The Short Title of this Act shall be “The New Zealand Post Office Act Amendment Act 1866.”

In the interpretation of this Act the words “the said Act” shall mean “The New Zealand Post Office Act 1858.”

Every letter and packet which shall be opened under the provisions of the said Act or this Act or any regulation made under the said Act (if it contains any valuable or saleable enclosure) shall be safely kept and a list thereof together with a memorandum of such contents shall be made and preserved and the Postmaster-General or officer in immediate charge of the Post Office Department shall (unless such contents shall have been posted or shall be in fraud or violation of the said Act or this Act or of any Act relating to the Customs or of any regulation or order made under the authority of the said Act or with intent to evade payment of the postage properly chargeable on the letter or packet containing them) cause notice of such letter or packet and of the said contents to be sent to the person to whom the same is addressed if he be known or otherwise to the writer thereof if he be known And upon demand by the first-mentioned person if known and if unknown by the last-mentioned person if known the said letter or packet and its contents shall (unless as last aforesaid) be delivered to the party so making such demand But if neither of such parties can be found or shall make such demand within three months after the sending of such notice or if the said contents shall have been posted or shall be in fraud or violation of the said Act or this Act or of any Act relating to the Customs or of any regulation or order made under the authority of the said Act or with intent to evade payment of the postage properly chargeable on the letter or packet containing them the said letter or packet shall be destroyed and its contents forfeited unless the Governor shall direct the said contents to he restored to the writer or sender of the said letter or packet And if the contents aforesaid shall contain money or a security or order for money payable to bearer the money or proceeds of such order or security shall be paid into the Treasury and form part of the ordinary revenue and if the contents aforesaid shall not be money or a security or order for money payable to bearer the same may be destroyed sold or converted into money in such manner as the Postmaster-General or officer in immediate charge of the Post Office Department may direct and the proceeds shall form part of the ordinary revenue.

Every newspaper which shall be opened under the provisions of this Act or the said Act or any regulation made thereunder may be forthwith sold destroyed or used for any public purpose unless before such sale destruction or use thereof the same shall be claimed and the postage (if any) due thereon shall be paid by the person to whom the same is addressed But if such newspaper shall have been posted or shall contain any enclosure in fraud or violation of any Act relating to the Post Office or Customs or of any regulation or order made under the authority of the said Act or with intent to evade payment of the postage properly chargeable thereon the said newspaper shall be sold destroyed or used as aforesaid and anything which shall be enclosed in or with or accompany such newspaper or the cover thereof shall be forfeited for the purpose of suing and any security or order for money shall be deemed to be the property of the Postmaster-General And if such enclosure or accompaniment shall be money or a security or order for money payable to bearer the money or proceeds of such security or order shall be paid into the Treasury and form part of the ordinary revenue and if such enclosure or accompaniment shall not be money or a security or order for money payable to bearer the same may be destroyed sold or converted into money in such manner as the Postmaster-General or officer in immediate charge of the Post Office Department may direct and the proceeds shall form part of the ordinary revenue.

Postage upon any letter and newspaper respectively specified in the Schedule to this Act shall be levied according to the scale and at the rate set forth and indicated in and by the Schedule to this Act this section shall not apply to letters posted for transmission abroad.

Every copy of a paper containing any public news or occurrences or any remarks or observations thereon or upon any political matter or containing only or principally advertisements and printed for sale or for gratuitous distribution may be sent by post as a newspaper if it shall be periodically published in parts or numbers at intervals not exceeding one month and every such part or number shall for the purposes of the said Act and this Act be deemed to be a separate newspaper and for the purposes of this Act every packet or paper which by any regulation made under the said Act and for the time being in force is directed to be treated as a letter shall be deemed to be a letter.

If any person shall put into any Post Office or into any pillar or box for the receipt of letters packets or newspapers to be sent by post any explosive dangerous or destructive substance or liquid or any matter or thing likely to injure any letter packet or newspaper or the person of any officer or servant of the Post Office he shall be guilty of felony and shall be liable at the discretion of the Court to penal servitude for any term not exceeding seven years or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years and with or without hard labour.

Any person who shall wilfully break or injure any pillar or box for the receipt of letters packets or newspapers shall pay to the Postmaster-General compensation for or the value of the injury done to be assessed by the adjudicating Justices and shall also be liable to a penalty not exceeding twenty pounds such penalty and compensation or value to be recovered in a summary manner before two or more Justices of the Peace.

Section five of this Act shall come into operation on the first day of January one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.