bag may be forwarded outside. All bags including those in the nature of ‘L’ bags should invariably be sealed. The arrangement will be clearly indicated in the Due Mail and Routing List.

A mail bag containing unregistered and registered articles to be carried by any air service under the All Up Scheme is called an airmail bag. The bag should not contain articles not intended to be carried by air. A blue dosuti bag should ordinarily be used for closing an airmail bag.

NOTE 1.- If on any occasion there is no article for dispatch in a particular air mail bag, a bag with ‘nil’ contents need not be closed, but a suitable entry should be made in the delivery bill that no bag has been closed as there was no content. If the number of articles to be dispatched is less than fifty and there is also noinsured article or air parcel for dispatch in an airmail bag, an airmail cover of suitable size should be used instead of a bag.

NOTE 2- When an air parcel is sent inside an airmail bag, the label of the bag should bear the superscription “C.A.P” to indicate that it contains air parcel.

NOTE 3.- Registered articles should not be enclosed in a bag unless their number exceeds 25 or they are bulky or there are insured articles for dispatch. But they should be bundled and tied up crosswise along with the registered list, with a suitable check-slip prominently marked ‘REGISTERED’ and the bundle should be  sealed with the registration seal on the knot which should come on the check-slip.

This bundle is to be tied lengthwise and breadth wise to ensure that no article gets loose and mixed up with unregistered articles. This bundle may then be placed in the air mail cover of bag. Whenever registered bags are used in enclosing registered articles for dispatch inside air mail bags, normal rules for closing registered bags should be followed. Whenever a bag is used for enclosing registered articles not exceeding 25 due to their bulk and unusual size, a remark should invariably be passed on the registered list to that effect.

NOTE 4.- The weight of an air mail bag or air TB should not exceed 30 kg.

(1) A registered bundle is a collection of faced, uninsured registered articles of the letter mail placed, together with a registered list, in a prescribed form of envelope, carefully gummed and sealed, or if necessary, in a dosuti bag, tied and sealed in the ordinary way, with the label showing distinctly that it is a “registered bundle” and not a ‘registered bag’. Registered bundles are not due, but are made up, ordinary, when the number of registered articles to be enclosed exceeds two; they are treated in sorting as single registered articles.

The customers booking their articles in bulk prepare station and TB bundles in the same manner as discussed above and present them at the sorting office.

(1) A registered bag contains cash bag, ordinary and V.P. registered letters and packets, insured envelopes, registered bundles, insured bundles, ordinary and V.P. money order bundles tied with a check-slip, and a registered list.

NOTE – The registered bag inside a mail bag indicated by symbol ‘P’ in the D.M. list will also contain a cash bag.

(2) A registered bag is a due bag and must be prepared, together with a registered list, whether there is a cash bag or registered articles for dispatch or not.

(3) The registered list sent in registered bags which are prescribed to contain a cash bag must invariably bear, in addition to the Registration Date-Stamp impression, the impression of the treasury date-stamp of the office closing the bag, or in offices where there is no treasury date-stamp, the round money order stamp of the Sub-Postmaster.

This bag contains Speed Post articles, Speed Post Money orders and a Speed Post list. In the Speed Post list, the number of articles and the office of booking in invariably written and totals are struck at the bottom.

(1) An insured bundle is a collection of insured letters enclosed, together with a registered list, in an insured envelope, or if necessary, in a dosuti bag, properly closed and sealed, showing distinctly on the envelope or the label of the bag that it is an “Insured Bundle”. Insured bundles are not due, but are made up ordinarily, when the number of insured letters for dispatch to a Post Office is more than one; they are treated in sorting as single insured envelopes. When the number of insured letters and I.Bs to be disposed of through a Mail Office is usually more than ten, a separate insured letter bag addressed to that mail office may be prescribed to be closed as a separate due bag. The insured letter bag should be dispatched inside the registered bag with suitable remarks in the registered list.

An insured bag is intended to give cover to insured parcels (including insured V.P. parcels) so as to afford them greater security. Insured bags do not come under the category either of due or unusual bags nor do they contain any list of their contents, these being detailed in the ordinary parcel list. An insured bag is never dispatched loose, but is always enclosed in a parcel bag or mail bag. It is placed inside the parcel bag when a parcel bag is made up for the office or section to which it is addressed; when a parcel bag is not made up, it is placed inside the mail bag. However, in large parcel sorting offices, when insured parcel bags are closed separately, double canvas bags should be used for the purpose of ensuring security.

(1) A registered packet bag contains heavy registered packets and a registered list. Registered packet bags are prescribed when justified. They are treated as due mails and entered under the column for entries of mail bags in the mail list with the remarks ‘RP’ against the entry. When prescribed, they must be closed irrespective of the fact whether there are any registered packets or not. Such registered packet bags may also be closed, though not due, when the Registered packets intended for any office or section cannot, due to their bulky size, be included in the registered bag. In such cases, a remark ‘RP bag closed’ is to be given in the registered list of the due registered bag.

(2) Packet bag. –

Bags returned empty to UBO/DBO/CBO/PO or sacks containing such bags are treated as packet bags. Packet bags are not due bags and when dispatched they are treated as unusual mail.

A transit bag is used to enclose several bags sent to the same office or section thereby affording protection to them, and securing the disposal in transit of only one bag in place of several. A transit bag must contain a mail list. Transit bags are due bags.

An account bag is used between a sub-office and its Head Office to enclose cash bags and articles, documents, etc., connected with accounts as well as correspondence unconnected with accounts, from the Head Office to one of its sub-offices and vice versa. When sent by the Head Office to the sub-office, it contains the S.O. slip and when sent by the sub-office to the Head Office, it contains the S.O. daily account. Account bags may be loose or enclosed in mail bags made up by Post Offices and Mail Offices. Account bags are due bags. They should contain all types of postal articles posted in SOs deliverable at HO and vice versa.

A branch office bag is used between a branch office and its account office to enclose cash bags and all articles, documents, etc., exchanged with the account office. Branch office bags may be sent loose or enclosed in mail bags made up by Post Offices and Mail Offices. Branch office bags are due bags.

A cash bag is used to enclose remittances of cash between Post Offices. Cash bags are not due bags. They are ordinarily dispatched enclosed in account bags, registered bags, or branch office bags, but may also be sent loose in the charge of postman, village postman, overseer, or other subordinate.

A special bag is used to enclose correspondence of the high officers of Government mentioned in the Post Office Guide, Part-I, as entitled to the privilege, and the correspondence of the Director -General of Posts when on tour. A special bag contains unregistered and registered articles of the letter mail, the latter

being tied in a separate bundle with the registered list in which they are entered placed on top. Special bags are not due bags, but when dispatched they are treated as unusual mails.

A camp bag is used to enclose the office files and other official papers, and is closed by the Secretariat or Headquarters offices of the high officers mentioned in Clause 198 of Post Office Guide, Part-I, for the High Officer-in-Camp, and vice versa. Camp bags are not due bags, but when dispatched, they are treated as unusual mails.

A telegraph cover (Form T.I. 60) is used to enclose express telegrams, telegraph envelopes closed by Post Offices, telegraphic advices, etc., when their transmission in the ordinary course as service registered letters is likely to cause delay in their disposal, and one must always be used to enclose telegraph envelopes received from local telegraph office for dispatch to another telegraph office. The6y are treated as unusual mails and sent loose, but may in exceptional circumstances be enclosed in a mail or transit bag.

A Railway Station, where the beats of two transit sections join and where the mails brought by one of them are handed over to the other, is called a changing station

A connecting section is an RMS section working in a train in immediate connection with another train in which another RMS section works. If the interval between the arrival of one section and the departure of another is sufficient to connect bags being made up by a mail office at the junction station, the sections are not termed “connecting sections”.

The expression overtime duty means the duty performed under the orders of the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Inspector or Record Officer by a Sorting Assistant, Mail Guard, Van-Peon, Porter, or other staff of the RMS after the completion of prescribed term of duty.

Rest-houses are houses or rooms provided at terminal or changing stations for the accommodation of Mail Agents, Mail Guards and Van Peons where absolutely necessary.

When a lot of bags are available at distant places, Cage TB facility is utilized. For instance, Chennai Central Station TMO has got 350 bags intended for the delivery at Howrah Station. If these bags are given to the Section leaving Chennai Central Section TMO, viz., TP-16-OUT, all these bags are required to be handled by TP-16-OUT and other intermediary sections, viz., V-10-IN, V-14- OUT and N-2-IN. If the Cage TB facility is used, the Chennai Central Station TMO can load all the bags in a partition in the Mail Van of the train (TP-16-OUT) and lock the partition so that TP -16-OUT and other intervening sections need not handle these bags. This partition which is locked sealed and labeled by Chennai Central Station TMO can be opened only by the Mail Agent at Howrah Station TMO after N-2-IN reaches Howrah Station. Cage TB facility avoids unnecessary handling of bags by intermediate sections.

A press packet is a packet containing newspapers intended for sale by a news-agent recognized as such and marked for delivery from the Railway Mail Service van at the Railway station to which it is addressed.

A orders are orders issued by a Superintendent, RMS prescribing changes in sorting lists.

B orders are orders issued by a Superintendent, RMS for the guidance of the subordinates in the performance of their duties in Mail Offices on all subjects except alternations in sorting lists.

NOTE – The letter ‘T’ will be prefixed to the letter ‘B’ in the case of ‘B’ orders issued in connection with the disposal of camp articles and camp bags for high officials on tour.

The expression work-papers means the documents received and dispatched by a set of a Transit Section or Mail Office as well as abstracts and other documents prepared by it while at work.

The due mail list shows the details of bags to be received and dispatched by a Mail Office/ Transit Section. It will show

(a) in what cases mail lists are to be dispatched and received with loose bags

(b) transit bags are to be used

(c) account bags and B.O. bags are to be sent or received in mail bags,

(d) in the case of sub-office, the mail bags containing cash bags enclosed in registered bags.

The sorting list will show

 (a) for what offices, mail bags and registered bags are to be made up

(b) to what offices parcel mail articles may be sent direct and the manner in which they must be dispatched.

The term due mail comprises all the bags, articles and documents which must be dispatched every day or at regular intervals. The terms unusual mail comprises parcel bags, packet bas, special bags, camp bags, telegraph bags and any other bags not included in the term “due mail”.

The face of an article is the side on which the address is written. The terms ‘facing’ means the arrangement of articles with the address-side upwards and the addresses turned in the same direction.

The term beat used in relation to a RMS section means the portion of a Railway or Steamer line over which the section works. When used in relation to postal overseers and delivery agents, such as, postmen, village postmen, etc., it denotes the area within which they are required to perform their respective duties. A beat includes Post Office served by the official concerned..

Late letters are letters presented at the window of a Post Office or Mail Office or posted in the letter box of a Mail Office after the prescribed hour of closing the mail but within the interval allowed for posting of such letters with the prescribed late fee affixed in addition to the postage.

“Too late” letters are those posted within such interval but without having been fully prepaid with postage and late fee. These are stamped “Detained late fee not paid” and detained till the next dispatch.

A mis-sent article is an article which has been erroneously forwarded by an office to an office other than the office of destination or by a route other than the prescribed one. A mis -directed article is a vernacular article on which the incorrect destination has been written in English by the office of posting.

Trial cards are service Post Cards [M 26 (a)] which are employed for the purpose of determining the relative advantage of alternative mail routes or the cause of detention to articles. A trial card contains on the back the

following printed columns, viz.,

(1) Source of receipt (2) Remarks, mis connection,etc., (3) Manner of disposal, (4) Date stamp of the Office or Section, (5) Signature of Head Sorting Assistant/Postmaster/Supervisor. All these columns should be carefully illed in by the Head Sorting Assistant, the Postmaster or Supervisor of each office or section handling the card and on reaching the destination the Postmaster should also note the date and hour of the mail conveying the card and the date and hour of delivery of the card before the same is returned in a service cover to the officer by whom it was issued. The card should be forwarded by the route if any, marked therein and should not be included in any station bundle.