Telephone Regulations (Amendment)

Legislation au C1941L00261 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

STATUTORY RULES.

1941. No. 261.

 

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 Regulation under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934.

Dated this twelfth day of November, 1941.

Governor-General.

By His Excellencys Command,

Postmaster-General.

———

Amendments of the Telephone Regulations.

Commencement.

1. These Regulations shall come into operation on the day 17th day of November 1941.

Rental within 2-mile radius.

2. Regulation 29 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting sub-regulation (1.) and inserting in its stead the following sub-regulation:—

(1.) The charges payable for each of the different classes of service specified shall be as follows:—

Subscribers connected to exchanges having access to the following number of subscribers lines at the unit fee.

Radius of network or unit fee area.

Annual rental within 2-mile radius of the exchange—

For an exclusive service.

For each subscriber or instrument on a two-party service.

For each subscriber or instrument on a three or more party service.

Business.

Residence.

 

Miles.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

£

s.

d.

From 1 to 300.........

5

3

5

0

3

5

0

2

12

6

2

2

6

 301 „ 1,000..........

5

3

10

0

3

10

0

2

12

6

2

2

6

 1,001 „ 2,000..........

5

3

15

0

3

15

0

3

0

0

2

7

6

 2,001 „ 4,000..........

5

4

0

0

4

0

0

3

2

6

2

10

0

 4,001 „ 10,000.........

5

5

0

0

4

0

0

3

17

6

3

5

0

 4,001 „ 10,000.........

10

5

5

0

4

2

6

4

0

0

3

7

6

 10,001 and upwards........

10

5

17

6

4

15

0

4

7

6

3

15

0

 10,001   ......

15

6

5

0

5

0

0

4

12

6

4

0

0..

* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on    , 1941.

† Statutory Rules 1927, No. 145, as amended by Statutory Rules 1928, No. 99; 1929, Nos. 122 and 133; 1930, Nos. 2, 7, 15, 54 and 112; 1931, Nos. 86 and 137; 1932, No. 16; 1933, Nos. 13, 14, 56, 64, 84 and 135; 1934, Nos. 30 and 114; 1935. Nos. 25, 26, 93, 96 and 121; 1936, No. 121; 1937, Nos. 14, 36 and 86; 1938, No. 4; 1939, Nos. 34 and 130; 1940, Nos. 14, 28 and 230; and 1941, Nos. 15, 126 and 236.


Extra charges for service beyond 2-mile radius.

3. Regulation 31 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting the figures 600 (wherever occurring) and inserting in their stead the figures 1,000.

Unit Fee.

4. Regulation 37 of the Telephone Regulations is amended—

(a) by omitting the figure and letter 1d. and inserting in their stead the figures and letter 1¼d.; and

(b) by omitting the figures and letter 1¼d. and inserting in their stead the figures and letter 1½d..

Charges for calls.

5. Regulation 138 of the Telephone Regulations is amended—

(a) by omitting the table and inserting in its stead the following table:—

Radial distance between exchanges or offices.

Each three minutes or part thereof—

Between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. or 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.

 

 

s.

d.

s.

d.

s.

d.

Exceeding 5 but not exceeding miles

0

1

0

1

0

1

 7½   

10 

0

2

0

2

0

2

 10   

15 

0

3

0

3

0

3

 15   

20 

0

4

0

4

0

4

 20   

25 

0

5

0

4

0

4

 25   

30 

0

7

0

5

0

4

 30   

35 

0

8

0

6

0

4

 35   

40 

0

9

0

7

0

5

 40   

50 

1

0

0

9

0

6

 50   

60 

1

3

0

11

0

8

 60   

80 

1

6

1

2

0

9

 80   

100 

1

9

1

4

0

11

 100   

150 

2

4

1

9

1

2

 150   

200 

2

10

2

2

1

5

 200   

250 

3

4

2

6

1

8

 250   

300 

3

10

2

11

1

11

 300   

350 

4

4

3

3

2

2

 350   

400 

4

10

3

8

2

5

 400   

500 

5

9

4

4

2

11

 500   

600 

6

6

4

11

3

3

 600   

700 

7

3

5

5

3

8

 700   

800 

8

0

6

0

4

0

 800   

900 

8

9

6

7

4

5

 900   

1,000 

9

6

7

2

4

9

 1,000   

1,150 

10

6

7

11

5

3

 1,150   

1,300 

11

6

8

8

5

9

 1,300 miles....................

12

6

9

5

6

3

(b) by adding at the end thereof the following proviso:—

Provided further that for trunk line calls between exchanges or offices situated outside the boundaries of a State Capital City network but within 30 miles of the General Post Office, Sydney or Melbourne, or within 25 miles of the General Post Office, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth or Hobart, and exchanges or offices situated within


a radius of 10 miles of the General Post Office in each such State Capital City, the charges specified in the above table shall be reduced as follows:—

Calls to and from exchanges or offices within a 10-mile radius of the General Post Office.

Radial distance between exchanges or offices.

Amount of reduction for each three minutes or part thereof.

Sydney or Melbourne......

Exceeding 15 but not exceeding 25 miles

2d.

Exceeding 25 but not exceeding 30 miles

1d.

Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth or Hobart

Exceeding 10 but not exceeding 20 miles

2d.

Exceeding 20 but not exceeding 25 miles

1d..

Press conversations.

6. Regulation 139 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting the figure and letters 9 p.m. (wherever occurring) and inserting in their stead the figure and letters 8 p.m.”.

Calls to particular person.

7. Regulation 141 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting paragraphs (i) and (ii) of sub-regulation (2.) and inserting in their stead the following table:—

Radial distance between exchanges or offices.

Additional fee.

 

s.

d.

Not exceeding 50 miles.......................................

0

3

Exceeding 50 but not exceeding 100 miles...........................

0

6

Exceeding 100 but not exceeding 500 miles..........................

0

9

Exceeding 500 miles.........................................

1

0..

 

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

Overview

The Statutory Rules of 1941, No. 261, issued under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934, represents a series of amendments to the existing Telephone Regulations. Enacted by the Governor-General with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, these regulations were designed to update and refine the charges and conditions governing telephone services. This legislative instrument addresses issues such as the adjustment of rental fees, additional charges for services beyond a certain radius, and the modification of unit fees and call charges. By introducing these amendments, the Commonwealth aimed to better regulate the telecommunications industry and ensure fair and efficient service provision to the public.

Scope and Application

The Statutory Rules 1941, No. 261, which amends the Telephone Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934, applies to telecommunications services within the Commonwealth of Australia. These regulations primarily concern the amendment of charges for various telephone services. They affect subscribers connected to exchanges and the general public using telephone services. The amendments outlined in these regulations apply across the nation, given that they are established under Commonwealth authority. These regulations specify new rates for annual rentals within a 2-mile radius of an exchange, additional charges for services beyond this radius, unit fees, and charges for calls based on distance. The regulations also provide specific reductions for trunk line calls between certain exchanges and offices situated within certain proximity to State Capital City networks. Notably, these regulations do not specify any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds within the text provided. The application and enforcement of these regulations may be further detailed or extended through subordinate instruments or subsequent amendments.

Key Provisions

The Statutory Rules 1941, No. 261, titled "Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934," introduces a series of amendments to the existing Telephone Regulations. These amendments primarily concern rental charges for telephone services, unit fees, and call charges within specific distances and time frames. For example, Regulation 2 of the amended rules provides detailed tables for annual rental charges within a 2-mile radius of an exchange, varying according to the number of subscribers connected to the exchange (section 2). Moreover, Regulation 3 adjusts the extra charges for services beyond a 2-mile radius, while Regulation 4 modifies the unit fee by altering the decimal values from 1d. to 1¼d. and 1¼d. to 1½d. (section 4). The amended regulations impose certain obligations on parties, primarily concerning the payment of revised charges as per the new rates and schedules provided. For instance, subscribers to telephone services will need to adhere to the updated rental fees and call charges (section 2, 5). Additionally, service providers are required to apply the new unit fees and extra charges as stipulated in the regulations. Failure to comply with the new rates and charges set out in the regulations may result in disputes or non-payment issues, potentially leading to legal ramifications. However, the regulations themselves do not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for non-compliance. It is assumed that existing provisions within the Post and Telegraph Act or related legislation would apply to ensure compliance and enforce the new charges.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Telecommunications Law
Instrument
Regulation
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Charges & Fees
Amendments & Modifications

Interactions

Authorises

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.