25. If the amount be deposited at a Sub Post Office, the deposit or will receive, in addition to the receipt in his Pass-book, an acknowledgment from the Head Office, which will generally be the office at the head-quarters station of the district. This acknowledg ment will be delivered to him in ordinary course through the Post Office. If it should not reach the depositor in proper time, or if, when it reaches him, it should show any signs of erasure, or should not agree with the entry in the Pass-book, the depositor should immediately apply to the Postmaster of the Head Ofice. the name of which is in the Passbook, and renew his application again and again until he receives a satisfactory reply.

MODE OF WITHDRAWING MONEY.

26. When a depositor wishes to withdraw money, he must present his Pass-book personally or by agent (whose name must be entered in the application for withdrawal) at the Post Office at which his account stands, with a printed form of application for withdrawal, which can be obtained at the Post Office. signed by himself, and showing the balance at his credit and the amount which he wishes to withdraw. If he is unable to write, he must attend personally and affix his mark or seal to the application. to be attested by the signature of a witness. Should he be absolutely unable to attend personally, he must have his mark or seal affixed to the application, and attested by some respectable witness, and the Postmaster will make payment to the person presenting this application with the Pass-book. after satisfying himself, by such inquiry as he may think proper, of the inability of the depositor to attend, and of the genuine character of the applica

tion.

27. Should any person other than the father, or if the father is dead. the mother, wish to withdraw money from an account opened on behalf of a minor and claim to do so as guardian of such minor, he will be required to fill in, on a prescribed form, answers to the following questions and will only be allowed to withdraw money on the order of the Postmaster-General in accordance with rule 40:

(a) What is your relationship to the minor?

(b) Is the father or mother of the minor dead, or are both parents dead? What near relatives of the minor are alive?

(c) Have you been appointed guardian of the minor by will or deed or under any enactment in force in British India? (If the reply to this question is in the affirmative the applicant should produce the documents on which he relies to support his claim).

(d) Are you an adult relative of the minor, and does he reside with you or is he maintained by you?

NOTE. In the case of withdrawals made from accounts opened on behalf of minors the father or other guardian of the minor must sign the following certificate on the application for withdrawal :

"Certified that the amount sought to be withdrawn is required for the use of the minor."

28. The amount to be withdrawn will be entered in the Pass book and a fresh balance struck, as in the case of a deposit, under the initials of the Post-master and the dated stamp of the office. The amount will then be paid to the depositor or to the person presenting the Pass-book and application, and his receipt taken, in all cases without a receipt stamp, on the Warrant of Payment.

29. If the amount be withdrawn at a Sub-Post Office, payment cannot be made until a Warrant of Payment is received from the Head Office.* The depositor, therefore. or other person presenting the Pass-book and application. will be informed of the date on which he should come to the Post Office to receive payment. and will have the Pass-book returned to him. On presentation of the Pass-book on that date or any subsequent date after the arrival of the Warrant of Payment, th amount will be paid to the depositor, or other person presenting the Pass-book, and his receipt taken, in all cases without a receipt stamp, upon the Warrant. The necessary entries will then be made in the Pass-book, under the initials of the Sub-Postmaster and attested by the stamp of the office.

*NOTE.- Except in the case of certain selected Sub-Offices which are authorized to grant Warrants of Payment.

INTEREST.

30. Interest will be allowed at the rate of 3} per cent. per annum, until further orders, on all deposits, subject to the conditions of this rule. This interest will be allowed for each calendar month on the lowest balance at credit of an account between the close of the fourth day and the end of the month: provided that interest shall only be calculated at the rate of three pies a month on every complete sum of five rupees : provided also that no higher monthly interest than Rs. 9-6-0 shall be allowed on the balance of any account, except as provided for under Rules 9,10, and 12.

31. The interest calculated as above for each month will be ad led to the balance of each account after the 15th of June of each year. Depositors will be called upon to present their Pass-books in order that the necessary entries may be made in them. If the Passbook be not presented for this purpose, in response to the notice sent by the Post Office to the depositor, the entry will be made on the next occasion when a deposit is made or when money is withdrawn.

NOTE.-Pass-books of depositors in Sub-Post Offices will be sent to the Head Office for the purpose of adding interest under this rule.

TRANSFER OF ACCOUNTS.

32. A depositor may have his account transferred free of charge to any Post Office that is a Savings Bank, provided that the acount shall have been in existence for three months previous to the transfer. If he should wish to transfer his account, he must present his Pass-book at the Post Office personally, or send it with a written application for transfer. The Pass-book will be returned to the depositor who shoull present it as soon as possible at the Post Office to which his account has been transferred. A depositor in a Presidency Savings Bank may, by application to the Presidency Savings Bank, have his account transferred, free of charge, to any Post Office Savings Bank.

CLOSING AN ACCOUNT.

33. When a depositor wishes to close his account, he must present his Pass-book with a form of application for withdrawal of the net amount at his credit. The amount of interest due on his account up to the end of the calendar month preceding the date of presentation, will be entered in the Pass-book. and a final balance struck. The amount will then be paid to the depositor, and his receipt taken on the Warrant of Payment. The Passbook will be retained in the Post Office. If the application for closing an account be presented at a Sub Office. the same procedure will be followed as in the case of an ordinary withdrawal, except that the l'ass-book will be retained.

34. If an account be closed under the orders of the Comptroller, Post Office, notice in writing will be sent to the deposito", requiring him to present his Pass-book and receive payment of his balance at his credit as soon as convenient. After the date of such notice, no deposit will be accepted on the account so closed, and no interest will be allowed upon the balance after the end of the calendar month preceding such date.

RE-OPENING AN ACCOUNT.

35. A depositor who has once closed an account cannot open another account until after the expiration of three months from the date of closure, without the permission of the Comptroller, Post Office; and a depositor whose account has been closed by order cannot open a fresh account in any case without the permission of the Comptroller, Post Office.

DEAD ACCOUNTS.

36. Accounts in respect of which no transactions have taken place for the periods specified below will be treated as "dead' and no subsequent deposit or withdrawal will be allowed in the case of such accounts without the previous orders of the Comptroller, Post Office,

NOTE.- By "transaction" in this rule is meant not only a deposit or withdrawal but also the entry of interest which has accrued on an account, which entry is made annually on presentation of the l'ass-book for the purpose.

Procedure to be followed in cases of succession and guardianship.

37. If a depositor should die, leaving in a Post Office Savings Bank a sum of money not exceeding one thousand rupees, and if probate of his will or letters of administration of his estate, or a certificate granted under Act No. XXVII of 1860 be not produced to the Postmaster-General within three months of the death of the said depositor, the PostmasterGeneral may pay the said sum of money to any person appearing to him to be entitled to receive it or to administer the estate of the deceased.

38. Balances in excess of Rs. 1,000 may be paid on production of probate, letters of administration or a certificate under Act XXVII of 1860, unless otherwise ordered by the Director General of the Post Office, who has discretionary power to dispense with such evidence in cases where he is of opinion that to require it would cause hardship, and that to dispense with it would involve no appreciable risk.

39. If any depositor become insane or otherwise incapable of managing his affairs, and if such insanity or incapacity be proved to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General, then the Postmaster-General may, from time to time, make payment out of the deposits to any

proper person.

40. When any person other than the father, or if the father is dead, the mother, claims to withdraw money from an account opened on behalf of a minor as being the guardian of such minor, the Postmaster-General may authorize the applicant to withdraw money from the account for the minor's use in accordance with the following rules :-

(a). Where the applicant claims as gu: rdian duly appointed by will or deed, on production of the documents supporting the claim.

(b). Where the amount of the account does not exceed Rs. 250 and the applicant does not claim to have been appointed by will or deed, upon his giving evidence to the satisfaction of the Postmaster-General that he (the applicant) is the guardian of the minor.

(c). Where the amount of the account exceeds Rs. 250 and the applicant does not claim to have been appointed guardian by will or deed, upon the applicant produc ing a certificate of administration granted under Act XL of 1858 or Act XX of 1864. (d). In any case of doubt the applicant (not being the father or mother of the minor) may be required to produce a certificate of administration under Act XL of 1858 or Act XX of 1861 before payment is made to him.

NOTE.-An authority given by the Postmaster-General under (b) will not hold good for a subsequent withdrawal if the balance of the account then exceeds Rs. 250.

PURCHASE, SALF, AND CUSTODY OF GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.

Purchase of Government Securities.

41. Any bona fide depositor, whose account has been in existence for not less than three months, may invest the amount of his balance or a portion of it in Government Securities through the Post Office. Any such depositor may also purchase, through the Post Office, Gov. ernment Securities not exceeding in nominal value Rs. 1,000 in one year and Rs. 3,000 in all, by tendering in cash the amount necessary to complete the purchase. A written application should be presented, together with his Pass-book, by a depositor desiring to make an invest ment under this rule. The application will then be forwarded to the Comptroller, Post Office, who will take the necessary steps for making the purchase through the Comptroller-General. (a). The paper purchased will be of the 4 per cent. loans, unless 4 per cent. paper is specially applied for.

(b. The investor may also specially apply that the paper remain in the custody of the Comptroller-General. In this case the Comptroller General will, if necessary, transfer the paper to the 4 per cent. loan of 1865. The investor may at any time apply through the local Post Office for the delivery to him of paper thus held by the Comptroller-General. If application is not made under this clause, the paper pur chased by the Comptroller-General will be enfaced for payment of interest at the local treasury, and forwarded to the Post Office for delivery to the investor.

SALE OF GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.

42. Any depositor may apply for the sale through the Post Office of Government Securities which have been purchased for him throu the Post Office, whether held by himself or held for him by the Comptroller-General. If the securities are presented with the application, they must be endorsed in favor of the Comptroller-General.

SAFE CUSTODY OF GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.

43. A depositor may tender at a Post Office Savings Bank, for safe custody by the Comptroller-General. Government Securities which have been purchased for him through the rost Office. The amount so tendered must not exceed in nominal value Rs. 1,000 in any year, or Rs. 3,000 in all. The Securities so tendered must be endorsed to the Comptroller-General.

INTEREST ON GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.

44. long as the Government Securities remain in the custody of the Comptroller. General, interest, when due. will be drawn and advised to the local Post Office Savings Bank through the Comptroller, Post Office, for credit to the depositor's account.

FEES.

45. The following fees will be charged :-

On purchase: 4 annas per cent.

On realization and remittance of interest: 4 annas per cent. on the amount of the interest. On delivery out of custody: 4 annas per cent. unless the application for delivery is made within a year of the purchase.

On sales: 4 annas per cent. and any actual outlay upon brokerage.

POWER OF GOVERNMENT TO ALTER RULES.

46. The Governor-General in Council reserves the right to alter or add to these rules at any time.

(Government of India, Resolution No. 1729, dated 9th April 1888, published in the Supplement to the Gazette of India, dated 14th idem, page 695).

(c). RESOLUTION. -The Comptroller-General submits for orders a proposal originated by the Government of Bombay

(i). To permit contractors to make security deposits in the Savings Banks; and

(ii). To grant interest on the actual amount of such deposits without reference to the limit laid down by Rules IV and VII of the Savings Banks Rules.

2. The Comptroller-General objects to the principle of this proposal, on the ground that such deposits do not come within Rule II or Rule XII of the Rules, and that they should be made in the form of deposits of Government paper.

3. The admission of these deposits is no doubt foreign to the general object of the establishment of Savings Banks, and, as a rule, it is proper and more convenient that they should be made in Government paper.

4. But the practice of allowing Contractors' deposits in certain cases to be placed in Savings Banks has existed for a long time, and by the proceedings of August 1872 the rule, by which such deposits were permitted, was extended to "all Government Savings Banks in India and to all moneys deposited as security for the performance of contract or of public duties." The plan has proved to be of great practical advantage to petty contractors, and it is extensively worked in some places.

5. The Governor-General in Council will not therefore change the practice in respect to the admission of such deposits in Savings Banks: but as the principle of the concession applies only to deposits of small amounts, His Excellency in Council considers it inexpedient to permit any relaxation of the ordinary rules as regards the yearly amount of deposit or the maximum monthly interest allowable.—(Government of India No. 771, dated 23rd May 1881).

(d). See NOTE (e), 12, 20, 21, 22, 31 to Act I of 1879.

ACT No. VIII of 873.

(Passed on the 11th February 1873).

An Act to regulate Irrigation, Navigation, and Drainage in Northern India.

Preamble.

Whereas, throughout the territories to which this Act extends, the Government is entitled to use and control for public purposes the water of all rivers and streams flowing in natural channels, and of all lakes and other natural collections of still water; and whereas it is expedient to amend the law relating to Irrigation, Navigation, and Drainage in the said territories; It is hereby enacted as follows:

Short title.

Local extent.

PART I.

PRELIMINARY.

This An be called "The Northern

India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873":

It extends to the territories for the time being respectively under the government of the Lieutenant Governors of the North-Western Provinces and the Punjab, and under the administration of the Chief Commissioners of Oudh and the Central Provinces; and applies to all lands, whether permanently settled, temporarily settled, or free from revenue.

2. Repealed by Act XII of 1873.

Interpretation-clause.

'Canal."

3. In this Act-unless there be something repugnant in the subject or context

(1) "Canal" includes

(a) all canals, channels, and reservoirs constructed, maintained, or controlled by Government for the supply or storage of water;

(b) all works, embankments, structures, supply and escape-channels connected with such canals, channels or reservoirs ;

(c) all water-courses as defined in the second clause of this section;

(d) any part of a river, stream, lake, or natural collection of water, or natural drainage-chaunel, to which the Local Government has applied the provisions of Part II of this Act;

(2) "Water-course" means any channel which is supplied with water from a canal, but which is not maintained at the cost of Government, and all subsidiary works be longing to any such channel;

"Water-course.”

(8)

"Drainage-work"

"Drainage-work" includes escape-channels from a canal, dams, weirs, embankments, sluices, groins, and other works for the protection of lands from flood or from erosion, formed or maintained by the Government under the provisions of Part VII of this Act, but does not include works for the removal of sewage from towns ;