N.° 115.

HEADQUARTERS, DIVISION OF CUBA,

Havana, July 21, 1899,

By direction of the Military Governor, the following Postal Code is hereby promulgated and declared to be the law relating to Postal affairs in Cuba.

All laws and parts of laws heretofore and now existing in the Island of Cuba inconsistent with the provisions of this order are hereby declared null and void.

SECTION 1.

Duties of Director-General of Posts.

The Director-General of Posts of the Island of Cuba, appointed by the Postmaster-General of the United States and subject to his authority, shall have control and management of the Department of Posts.

It shall be his duty, to establish such general offices and bureaus and service in connection therewith as in his judgment may be necessary to the proper conduct of the business of said Department, and to appoint persons to perform the duties appertaining thereto and to fix their compensation; and he is hereby invested with the power to remove such persons when in his judgment the good of said service requires it;

To establish post-offices and discontinue the same when necessary, and appoint and remove postmasters and such other persons whose services may be connected with post-offices as may be necessary to properly conduct the business thereof;

To appoint all other persons employed in the transportation, collection, and delivery of the mails, and for the performance of any other duty which in

612430

his judgment may be required; to fix the compensation of each, and to remove such persons when in his judg ment such action may be necessary;

To establish and promulgate rules and regulations not inconsistent with the Rules and Instructions promulgated by the Secretary of War under date of May 11, 1899, to carry into effect the Executive Orders relating to the Military Government by the United States in the Island of Cuba, or such amendatory or supplementary orders as may hereafter be issued for said purpose, for the collection and disbursement of the revenues arising in the Department of Posts of Cuba, and to keep or cause to be kept proper accounts of all such receipts and expenditures;

To enter into contracts or agreements for the transportation of the mails over post-roads in said island, and to prescribe such rules and regulations as may in his judgment be necessary to the enforcement of such contracts or agreements;

To enter into all such other contracts and agreements as in his judgment may be necessary to the proper conduct of the service of said Department in all its branches, and to establish and promulgate rules and regulations therefor; and

To prescribe all rules and regulations, not inconsistent with existing laws in said Island or such laws as may hereafter be enacted or promulgated, as in his judgment may be necessary for the management and conduct of the business of said Department, and to do all things that may be necessary to give full force and effect to the powers hereby vested in him; and the rules and regulations heretofore adopted and promulgated by him are hereby ratified and continued.

SECTION 2.

Bonds may be required of postmasters and others.

The Director-General of Posts is hereby authorized and empowered to require of postmasters, contractors, and all other persons employed in the Department of Posts who shall be charged with the duty of handling or caring for money or property belonging to or in use by the Department of Posts, or who may be under contract for the performance of personal or other services connected therewith, or for the transportation of the mails, or for the furnishing

of supplies, the execution of bonds, with surety to be approved by him, conditioned for the faithful performance of such services in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations of said Department, or the furnishing of supplies according to the terms and conditions in said bonds set out.

SECTION 3.

Post-roads.

All navigable streams and waterways in the Island of Cuba, and all navigable waters surrounding said island, including the adjoining and nearby islands forming a part thereof, and within the maritime jurisdiction of said islands, during the time the mails are carried thereon, all railroads and parts of railroads which are now or may hereafter be in operation; all public roads and highways while kept up and maintained as such; and all letter-carrier routes established in any city, town, or place, for the collection and delivery of mail matter, are hereby declared to be postroads.

SECTION 4.

"Island of Cuba".

The term "Island of Cuba", as used in the laws herein promulgated, shall be held to include all the mainland and islands adjoining, under the present government in control by virtue of the military occupation by the United States.

SECTION 5.

"Dollars".

The term "Dollars", as used in the laws herein promulgated, shall be held to mean dollars in money of the United States of America, or their equivalent.

SECTION 6.

Conducting post-office without authority.

Whoever, without authority from the DirectorGeneral of Posts, shall set up or attempt or claim to

keep any office or place of business bearing the sign, name, or title of post-office; or whoever, not being duly appointed a postmaster or other officer or employee of the service of the Department of Posts, shall establish or maintain in any city, town, village, borough, or place at which a post-office has been or may hereafter be established, any office, or other premises at, through, or from which mail matter shall be delivered or received for delivery or mailing, or at which boxes for the delivery of such mail matter shall be leased, rented, or sold; or whoever, not being authorized as hereinbefore mentioned, shall establish or maintain in any such city, town, village, borough, or place any such office or premises as aforesaid, and for pay or hire, or otherwise, deliver or receive thereat for delivery any mail matter, or shall lease, rent, sell, or permit the use of boxes for the delivery of such matter, shall, for every such offense, be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both such imprisonment and fine: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to forbid the delivery or receipt for delivery of letters addressed to the office of any newspaper or periodical and intended for advertisers therein.

Whoever shall willfully and knowingly intrude himself into any office or employment in the service of the Department of Posts to which he has not been appointed or employed or otherwise assigned or designated; or whoever, being a postmaster or other person, employed in the service of the Department of Posts, shall willfully and knowingly and without authority exercise any of the functions of any such office or employment after his term of office or employment has expired by limitation of law or by removal, and shall refuse to surrender possession of any such office or employment upon demand to a special agent or other duly accredited agent of the Department of Posts acting under authority of the Director General of Posts, or to a successor duly appointed and qualified upon presentation of his commission or credentials; or whoever, without authority from the Director

General of Posts, shall enter the working part of any post-office, being all that part which is not open to the public, or in anywise interfere with the transaction of business therein, or take possession of said office, or of any mail matter, records, or other property therein, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than five years, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by both such imprisonment and fine.

SECTION 8.

Falsely personating officer, etc., of Department of Posts.

Whoever, with intent to defraud either the Department of Posts of the Island of Cuba or any person, falsely assumes or pretends to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the Department of Posts of Cuba, or any officer thereof, and who shall take upon himself to act as such, or who shall in such pretended character demand or obtain from any person or from the Department of Posts of Cuba, or any officer or employee thereof, any money, paper, document, or other valuable thing, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisonment for not more than three years, or both of said punishments.

SECTION 9.

Falsely pretending to be in civil, military or naval service of United States, etc.

Whoever not being in the civil, military, or naval service of the United States, shall willfully represent himself to be in such service for the purpose of enabling him to send to or receive from the United States any mail matter at a less rate than that provided by law and the rules and regulations of the Post Office Department of the United States or of the Department of Posts of Cuba for those not in such service, shall for every such offense be punishable by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars or imprisonment not to exceed sixty days, or both such fine and impris

onment.