Telephone Regulations (Amendment) (Provisional) (Cth)

STATUTORY RULES.

1909. No. 30.

 

PROVISIONAL REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby certify that, on account of urgency, the undermentioned amended Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901, namely:—

Telephone Regulations.

Part I., Telephone Exchanges,

should come into immediate operation, and make the amended Regulations to come into operation forthwith as Provisional Regulations.

Dated this nineteenth day of March, One thousand nine hundred and nine.

DUDLEY,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

JOSIAH THOMAS.

 

Telephone Regulations.

1. In these Regulations Statutory Rules, 1906, No. 114, are referred to as the Telephone Regulations.

2. Regulations 4, 5, and 6 of the Telephone Regulations are hereby repealed.

3. After Regulation 7 of the Telephone Regulations the following Regulations are inserted:—

7a. (1) All telephone lines, instruments, and fittings in connexion with the telephone system, except where otherwise provided by these Regulations, shall be erected and supplied by the Postmaster-General, the cost being borne by the Government, and no persons, except employés of the Department, provided with proper means of identification, are to be allowed to interfere with or make any additions or alterations to any wires, instruments, or fittings under the Department’s control. In the event of any such interference the subscriber concerned will be liable to have his line disconnected.

(2) The following shall be the charges payable for each of the different classes of service specified:—

Minimum Annual Charge.
In Telephone Networks having a Population of—	Radius of Network with Main Exchange as centre.	For an Exclusive Service.	For each Subscriber or Instrument on a Two-party Service.	For each Subscriber or Instrument on a Three or more Party Service.
Miles.	£s.d.	£s.d.	£s.d.
From 1 to 10,000............................	5	3 0 0	2 10 0	2 0 0
„ 10,001 to 100,000......................	10	3 10 0	2 15 0	2 5 0
„ 100,001 upwards.......................	10	4 0 0	3 0 0	2 10 0

In all cases where submarine cables or other special arrangements are required in the construction of a line, the charges shall be fixed according to circumstances.

For the foregoing charges, the Postmaster-General will provide and maintain all necessary Exchange equipment, subscriber’s line not exceeding 2 miles in length radially, and one telephone wall-set per subscriber.

For all effective calls, the subscriber will be charged at the following rates :—

For calls not exceeding 2,000 half-yearly, two calls for One penny.

For calls above 2,000 half-yearly, three calls for One penny.

Fractions of a penny will be charged as One penny,

No charge will be made to the subscriber for calls received by him.

Calls made on the business of the Postmaster-General by any duly authorized officer will not be charged.

(3) Accounts for calls will be rendered half-yearly, and must be paid within fourteen days. (See also Regulation 14.) A statement of account certified by a responsible officer of the Department as being correct shall be accepted as primâ facie evidence of the number of effective calls originated by the subscriber.

7b. (1) After the 19th day of March, 1909, no new subscriber to a Telephone Exchange shall be accepted at the rates prescribed by Regulation 7, and all new subscribers to a Telephone Exchange shall pay the rates prescribed by Regulation 7a.

(2) Every person other than the persons mentioned in Regulation 34 who is a subscriber to a Telephone Exchange at the 19th clay of March, 1909, shall pay the rates prescribed by Regulation 7a from and after a date to be specified in a notice to be issued to him by the Postmaster-General or by some person authorized by the Postmaster-General.

(3) Such notice shall determine the agreement at present existing between the Postmaster-General and the subscriber from the date specified in the notice, and Regulation 7 shall not thereafter apply to such subscriber.

4. Regulation 25 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by adding at the end thereof the following paragraph :—

This Regulation shall apply only to subscribers who pay the rates prescribed by Regulation 7.

5. After Regulation 25 of the Telephone Regulations, the following Regulation is inserted :—

25a. (1) Persons occupying offices in the same building, or occupying the same private residence, may jointly subscribe under the one Exchange number, on payment (in addition to rental as for one person at the respective rates prescribed by these Regulations) of £1 per annum for each additional subscriber.

(2) This fee covers the insertion of the additional subscriber’s name in the Telephone List.

(3) The original subscriber shall pay to the Postmaster-General all charges in connexion with the line, but may charge to the second subscriber any agreed proportion of such charges.

(4) If additional instruments are required the subscribers shall pay the rates prescribed for Party Lines. (See Regulation 7a.)

(5) This Regulation shall apply only to subscribers who pay the rates prescribed by Regulation 7a.

 

Printed and Published for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by J. Kemp, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.