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

Legislation au C1904L00058 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

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STATUTORY RULES.

1904. No. 58.

Commonwealth of Australia.

Postmaster-General’s Department,

14th September, 1904.

PROVISIONAL REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT, 1901.

HIS Excellency the Governor-General, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901, has been pleased to make the following provisional regulations:—

Preliminary.

1. In these Regulations references to Regulations hereby amended, or having other provisions substituted therefor, shall be construed as references to the Regulations of the 5th June, 1902, made under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901.

2. These Regulations shall take effect forthwith.

 

Within the Commonwealth and to British New Guinea, New Zealand, and Fiji.

Printed Papers.

Regulation I relating to printed papers shall be read as if the words “including perforated paper rolls of music for use in playing musical instruments” were inserted therein after the word “music.”

General Postal Regulations.

Holiday Arrangements.

Omit from the second line in the first column of Regulation 3—Holiday Arrangements—the words “Dead Letter Office.’’

Payment of Postage by the Receiver.

The following Regulation shall be inserted under this head, after Regulation 2, under the head, “Prepayment of Postage.”

The postage on the following postal articles may be paid by the receiver instead of being prepaid by the sender:—

(a) Books concerning the new volumes of the Encyclopædia Britannica, addressed “The Times (London) Australian Office, P.O., Box 1612, Sydney, N.S.W.,” if posted within the Commonwealth enclosed in covers having that address printed on the outside thereof.

(b) Books concerning the new volumes of the Encyclopædia Britannica, addressed “The Times (London) Australian Office, P.O., Box 53, Perth, Western Australia,” if posted within the Commonwealth, enclosed in covers having that address printed on the outside thereof.


(c) Worked examination papers sent by Supervisors at country centres of examination in New South Wales to the office of the Public Service Board of that State, if enclosed in covers addressed “The Public Service Board, Sydney,” and having thereon the words “State Public Service Examination Papers only.”

Miscellaneous.

The following regulation shall be inserted after Regulation 9:—

9A Postal articles in transit, when lying at a Post Office awaiting despatch, may be delivered at that office to the persons to whom they are addressed, upon personal or written application, if the delivering officer is satisfied as to the identity of the applicant.

Telegraphic Regulations.—Telegrams within the Commonwealth.

Miscellaneous.

The following Regulation shall be substituted for Regulation No. 1 under this head:—

1. Telegrams tendered for transmission must be written in a legible manner, in plain language, and when practicable on the proper form, and the address must contain all information necessary to avoid delay and insure delivery. The signature of the sender need not be transmitted, or a telegram may have an abbreviated signature known to the receiver, but the correct signature of the sender must appear on the back of each telegram as a guarantee of its authenticity, and as subscribing to the conditions under which it is transmitted. In the text of telegrams amounts or numbers must be written in words only; provided that ordinary telegrams on His Majesty’s service, sent by officers in and belonging to His Majesty’s Navy, may be written in figures only; and where necessary figures may be used in the text of telegrams relating to Money Order and Government Savings Bank business, and of press telegrams. The use of figures in the addresses of telegrams is also permitted. The sign “&” must always be transmitted’ as “and.”

Counting and Charging.

The following Regulation shall be substituted for Regulation No. 1 under this head:—

1. Ordinary rates shall be charged for telegrams in any one of the following languages, viz., English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and Latin.* Every telegram consisting of words in any admitted language other than English having no connective meaning, and any word in Webster’s English Dictionary containing more than fifteen letters, shall be treated as code, and all such words shall be counted as two words. Provided that the extra charge for code words shall not in any case exceed 50 per cent., in addition to the ordinary rate which would be payable on account of the said telegram. Isolated letters, or groups of letters, having no connective meaning, shall be counted as one word for each letter. Combinations of two or more words shall be counted as separate words,

*Japanese language may be used if written with English characters and guaranteed to be without secret meanings.


with the exception of those words which the usage of the language allows to be written together or coupled with hyphens, and which are so written by the sender of the telegram. Names of persons, places, &c., shall be counted on the same principle. Figures where allowed, shall be counted at the rate of five figures to a word.

The following Regulation shall be added to the Regulations under this head:—

(4) The name of the office or offices of destination, or the names of the respective States of “New South Wales,” “South Australia,” and “Western Australia,” shall each be counted’ as one word in the address of a telegram, but each word forming the name of the office of origin or destination or the name of a State shall be counted as one word when appearing in the text of or after the signature to a telegram.

Press Telegrams.

The following sub-section shall be substituted for sub-section (b) of Regulation 2 under this head:—

(b) The telegram must contain only intelligence which is intended for immediate publication in a newspaper, or for immediate exhibition in the news room of the newspaper or recognised news agency to which it is addressed.

The following Regulation shall be inserted after Regulation 5:—

5a Messages containing only the actual results of any Commonwealth or State Parliamentary election may, on the polling day of the election, be sent by telegraph by any person as press telegrams, provided that—

(a) The message contains no comments, and

(b) No newspaper is published in the town or place to which the telegram is addressed, and

(c) the charges are prepaid.

The following Regulation shall be inserted after Regulation 6 :—

7. The use of figures may be permitted in the text of press telegrams where necessary, e.g., in share quotations, &c.

When figures are so used they shall be counted at the rate of five figures to a word.

 

TELEPHONE REGULATIONS.

The following Regulation shall be inserted after Regulation 15, viz.:—

15a. When the extension of an existing telephone line does increase the total radial mileage of such line beyond that for which rent is being paid at the time, the cost of making such extension shall be borne by the Postmaster-General, but the subscriber shall pay the prescribed annual rental for the mileage of the line as extended, and also for such extra instruments (if any) as may be required on the extension.

 

By Authority: Robt. S. Brain, Government Printer, Melbourne.

Overview

The Provisional Regulations Under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901, issued by the Commonwealth of Australia on 14th September 1904, aim to address the need for detailed guidelines and procedures to be implemented under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901. Enacted by His Excellency the Governor-General in the exercise of powers conferred by the Act, these regulations outline various provisions concerning postal, telegraphic, and telephone services. The regulations seek to refine the existing framework to ensure efficient and effective communication services across the Commonwealth and its territories, including British New Guinea, New Zealand, and Fiji. The policy objective behind these regulations is to standardise and enhance communication practices by providing clear instructions on the handling of postal articles, the transmission and charging of telegrams, and the management of telephone services.

Scope and Application

The Provisional Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901, apply within the Commonwealth of Australia, including British New Guinea, New Zealand, and Fiji. These regulations amend and update the provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901, providing detailed rules and guidelines for the use of postal and telegraph services. They apply to both individuals and entities engaged in postal and telegraphic transactions within the specified jurisdictions. The regulations cover aspects such as the handling of printed papers, payment of postage, delivery of postal articles in transit, the transmission and charging of telegrams, and the extension of telephone lines. The regulations also include specific provisions for the use of languages in telegrams and the handling of press telegrams, including restrictions on the use of figures and the content of such messages. Additionally, the scope of these regulations may be further extended or modified through subordinate instruments, allowing for adjustments and updates as needed.

Key Provisions

The key operative sections of the Provisional Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act, 1901, introduce several amendments and additions to the existing regulations governing postal, telegraphic, and telephone services. For instance, Regulation I concerning printed papers now explicitly includes perforated paper rolls of music intended for use in playing musical instruments (s. 1). The Holiday Arrangements section has been updated by removing the reference to the "Dead Letter Office" (s. 3). Furthermore, a new regulation allows for the payment of postage by the receiver for specific items such as books from the Encyclopædia Britannica and worked examination papers, provided they are correctly addressed and enclosed (s. 2). Postal articles in transit can now be delivered to the intended recipient upon application, provided the identity of the applicant is verified (s. 9A). In the realm of telegraphic regulations, telegrams must be written legibly and in plain language, with certain exceptions for figures and abbreviations (s. 1). Rates and charges are set for telegrams in various languages, with specific rules on counting words and figures (s. 1). Additionally, press telegrams must contain only information intended for immediate publication and can include necessary figures (s. 5a). The telephone regulations now stipulate that the cost of extending a telephone line beyond the current rental mileage is to be borne by the Postmaster-General, but the subscriber must pay for the increased mileage and any additional instruments (s. 15a). The provisional regulations impose several obligations on the parties involved. For postal services, senders and receivers must adhere to the specified regulations concerning the payment of postage and the delivery of postal articles. For telegraphic services, senders must ensure that telegrams are legible, written in plain language, and contain all necessary information to avoid delays. They must also be aware of the language-specific counting rules and charges. The use of figures in telegrams is permissible under certain conditions, and press telegrams must contain only information intended for immediate publication. For telephone services, subscribers are required to pay the prescribed annual rental for any extensions of their telephone lines and for any additional instruments required. Breach of the regulations may lead to various consequences, although specific penalties are not detailed in the text. Generally, failure to comply with postal, telegraphic, or telephone regulations could result in delays, additional charges, or other administrative actions as deemed appropriate by the Postmaster-General’s Department. The regulations aim to ensure the efficient and orderly operation of postal, telegraphic, and telephone services within the specified jurisdictions.

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