APEX POSTAL ACADEMY

POSTAL MANUAL
VOLUME VII
RAILWAY MAIL
SERVICE

20. Stamps and seals –

(1) Every set is supplied with the following stamp and seals:

a) a date stamp
b) a name stamp
c) a date -seal
d) ‘Detained Late Fee Not Paid’ stamp

(2) Each set of a Sorting Mail Office is further supplied with an

insurance seal, enclosed in a box provided with a lock and
key. The insurance seal must always remain in the possession
of the Head Sorting Assistant who will be held responsible for
its safe custody.

(3) With each date-stamp and seal is supplied a type-box, on the

lid of which is painted the designation of the section or office
and the number of the set to which the box belongs. Type-
boxes, containing the type not in use and the name stamps
are kept in the Record office (except those offices/sections the

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staff of which are exempt from RO attendance.)

NOTE: In addition, special date seals are supplied to the

registration and parcel departments, when there are separate
registration and Parcel Sorting Assistants, and to the mail
departments of a Sorting Mail Office where the duties connected
with the exchange of mails are performed by an official other than
the Head Sorting Assistant. Also ‘Detained Late Fee Note Paid’
stamp is supplied to mail offices/sections which deal with letter
box clearance.

22. Portfolio and its contents –

1. Each set of a section is supplied with a portfolio, provided with

a lock and key, and bearing the designation of the section and
the number of the set to which it belongs painted on it.

2. In the portfolio should be carried:

Acme covers Wax heater;
Bundles of work papers; Due Mail Lists;
Stamps & seals ; Memo of distribution of work
Writing materials; Error book;
Box of ‘safety’ matches Carbolic Soap Cake/Cakes;

First Aid Box; Order Book;

Duster; Book of service message
forms;
Ink pad with tin case Telegraph Message Code;
Parrot-billed scissors; Type tweezer;
Pen knife Brass files for papers;
Poker Rubber stamping pad;

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Type Boxes and Type Stamps {Carried only by those sections

Exempt from RO Attendance}

3. The portfolio will always remain the personal custody of the

Head sorting Assistant/Mail Guard who will be responsible for
its safety, and to enable him to do so, the means for locking up
or securing portfolio will be provided both at headquarters and
outstation.

4. In a sealed bag should be carried :

1. Sweeping brush
2. Labels for bags
3. Late fee notice board
4. Jute twine
5. Ball twine
6. The seal holders and wooden blocks sealing wax

7. Stamp brush;

8. Covers, etc.

5. Both at Headquarters and outstations, the portfolio, the sack

bag containing empty bags (for the use of the section with mails
or those to be returned to Record Office) and the sealed bag
referred to in Para. (4) above should be dispatched to and
received from the mail, record or Post Offices by the set of the
section concerned with a remark on the mail list. These entries
should not, however, be included in the total struck at the foot
of the mail list.

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23. Stationery :-

1. The stationery rate list issued by the Superintendent shows

the quantity or number of the articles of stationery to be
supplied to each set of every section and mail office in the
Division.

2. The Head sorting Assistant of a mail office, should at the

commencement of each day’s work, give out a stock
sufficient only for the day’s requirements, and the
remainder of the articles should be kept under lock and key.

3. The Head sorting Assistant of each set of the various

Sections attached to a Record Office will be supplied by the
Record Officer, on the 1st of every month, with a month’s supply of stationery,
for which he will give receipt in the stationery register. He should keep this
stock in a spare bag which, after he has given out the articles required for the
set for one trip, should be closed and sealed with the date seal of the set and
deposited for custody, under lock and key, by the Record Officers in the box
provided for it at the Record Office. At the end of the month, the unconsumed
articles (if any) should be detailed and deposited.

28. Preparation of daily report (M.S.83). –

1. The Head Sorting Assistant is required to submit to the

Superintendent (or the Superintendent (Sorting) as the case may
be)through the Record Officer, a daily report in which the irregularities
observed by him, or reported to him by the other Sorting Assistants of
the set must be brought to notice. The daily report should be written

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by the Head Sorting Assistant from the rough notebooks of the set. A
list of the important irregularities etc. is given in the next rule. In making
each entry, the Head Sorting Assistant should write, in the appropriate
column, first the name of the office/section of the official at fault or
otherwise concerned, and following this a brief statement of the
occurrence, worded as concisely as possible, but furnishing all necessary
particulars. In every case in which a telegraph/fax is dispatched by the set,
the message should be copied into the daily report where the time of
dispatch, class and name of the station from which it was sent, should
also be mentioned. These particulars should be taken from the copy of
the message left in the book of service messages. Telegrams/faxes
received by the set should be attached in original to the daily report, the
action (if any) taken on them being stated in the report. If the Head
Sorting Assistant is empowered to apply for extra train accommodation,
he should forward with his daily report a carbon copy of the requisition
made by him for such accommodation.

2. The entries in the daily report should be numbered in one

consecutive series for each report, and each entry neatly copied in
a form of extract report, which should bear the same number as
the entry to which it relates.

3. In Mail Offices where LSG Supervisors have been sanctioned in

addition to LSG/HSG Head Sorting Assistants, each LSG
Supervisor will submit a daily note in a prescribed form to the
Head Sorting Assistant who will forward it to the Divisional
Office through the Record Officer along with hide daily report.
On receipt of these daily notes in the Divisional Office, they will
be carefully scrutinized and after taken necessary action filed
along with the daily report of the Head Sorting Assistant.

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4. Supervisor, Speed Post Centre will also use the same format
MS (83) for submitting his daily report to the Manager, Speed Post.

39. Mail abstract (M.42 for Transit Sections and M-43 for Mail
Offices) –

1. The mail abstract is divided into two parts, viz., “Mails” and
“Bags”.

2. The former (or part headed “Mails” ) shows, on the left hand side
under the head “Receipts”, the number of due mails due to be
received and the number actually received, and the number of
unusual mails received, the bags opened by the section or office and
forward bags being shown separately; and on the right-hand side
under the head “Dispatches”, the number of due mails due to be
dispatched and the number actually dispatched, the bags closed
by the section or office and forward bags being shown separately.
The totals of forward bags on both side should agree.

3. The latter (or part headed :Bags”) shows, on the left-hand side
under the head “Receipts”, the number of empty bags of each
description due to be received from the UBO/DBO as the case
may be, and on the right-hand side under the head “Dispatches”
the number of bags of each description due to be dispatched with
the due mails closed by the section or office and number actually
dispatched, the number dispatched and the number returned to
the record or sub-record office. The totals on both side should
agree. Particulars of the bags received and dispatched (including
insured bags and bags used as coverings for paid station and
registered bundles) are given on the reverse of the form.

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4. The mail abstract also shows in what cases due mails, opened
or closed by the section or office, or forward bags which are not
accompanied by mail lists are received for dispatched short or in
excess of the number due, with an explanation in each case of the
cause of the difference, and in what cases the description of bags
received or dispatched with due mails opened or closed by the
section or office, or as surplus due bags, differs from the description
due.

5. The information as to the number of due bags to be

received/opened by the set and the number of empty
canvas/drill bags to be received with due bags opened is to be
provided by the Record Officer, before issue of mail abstract to the
set.

NOTE: 1 The bags used for extra mail and transit bags, paid station
bundle and registered bundles, if any, addressed to or made up by
a transit section or sorting mail office should be accounted for in
the mail abstract in the same way as bags received and dispatched
with unusual mails, except that a reference should be placed
against the entry of the number in the body of the abstract under
head “ Details of unusual bags” and the remark “including
(number) extra bags” preceded by a similar sign should be written
in the blank space at the foot of the form. The bags used for extra
transit bags addressed to or made up by a transit section or mail
office should be accounted for in the mail abstract in the same way,
except that the word “extra” should be substituted for the work
“unusual’ in the printed entry on the face of the form and in the
heading on the reverse.
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NOTE: 2 In the case of sections, the entries for the out and in trips are
shown separately in the mail abstract.

40. Exchange of Mail –

1. The Due mail list of a section shows the stations and that of mail
office the hours at which mails are received and dispatched and
also the details of the mails and in what cases they will be
enclosed in transit bags.

2. The Mail Agent/Mail Guard of a section or any other official

specified for the purpose should, on the arrival of the train at
station where mails are to be exchanged, take delivery of the mails
for the set before giving out those for dispatch, and the Mail
Agent/Mail Guard of a mail office should first make over the bags
for dispatch and then take delivery of those of the office.

EXCEPTION - At important stations where a large number of bags

is exchanged, the Head of Circle may authorize the Mail Agent/Mail
Guard of a section to deliver his mails before receiving those for
onward transmission, in order to make room in the mail van.

3. The carrier (Head Sorting Assistant, Mail Agent, Mail Peon, or

other official appointed for the purpose) who exchanges mails
with a section is not permitted to enter the van and whenever
possible, the bags should be passed through the door / window
of the van. Mails exchanged between a mail office and the local
Post Office should be received and delivered at the door of the
mail office, the carrier not being permitted to enter.
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NOTE: 1 – The Postmaster-General may where considered

necessary, permit officials of mail office to enter the mail van of
a section to help in loading or unloading mails.

NOTE: 2 - The Head Sorting Assistant, Mail Agent or any other

official of a mail office may enter the mail van of a section for
opening or closing cage TBs prescribed in the due mail list.

NOTE : 3 - The exchange of mail should be done at both the

doorways of main entrance and mail carriage portions of the
sections whenever it is necessary and prescribed.

4. In all cases of exchange of mails, where no mail list is used,

the receipt should be taken for a bag in receipt book by the Post
Office, mail office or section. In other cases, receipt should be
taken by the mail carrier in the Mail Peon’s Book (Form MS-28).

NOTE : 1 Every section must carry spare loose forms of mail

list to prepare the triplicate copy of Mail list, prescribed in this rule,
when necessary.

NOTE : 2 In large mail offices and sections where it would be

impracticable for the Head Sorting Assistant or other official to
whom the duty is delegated by the Head of Circle to be performed
on behalf of the Head Sorting Assistant to personally attend to
the duties connected with the exchange of mails, part or whole
of the work may under the orders of Head of Circle be performed
by an official or officials specially appointed for the purpose or the
Second Sorting Assistant, as the case may be, the duties so
distributed being shown in the memo of distribution of work
issued by the Superintendent. In such offices and sections, the

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official concerned and the Head Sorting Assistant must enter in the
mail lists exchanged from time to time every bag or article
transferred from one official to another, the signature of the
receiving officer being taken in the mail lists concerned.

41. Cage T.B –

If the Case TB of a mail van is addressed to the mail
office of a terminal station by a mail office of originating
station, the Head Sorting Assistant should enter the van and
after examining the seal and fastening to ascertain whether
they have been tampered with or not, should open the Cage TB
and examine the seals, cords, labels and condition of the bags
and check them with the mail list contained in it. The bag
should then be taken delivery of. The key of the Cage T.B is
to be forwarded in a sealed cover.

42. Disposal of mails addressed to a section or mail office

1. The transit bags (if any) addressed to a section or mail office
should be opened by the Mail Guard or Mail Agent himself, and
the bags especially the account bags and branch office bags
enclosed in them should be carefully examined and compared
with the entries in the mail lists, which will be found inside the
transit bags. In the case of a sorting mail office, the bag
addressed to office itself, whether taken out of transit bags
or received loose, should be dealt with first and disposed of
in the following manner :-

(a) Parcel bags should be entered in the mail abstract and then
transferred, under receipt (to be taken in the parcel abstract) to
the Parcel Sorting Assistant ; and

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(b) Mail bags, branch office bags and packet bags should be dealt
with in the manner prescribed by the rules in the next chapter.

2. The forward bags including sacks containing surplus unusual

bags received by section, whether taken out of transit bags
or received loose, should be separated and disposed of in the
following manner :-

a. Those to be delivered at stations within the beat of the

section should be at once placed in the transit bags in
which they are to be forwarded or if no transit bag is
prescribed, they should be hung on separate hooks in the
order of the stations at which they are to be delivered.

b. those to be delivered at the terminal station should be

hung up together on the hooks at one end of the van;
sacks addressed to the Record office to which the section
is attached should be placed in the bag provided for the
purpose.

3. The forward bags received by a sorting or transit mail office,

whether taken out of transit bags or received loose, will remain
in the custody of the Head Sorting Assistant until it is time to
dispatch them ; and so long as the bags are not disposed of, they
must be kept locked up in the mail box, the key of which must
always be retained by the Head Sorting Assistant on his person.

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45. Closing of transit bags –

1. When a transit bag is to be made up, the bags, due and
unusual, to be dispatched in it should be checked with the
entries in the mail list. The condition of each bag, the cord with
which it is tied, the label and the seal, must be carefully
examined by the Head Sorting Assistant/Mail Guard/Mail Agent
and bags, with the mail list, placed by him in the transit bag,
which should then be labeled and closed and sealed in the
manner prescribed.

2. Transit bags must always be closed and sealed in the presence,

and under the direct supervision, of the Head Sorting
Assistant/Head Mail Guard/Mail Agent.

105. Duties and responsibilities of the Mail Guard or Mail Agent –

1. The duties of the Mail Guard or Mail Agent comprise the work
connected with the receipt, custody, sorting and dispatch of articles
posted in the van or office and of closed mails. His responsibility begins
when articles are cleared from letter-boxes or when closed mails are
made over to him by a section, office or carrier, and continues until the
bags are delivered or dispatched to destination. The Mail Guard or Mail
Agent has nothing to do with the articles contained in the closed mails
made over to him for disposal, but transit bags addressed to the section or
office are opened and the bags contained in them are disposed of by him.

2. The Mail Guard or Mail Agent is responsible that the articles and
bags dealt with by him are carefully examined, properly treated and
correctly disposed of, that the contents of transit bags and-in the case of a
transit mail office authorized to perform registration work – of the

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registered bags and registered bundles closed by him are correct; that the
bags and bundles are securely fastened and properly labelled and sealed;
that torn or otherwise unserviceable bags are not used; that all
irregularities and unusual occurrences connected with his work are
promptly detected and brought to notice; and that his work -papers are
completed and correctly prepared.

115.Final duties before quitting van or office.-

1. The Mail Agent or Mail Guard should examine the fittings, lamps etc., of
the van to see that nothing has been damaged or lost. He should replace the
stamps, seals, books, etc., in the portfolio, put the empty bags for return to the
Record Office in the bag provided for the purpose and label and seal the
letter bag. He should then give out the mails to be delivered and, if the
trip is ended at a changing station, make over the mails, for the relieving
set to the office in charge together with the sectional mail list.

2. The Mail Agent should examine and check the articles detailed
in the List of Articles and see that the articles of stationery, stamps, seals,
books etc., are carefully put away; that the bag containing empty bags for
return to the record office is labeled and sealed; that the mail box is
properly secured and that the office room is swept and everything
arranged in a tidy and orderly manner. He should then lock the office
room and retain the key in his personal custody if there is no relieving
Mail Agent, but if there is a succeeding set he will make over the deposit
mails under entry in the mail list and hand over charge of the office to his
reliever.

137. B.Orders and TB orders.-

1. On receipt of a B order from the Superintendent, the Record

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Officer should have it neatly copied by one of the sorting assistants into
the guidance book of each set concerned.
The T.B. orders or the Tour orders received from the Superintendent
should be filed separately in a guard file. The Record Officer should
explain the meaning of the order to all Sorting Assistants including the
Head Sorting Assistants or to the Mail Guard who should initial the order
in evidence of having understood it.

2. The Record Officer must see that all the B. Orders that concern
a set – and only these - are copied into the guidance book of the set and
he will be responsible for any omission or error in this respect.
(3) When B. Orders or T.B. Orders become obsolete or are
cancelled or amended, the remark “Cancelled (or amended) by B. Order
or T.B.Order No. (No.) of 20…., See Page (No.)” should be written,
under the Record Officers signature in the case of B. Orders across the
copies of the B. Orders in the guidance books of sets, a similar remark,
omitting the page reference, being also written across the original orders
in the guard file. The order so cancelled should be mentioned by the
record clerk in his daily report. The B. Orders and T.B. Orders for each
year should be filed in a guard book, in the consecutive order .
Spare copies of T.B. Orders will be supplied only to a Mail
Office or section the staff of which have been exempted from Record
Office attendance; provided, that the Mail Office is not located in the same
building as the R.O. or has different working hours from the R.O.
Even in that case, only one guard file of T.B. Orders should be mainlined
for use of all the sets of mail office and the guard file should rotate from
set to set. In the case of important and big mail offices, the Head of the
Circle may order that a separate guard file of T.B. Orders should be
maintained by each set of the mail office.
(4.2) An index of T.B. Orders, should be maintained in the
prescribed form with each guard file in Record Offices and Mail Offices

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APEX POSTAL ACADEMY

concerned.

EXCEPTION- B.Orders should not be copied in the guidance book

of the mail offices located in the same building as the sub-record offices
and having the same hours as those of the sub-record offices

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