Postal Regulations 1935 (Amendment)

Legislation au C1942L00439 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

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STATUTORY RULES.

1942. No. 439.

 

REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1934.*

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934.

Dated this fourteenth day of October, 1942.

(SGD.) GOWRIE.

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

Postmaster-General.

 

Amendments of the Postal Regulations.†

Regulation 61 and 61a of the Postal Regulations are repealed and the following Regulations inserted in their stead:—

Electoral papers.

“61.—(1.) Postal articles containing electoral papers may be sent by post free of charge from or to electoral or police officers if—

(a) the articles contain only the electoral papers specified in sub-regulation (2.) of this regulation;

(b) the words ‘Electoral Papers Only, Post Free’ are printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when they are posted without envelopes or wrappers; and

(e) When posted by electoral or police officers to persons who are not electoral or police officers, the articles bear, printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when the articles are posted without envelopes or wrapper, the name and address of the sender.

(2.) This regulation shall apply only to—

(a) Electoral forms (including rolls) provided for by the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918-1940 or any regulations made thereunder;

(b) Commonwealth and joint forms (including rolls) used wholly or partly for Commonwealth purposes, provided for by any joint regulations made in pursuance of any

 

* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on     , 1942.

† Statutory Rules 1935, No. 3, as amended by Statutory Rules 1935, Nos. 53, 70, 80 and 95; 1936, Nos. 50 and 113; 1937, Nos. 13, 35, 37 and 48; 1938, Nos. 2, 55, 94 and 100; 1939, Nos. 44, 57 and 66; 1940, Nos. 1 and 238; and 1942, Nos. 5 and 313.

6398.—Price 3d.         20/3.9.1942.


arrangement entered into by the Commonwealth and any State for the preparation, alteration and revision of electoral rolls; and

(c) Referendum papers provided for by the Referendum (Constitution Alteration) Act 1906-1936 or by any regulations made thereunder.

(3.) This regulation shall not apply to—

(a) Joint and other forms, not provided for by the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918-1940 or by any Regulations made thereunder, or by any joint Regulations, which are used in connexion with the Electoral Acts of the Commonwealth and those of any State;

(b) Forms (including rolls) provided for in the joint Regulations which are used solely for State purposes;

(c) Registers of voters interleaved for correction addressed to electoral registrars; and

(d) Packages of obsolete electoral material, such as obsolete forms and similar matter.

(4.) The sender of articles which, under this regulation, are entitled to transmission by post free of charge, shall pay the prescribed registration fee on all such articles when sent by registered post.

Civilian registration papers.

“61a.—(1.) Postal articles containing civilian registration papers provided for by the National Security (Man Power) Regulations may be sent by post free of charge from or to electoral or national service officers if—

(a) the articles contain only the civilian registration papers specified in sub-regulation (2.) of this regulation;

(b) the words ‘Civilian Registration Papers Only—Post Free’ are printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when the articles are posted without envelopes or wrappers; and

(c) When posted by electoral or national service officers to persons who are not electoral or national service officers, the articles bear, printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when the articles are posted without envelopes or wrappers, the name and address of the sender.

(2.) This regulation shall apply only to the forms (including Identity Cards) provided for by Part III. of the National Security (Man Power) Regulations and required to be filled in and transmitted thereunder.

(3.) The sender of articles which, under this regulation, are entitled to transmission by post free of charge shall pay the prescribed registration fee on all such articles when sent by registered post.

Rationing papers.

“61b.—(1.) Postal articles containing rationing papers provided for by the National Security (Rationing) Regulations may be sent by post free of charge from or to rationing or electoral officers if—

(a) the articles contain only the rationing papers specified in sub-regulation (2.) of this regulation;


(b) the words ‘Rationing Papers Only—Post Free’ are printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when the articles are posted without envelopes or wrappers; and

(c) when posted by rationing or electoral officers to persons who are not rationing or electoral officers, the articles bear, printed or written on the envelope or wrapper, or upon the papers themselves when the articles are posted without envelopes or wrappers, the name and address of the sender.

(2.) This regulation shall apply only to—

(a) ration books, (with or without an accompanying acknowledgment form) enclosed in sealed envelopes or wrappers;

(b) special purchase permits (with or without an accompanying acknowledgment form) enclosed in sealed envelopes; and

(c) forms associated with the issue of ration books sent by rationing or electoral officers to other rationing or electoral officers or to postmasters.

(3.) The sender of articles which, under this regulation, are entitled to transmission by post free of charge shall pay the prescribed registration fee on all such articles when sent by registered post.”.

 

By Authority: L. F. Johnston, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra.

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1942, No. 439, issued under the authority of the Governor-General in Council, amends the Postal Regulations of the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934 to provide free postage for certain specified postal articles related to electoral, civilian registration, and rationing purposes during World War II. This legislative instrument aims to facilitate the efficient and cost-effective distribution of essential materials required for electoral processes, civilian registration for national service, and rationing efforts, thereby supporting the war-time administrative needs of the Commonwealth. The Regulations are designed to ensure that these critical communications are transmitted without the burden of postal charges, provided that they meet the stipulated conditions such as the type of papers contained and the labelling of the postal articles.

Scope and Application

The Statutory Rules 1942, No. 439, made under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934, provide specific regulations concerning the free transmission of certain postal articles. These regulations apply to articles containing electoral papers, civilian registration papers, and rationing papers, and they are intended for use by electoral or police officers, electoral or national service officers, and rationing or electoral officers, respectively. Each set of papers must be clearly marked with the appropriate designation to qualify for free postage, and the sender's name and address must be included when sending to non-officers. The regulation specifies that these free transmission provisions do not extend to joint and other forms used in state electoral acts, forms solely for state purposes, registers of voters, and obsolete electoral material. The sender is required to pay the prescribed registration fee if the articles are sent by registered post. This legislative instrument applies nationally within the Commonwealth of Australia and its territories. The scope of the regulations is further defined and potentially extended through subordinate instruments, which may provide additional clarification or specific conditions under which these provisions apply.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of these regulations (Regulations 61, 61a, and 61b) outline the conditions under which certain postal articles can be sent free of charge. Regulation 61 allows for the free postal transmission of electoral papers under specific conditions, including the labelling of envelopes or wrappers as “Electoral Papers Only, Post Free” and the inclusion of the sender's name and address when necessary. Regulation 61a similarly permits the free postal transmission of civilian registration papers, provided they are correctly labelled as “Civilian Registration Papers Only—Post Free” and include the sender's name and address when applicable. Regulation 61b facilitates the free postal transmission of rationing papers, requiring that they be labelled as “Rationing Papers Only—Post Free” and include the sender's name and address when necessary. These regulations are specific in detailing which types of papers qualify for free postage, thereby ensuring compliance with the stipulated requirements. The obligations imposed by these regulations primarily concern the correct labelling and content of the postal articles. Senders must ensure that the articles contain only the specified types of papers and are correctly marked to qualify for free postage. For electoral papers, this means adhering to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918-1940 or joint regulations, and for civilian registration papers, this means following the National Security (Man Power) Regulations. For rationing papers, adherence to the National Security (Rationing) Regulations is required. Additionally, when sending these articles to non-official recipients, the sender must include their name and address on the envelope or wrapper. Failure to comply with these labelling and content requirements can result in the articles not qualifying for free postage. In terms of consequences for non-compliance, the regulations do not explicitly state penalties for breaches of the labelling or content requirements. However, any articles that do not meet the specified criteria for free postage would not qualify for the exemption and would be subject to standard postage fees. The regulations do state that the sender must pay the prescribed registration fee for any articles sent by registered post that qualify for free postage under these regulations. This implies that there are financial repercussions for misuse of the free postal service, as non-qualifying articles would incur regular postage charges.

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Definitions & Interpretation
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Postal articles containing electoral papers
Postal articles containing civilian registration papers
Postal articles containing rationing papers

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