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

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1907 No. 15, under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901, was enacted in 1907 to address the urgency in regulating the payment of postage for official correspondence within the state of Victoria. This provisional regulation, made by the Governor-General in Council, allows for certain postal items addressed to specified officials or containing school returns to be sent without prepayment of postage when posted within Victoria. Instead, the recipient is responsible for paying the postage at the time of delivery at prepaid rates. The policy objective behind this regulation was to facilitate the efficient transmission of official documents and statistics within the state, ensuring that government operations could proceed smoothly without unnecessary delays caused by postage fees. The enactment body for this legislation was the Federal Executive Council, acting under the authority of the Governor-General, with the aim of addressing an immediate need in the postal system concerning the state of Victoria. This provisional regulation thus serves to streamline governmental communications and statistical reporting by temporarily altering the usual postage payment requirements.

Scope and Application

The Provisional Regulation under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901 applies specifically to the state of Victoria and concerns the postage payment for official correspondence. It outlines that certain postal articles and official wrappers, including those addressed to specific state government officials and containing school returns, can be sent without prepayment of postage if posted within Victoria. However, the postage at prepaid rates must be paid by the recipient upon delivery. This regulation is aimed at facilitating the transmission of official documents and returns within the state while ensuring that the sender is not burdened with postage costs. The regulation is in effect as a provisional measure, providing immediate operation to address the urgency of the matter as certified by the Governor-General in accordance with the Post and Telegraph Act 1901.

Key Provisions

The Provisional Regulation under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901, published in the Commonwealth Gazette on 28th November 1902, addresses the payment of postage for official correspondence within the State of Victoria. Regulation 1 (Section 1) provides that postal articles addressed to specific officials such as the Commissioner of Taxes, the Government Statist, Collectors of Statistics, the Chairman or Secretary of the Board of Health, and the Chief Electoral Inspector in Melbourne, and letters enclosed in envelopes marked "On His Majesty's Service" addressed to any officer of a Department of the State Government in Victoria, may be sent without prepayment of postage if posted within the State of Victoria. However, the recipient is required to pay the postage at prepaid rates upon delivery (Section 1(1)). The regulation imposes certain obligations on the parties involved. Specifically, it mandates that the postage for the specified official correspondence must be paid by the recipient upon delivery, ensuring that the postal service is compensated for the delivery of these items. This requirement applies to all postal articles fitting the criteria outlined in Regulation 1, which must be addressed to the specified officials or officers and must be posted within Victoria (Section 1(2)). Failure to comply with the provisions of this regulation could result in civil or administrative consequences. While the regulation does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance, it is implied that the non-payment of postage upon delivery would breach the terms set out. Such breaches may lead to actions being taken against the recipient to recover the unpaid postage. Additionally, repeated non-compliance could potentially attract scrutiny or administrative action by postal authorities to ensure adherence to the regulation (Section 1(3)).