Postal, Telegraphic and Telephone Regulations (Amendment) (Cth)

Ex. Min. 470. Commonwealth of Australia.

Postmaster-General’s Department,

30th October, 1902.

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IS Excellency the Acting Governor-General in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, by and with the advice of the Executive Council thereof, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Post and Telegraph Act 1901 and the Post and Telegraph Rates Act 1902, has been pleased to make the following regulations, to take effect on and from the 1st day of November, 1902.

JAMES G. DRAKE,

Postmaster-General.

REGULATIONS RELATING TO METEOROLOGICAL TELEGRAMS.

1. Subject to these regulations meteorological telegrams may be transmitted free of charge—

(a) From the principal meteorological officer of a State to the principal meteorological officer of another State; or

(b) From the principal meteorological officer of a State to an authorized observer at a reporting station; or

(c) From an authorized observer at a reporting station to the principal meteorological officer of a State.

Where cable charges have to be paid on meteorological telegrams they must be paid by the sender.

2. A meteorological telegram shall be sent as a message, and shall contain current meteorological information only, and must be in code and be concisely expressed, and, if a weather report, must contain not more than twelve words; and, if hot a weather report, must contain not more than twenty words.

3. Meteorological telegrams shall only be sent when necessary, and shall not take precedence of ordinary telegrams.

4. All places from which meteorological reports were, before the 9th day of September, 1902, sent periodically to the principal meteorological officer of a State shall be deemed to be reporting stations, and the person in charge of any such station shall be deemed to be an authorized observer.

5. New reporting stations may be established with the consent in writing of the Postmaster-General, but not otherwise.

6. The words “principal meteorological officer of a State” shall include the principal of a Meteorological Department subsidized by a State.

7. The value of the services to be performed by the Postmaster-General’s Department shall not as regards any State exceed in any year the value of the like services performed in the year ending on the 31st day of October, 1902, and, if the latter value is exceeded, the principal meteorological officer of the State shall pay to the Deputy Postmaster-General in that State the amount of the excess.

8. Meteorological telegrams hot complying with these regulations shall be charged for as ordinary telegrams.