Page 243 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

Chapter XI. 217

Such was the arrangement made in Constantinople. You will perceive that the Turkish
official by this moans is not permitted within the letter post office; 6uch a procedure would
not be considered advisable.”
192. Colonel Mocklcr mado tlio following observations and suggestions in
regard to the now procedure prescribed in
Ibid, No. 239.
bis letter No. G85, dated 18th November
1591, to the Government of India:—
The special points in which the new procedure will essentially differ from the present
arc :—fl) the presence of a Turkish Customs olficial at the first opening of the parcels mail
bags after their being landed from the ship bringing them ; (2) the furnishing to a Customs
official of invoices or lists showing the number, weight, value, etc., of each article contained in ■
each bag before the seals of the bags arc broken ; (3) the duty of convoying the bags to tho
Customs House by the Customs o(ficials after giving receipts or signing duplicate invoicos.
At present the parcels bags arc opened, without any Turkish official being present, by
the Postmaster who comi arcs tho contents of the bags with his lists, and who then lakes
them to the Custom Houso whero a receipt for the parcels produced is mado out in Turkish,
sigued, and delivered to tho Pus! master ; the actual delivery of tho parcels to the addressees
being made on the production by them of delivery orders from the Postmaster, and payment
of duty, which latter proccduro will still be followed.
With regard to rulo of procedure (1) in the Ambassador’s despatch under reference which
direct? that “ before the arrival of each ship containing parcels a list showing the number,
weight, value, etc , should be supplied to the Custom House,” I would point out that it is
impossible (unless parcels arc detained in the Indian Post Ofliqes for a week after they arc posted
which would bn very inconvenient and unfair to the public) that such a list, lists or invoices
can be furnished before the arrival of the ship (as regards Basrah and Baghdad), because tho
parcels arc despatched together with the invoices ; such invoices also, it may be not d, under
the Inland system, contain only the official numbers or numbers of each parcel, nothing as to
contents, weight and value. I am submitting to the Ambassador at Constantinople that if
,r before the breaking of the seals ” of the parcel bags duplicate invoices bo handed to the Cus­
toms official deputed to receive and take charge of them, such procedure should 6ati-fy all
requirements.
In any c.v=c it will be necessary for instructions to he issued to the Indian Postal author”
ities to order despatching Post Offices to 6cnd invoices in duplicate for each bag of parcels
showing number of parcels in each bag, official number of each parcel, weight of each
parcel, declared contents and declared value of e tch parcel, such invoices being either put into
tho loiter bags or preferably into separate " coloured ” bags marked “ Invoice
193. The last proposal of Colonel Mocklcr was sanctioned by tho Govern*
_ mont of India (Foreign Department letter
No. 149-12., dated 25th January 1S92, to
Colonel Mockler).
194. In March 1S95 the Basrah Customs Master insisted on examining postal
parcels in the Custom House, in the first
External A., December 1895, Xoi. 92-97.
instance. Colonel Mockler drew attention
of the Consul at Basrah to the new procedure laid down as regards Baghdad aud
instructed him to have it adopted at Basrah.
I
195. One of tho abuses that grew iu the customs houses at Baghdad and
Basrah, who received charge of t he postal
Undelivered precis at fla^bdad and llaiiah.
Exiernal A., October I89J. parcels, was that when addresseos were
not found or could not or would not re­
ceive them, they wero detained for indefinite periods without being returned to
their senders. Tho Turkish Customs Masters tried to make out that all un­
claimed parcels at Baghdad were made over to the British Post Offices for
return to the sender, except those parcels containing worn clothes, which were
returned direct to their " place of origin.” The Turks moreover claimed to
inspect all undelivered parcels before being returned.
190. In his letter to the Embassy No. 470, dated 8th July 1S03, Colonel
Mockler, however, showed that there were at the Baghdad Customs Office several
parcels, which had been roecived as far hack as January 1.892; amoug which
there was only one containing “ worn apparel.” He, moreover, explained to
the Embassy tho difficulty there would be in returning parcels that had boon
opened for inspection, for neither the sendor nor the British Post Offices would
be bound to accept parcels, whoso seals had been broken and whose contents
bad been meddled with.
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