STATUTORY RULES.
1930. No. 42.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1923.
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting on the advice of tire Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following amended Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1923 to come into operation on and from the 1st June, 1930.
Dated this twenty-first day of April, 1930.
STONEHAVEN
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
J. A. LYONS
Postmaster-General.
Amendment of the Telegraph Regulations.
(Statutory Rules 1927, No. 142, as amended to this date.)
1. Regulation17 is amended by omitting the words “press telegrams” from sub-regulation (2) and inserting in lieu thereof the words “telegrams addressed to registered newspapers ”.
2. Regulation 36 is amended by inserting after the group “cife” the groups “OK”, “AM”, “PM”.
3. Regulation 38 is amended—
(a) by omitting sub-regulations (2) and (3) and inserting the following sub-regulations in their stead:—
(2) A letter or letters added to a figure group shall be counted as figures in the group of occurrence.
(3) A full stop, hyphen, comma, dash or bar when used in a group of figures and/or letters shall be counted as a figure or a letter in the group in which it occurs and shall be transmitted in all cases.
(b) by omitting from sub-regulation (4) all after the word “figures ” and inserting in lieu thereof the words “and be counted and charged for as one figure in the group in which it occurs ”.
4. Regulation 58 is amended—
(a) by inserting, after the words “first copy” in sub-regulation (5) the words “all the addresses being reckoned in the number of chargeable words”.
(b) by inserting after the word “first copy” in sub-regulation (6), the words “all the addresses being reckoned in the number of chargeable words”.
5. Regulation 60 is amended by omitting the words “in the preamble” and inserting in lieu thereof the words “before the address”,
6. Regulation 75 is amended by omitting clauses (a) and (b) from sub-regulation (9) and inserting the following in their stead.:—
(а) the rate prescribed for the telegraphic transmission;
(b) a fee of twopence; and
7. Regulation 77 is amended by omitting sub-regulation (2) and inserting the following sub-regulation in its stead:—
(2) Upon request a subscriber may, without charge, be furnished with brief particulars of any telegram charges included in his account. A certified copy of any telegram shown in the statement may be obtained in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 68.
By Authority: H. J. Green, Government Printer, Canberra.
Overview
The Statutory Rules 1930, No. 42, are amendments to the Telegraph Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1923. Enacted by the Governor-General in the Federal Executive Council's advice, these regulations came into effect on 1 June 1930. They address issues concerning the classification, transmission, and charges of telegrams, aiming to streamline communication processes and ensure accuracy in billing. The amendments focus on specifying the treatment of telegrams addressed to registered newspapers, adjusting figure and letter groupings for transmission, and clarifying the inclusion of addresses in chargeable word counts, all while maintaining transparency in charging by providing subscribers with detailed account information.
Scope and Application
The amended Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1923 apply to entities and individuals who use the telegraph services provided under the Act. These regulations govern the transmission and charging of telegrams, specifically addressing how telegrams addressed to registered newspapers are handled, and the inclusion of various punctuation marks in the charging groups. The geographic reach of these regulations is the Commonwealth of Australia, applying uniformly across the nation. The amendments provide for specific conditions on how additional addresses and punctuation in telegrams affect the chargeable words and transmission rates. The regulations do not specify exclusions or exemptions but rather provide detailed instructions on the application and calculation of charges for telegram services. The application of these regulations may be further defined or extended through subordinate instruments, which could include additional clarifications or specific cases not covered in the primary text.
Key Provisions
The amended Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1923, coming into effect on 1 June 1930, introduce several changes to the existing provisions. Regulation 17 is modified to restrict the term "press telegrams" to "telegrams addressed to registered newspapers" (Reg. 17(2)). This change appears to be aimed at ensuring that only officially recognised newspapers receive telegrams under this category. Regulation 36 is extended to include new groups "OK", "AM", and "PM", which are likely added to the existing figure groups for telegrams (Reg. 36).
Regulation 38 undergoes significant changes. Sub-regulations (2) and (3) are replaced with new provisions that clarify how letters and punctuation marks are to be counted and transmitted within figure groups. Specifically, letters added to a figure group are now counted as figures, and punctuation marks are treated as either figures or letters depending on their context (Reg. 38(2)-(3)). Additionally, the treatment of punctuation marks in figure groups is clarified, ensuring they are counted and charged for as one figure (Reg. 38(4)). These changes likely aim to standardise the way figure groups are processed and billed.
Regulation 58 is amended to ensure that all addresses are included in the number of chargeable words for both the first copy and subsequent copies of telegrams (Reg. 58(5)-(6)). This change seeks to provide clarity and consistency in billing for telegrams that include multiple addresses. Regulation 60 modifies the placement of certain words in telegrams, requiring them to appear before the address rather than in the preamble (Reg. 60). This adjustment aims to streamline the format and content of telegrams.
Regulation 75 sees the replacement of clauses (a) and (b) in sub-regulation (9) with a new set of provisions. These now specify the prescribed rate for telegraphic transmission, a fee of twopence, and possibly other related charges (Reg. 75(9)). Regulation 77 is also amended to allow subscribers to request brief particulars of any telegram charges included in their account at no cost and to obtain a certified copy of any telegram shown in their statement, subject to the provisions of Regulation 68 (Reg. 77(2)). These changes appear to enhance transparency and provide subscribers with more detailed information about their charges.
The Regulations impose specific obligations and requirements on parties governed by them. For example, telegrams addressed to registered newspapers must now comply with the updated definitions and billing rules outlined in the amended Regulations (Reg. 17). Subscribers must also be provided with clear information about their charges and the ability to request detailed statements (Reg. 77(2)). These requirements aim to ensure that all parties adhere to the updated standards for telegraphic communication.
Breaches of these Regulations may lead to various civil or criminal consequences, although the specific offences and penalties are not detailed within the text of these amended Regulations. Generally, under the overarching Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1923, violations of postal and telegraph regulations could result in fines, penalties, or other legal actions as deemed appropriate by the relevant authorities. The precise penalties would depend on the nature and severity of the breach, as well as any applicable laws or subsequent regulations.