Postal, Telegraphic and Telephone Regulations (Amendment)

Legislation au C1911L00113 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

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STATUTORY RULES.

1911. No. 113.

 

REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1910.

(Issued provisionally as Statutory Rules 1911, No. 69.)

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the under-mentioned amended Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901-1910, namely:—

General Postal Regulations.

Poste Restante, Private Mail Bags, Official Correspondence—State of Western Australia.

Postal Regulations.

Late Fees, Newspapers.

Telegraphic Regulations.

Telegrams within the Commonwealth—Extra rates after ordinary business hours, and on Sunday, Christmas Day and Good Friday; Replies may be prepaid.

Telephone Regulations.

Part I.Telephone Exchanges; Part XI.—Time Signals; Part XII.—Telephone Lines not connected with Exchanges; Part XV.—Telephone Lines in Country Districts partly erected by the Postmaster-General, and which connect with Telephone Exchanges; Part XVII.—Erection of Public Telegraph or Telephone Lines under Guarantee,

to come into operation on the 12th day of August, 1911.

Dated this 24th day of July, 1911, One thousand nine hundred and eleven.

DUDLEY,

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

JOSIAH THOMAS.

 

 

 

C.11340.—Price 3d.


General Postal Regulations.

The Regulations under this head (Gazette No. 26 of 5th June, 1902) are amended by inserting immediately before the Regulations under the sub-head of “Undelivered mail matter,” the following new sub-head and Regulation:—

“Poste Restante.

“The privilege of having correspondence addressed “Poste Restante” or to a post-office to be called for, shall not be allowed for a longer period than six months at any office from which there is a delivery by Letter Carrier and in cases where the addressee resides within the limits of delivery.

Private Mail Bags.

The Regulations under this head (Gazette No. 26 of 5th June, 1902, page 245) are amended—

(1) by omitting from Regulation 5 the words “for such of its contents as may have been registered,” and inserting in their stead the words “for all registered articles and parcels enclosed in the bag’’; and

(2) by inserting after the words “registered articles” in Regulation 6 the words “and parcels.”

Official Correspondence—State of Western Australia.

The Regulation under this head (Statutory Rules 1904, No. 45, as amended by Statutory Rules 1908, No. 6) is amended by adding, after the word “corner,” the following new paragraph:—

“Postal articles addressed to the District Surveyors at Bridgetown, Albany, Geraldton, Northam, Narrogin, or Perth, enclosed in envelopes having thereon the words ‘District Survey Office’ (and the name of the town) in the right-hand top corner.”

Postal Regulations.

Late Fees.

The Regulation under this head (Gazette No. 26 of 5th June, 1902, page 236, as amended by Statutory Rules 1908, No. 107) is amended by omitting the words “letters and packets” wherever those words occur, and inserting in their stead the words “all unregistered postal articles except newspapers and parcels.”

Newspapers.

Regulation 1 under this head (Gazette No. 26 of 5th June, 1902, page 242, as amended by Statutory Rules 1910, No. 48) is amended by omitting all the words in clause (c) after the word “registered,” and inserting in their stead the following words:—

“a fee of 5s., and a statutory declaration by the applicant declaring—

(1) that the publication is printed and published within the Commonwealth for sale, and not for free distribution to any great extent;

(2) that a total of at least 75 per centum of the copies to be issued will be sold to bonâ fide subscribers who have ordered the paper, or be handed or posted to persons for bonâ fide sale.”


Telegraphic Regulations.

Telegrams within the Commonwealth—Extra rates after ordinary business hours, and on Sunday, Christmas Day, and Good Friday.

The Regulation under this head (Statutory Rules 1908, No. 107) is amended by inserting after the words “press telegrams” the words “and official telegrams sent in connexion with Federal Referenda.”

Replies may be Prepaid.

The Regulation under this head (Gazette No. 26 of 5th June, 1902, page 257) is amended by omitting the word “State” from the first paragraph, and inserting in its stead the word “Commonwealth.”

Telephone Regulations.

Part 1—Telephone Exchanges.

Regulation 10a under this head (Statutory Rules 1908, No. 20) is amended—

(1) by inserting after the figure and word “5 miles,” in subparagraph (b) of paragraph (3), the words and signs “(measured radially)”;

(2) by inserting at the end of sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph (3) the following words:—

“calculated on the actual length of line, and not on the radial distance”;

(3) by inserting after sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph (3) the following sub-paragraph:—

“(c) When party lines are connected under this Regulation, the charges for so much of the actual length of line as extends more than five (5) miles beyond the limits of the network, shall be at the rate prescribed by Regulation 8, plus fifty (50) per cent.”

Sub-paragraph (a) of Regulation 19 under this head (Statutory Rules 1906, No. 114) is amended by adding at the end of the first paragraph thereof the following proviso, viz.:—

“Provided that this condition may be waived in the interests of the Department in cases where the Postmaster-General considers it necessary.”

Part XI.—Time Signals.

Regulation 79 under this head (Statutory Rules 1906, No. 114, as amended by Statutory Rules 1907, No. 74) is amended—

(a) by adding the words “and Weather Forecasts” after the words “Time Signals” in the heading;

(b) by adding the following Regulation:—

79a. (1) Subscribers to telephone exchanges who are outside networks of State capitals or other large centres, may, on payment of an annual fee of 30s., be supplied by telephone with the daily Weather Forecast, and occasional notes concerning flood waters and impending storms, issued by the Commonwealth Meteorologist.


(2) Such service shall be provided for a period certain of one year, after the expiration of which period payment shall be made half-yearly, under the conditions as to discontinuance laid down in Regulation 11 in respect of ordinary telephone services.

(3) The fees shall be paid in advance.

Part XII.Telephone Lines not connected with Exchanges.

Regulation 80 (1) under this head (Statutory Rules 1908, No. 73) is amended by inserting after sub-paragraph (b) the following sub-paragraph:—

“(c) Where, in any quarter-mile of line, portion of the wire is on new poles and portion on existing poles, only one charge, namely, £1 per annum, is to be made for such quarter-mile.”

Part XV.Telephone Lines in Country Districts partly erected by the Postmaster-General, and which connect with Telephone Exchanges.

The Regulations under this head (Statutory Rules 1906, No. 114, as amended by Statutory Rules 1909, No. 56) are amended by adding at the end of clause (2) of Regulation 109, the following words:—

“Provided that if licensee brings to the telephone exchange instruments provided by the Department which have been used on the line and have become defective, such instruments shall be repaired, so far as ordinary defects due to fair wear and tear are concerned, by the Department, free of charge.”

Part XVII.Erection of Public Telegraph or Telephone Lines under Guarantee.

Regulation 119 under this head (Statutory Rules 1906, No. 114, as amended by Statutory Rules, 1911, No. 62) is repealed, and the following Regulation inserted in its stead:—

119. The sum deposited with the Postmaster-General shall be paid to the Trust Fund, and such sum shall be available for the purpose of making good, in any year, seventy-five per centum of any amount by which the yearly receipts from the line fall short of a minimum revenue, and the sums required for that purpose may be withdrawn from the Trust Fund, and the accrued interest thereon, where necessary, may also be drawn from an expenditure vote and paid to the Consolidated Revenue Fund at such times as the Postmaster-General thinks proper.

 

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

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1911, No. 113, titled "Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1910", were enacted to amend the existing postal, telegraphic, and telephonic regulations, addressing various gaps and issues in the delivery and operation of postal and communication services within Australia. These regulations were made under the authority of the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council. The overarching policy objective of these regulations was to streamline and modernise the postal and communication services to better serve the growing needs of the Commonwealth. The amendments cover a range of areas including post restante privileges, private mail bags, official correspondence, late fees for unregistered postal articles, extra rates for telegrams, prepayment of telegram replies, telephone services, and weather forecasts for telephone subscribers. These regulations sought to introduce efficiency improvements and additional services while ensuring that the operations remained within the financial and administrative frameworks set by the Commonwealth.

Scope and Application

The Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1910 govern postal, telegraphic, and telephonic services within the Commonwealth of Australia, applying to all individuals, businesses, and entities engaging in or requiring such services. This includes the provision of mail services, telegraphic communications, and telephone services. The regulations address various aspects of service provision, such as the handling of poste restante mail, the contents of private mail bags, the management of official correspondence, fees for late mail delivery, and the operation of telephone exchanges and lines. The regulations also set forth specific rates and conditions for services rendered outside ordinary business hours and on public holidays, as well as the provision of weather forecasts and other related services. The geographic scope of these regulations is national, covering all areas within the Commonwealth, including the State of Western Australia, where certain provisions for official correspondence are specifically noted. Any exclusions or exemptions from these regulations are implicitly limited to what is not explicitly covered by the text; for example, there are no specific exclusions stated for the various services and rates outlined. The application of these regulations may be further extended or specified through subordinate instruments, which are not detailed in this text.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of these Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1910 include amendments to general postal regulations, postal regulations, telegraphic regulations, and telephone regulations. The amendments pertain to services such as Poste Restante, private mail bags, official correspondence, late fees, newspapers, telegrams, and telephone services. For instance, Section 1 amends the Poste Restante service to limit its availability to six months at offices with letter carrier delivery and where the addressee resides within the delivery limits. Section 2 modifies the private mail bag regulations to clarify the handling of registered articles and parcels. Section 3 introduces additional locations in Western Australia where official correspondence is to be delivered. Section 4 amends the late fees regulation to apply to all unregistered postal articles except newspapers and parcels. Section 5 revises the regulations regarding newspapers to require a statutory declaration from applicants and a specific fee. Section 6 alters the telegraphic regulations to include extra rates for telegrams sent after ordinary business hours, on Sunday, Christmas Day, and Good Friday, and allows replies to be prepaid within the Commonwealth. The obligations and requirements imposed by these Regulations are numerous and pertain to various postal and telegraphic services. For example, postal service providers must limit the Poste Restante service to six months and ensure it is only available at certain offices. Private mail bag regulations now require all registered articles and parcels to be handled under specific conditions. Official correspondence must be delivered to additional locations in Western Australia as specified. Postal services must charge late fees on unregistered postal articles, excluding newspapers and parcels. Newspaper applicants must submit a statutory declaration and pay a specified fee. Telegraphic services must apply extra rates for telegrams sent outside regular business hours and on specified holidays, and allow for prepaid replies within the Commonwealth. Additionally, telephone service providers must adhere to new regulations concerning telephone exchanges, time signals, weather forecasts, telephone lines not connected with exchanges, lines in country districts, and the erection of public telegraph or telephone lines under guarantee. The Regulations also outline various offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for breach. For instance, if a party fails to comply with the amended regulations on private mail bags, they may be subject to penalties as deemed appropriate by the Postmaster-General. Similarly, non-compliance with the amended newspaper regulations could result in penalties for the applicant. However, the specific penalties or consequences for breaches are not explicitly detailed in the text. It is implied that non-compliance with these Regulations could result in penalties or other enforcement actions as determined by the Postmaster-General, but the exact nature and severity of these penalties are not provided in the text.

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