STATUTORY RULE
1948. No. .
REGULATIONS UNDER THE POST AND TELEGRAPH ACT 1901-1946.*
I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL in and over the Commonwealth, of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1946.
Dated this fourth
day of September 1948.
W.J. McKELL
Governor-General.
By His Excellency’s Command,
Postmaster-General.
Amendments of the Telephone Regulations, †
Commencement.
1. These Regulations shall be deemed to have come into operation on the first day of August, 1948.
2. Regulation 29 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by adding at the end of the sub-regulation (1.) the following proviso :—
“ Provided that in the case of such exchanges in the Newcastle district of New South Wales as are determined from time to time by the Department, the annual rental payable for each of the different classes of service within a radius of two miles of the exchange shall be as follows :—
| £. | s. | d. |
For exclusive service— |
Business........................................... | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Residence........................................... | 4 | 0 | 0 |
For each subscriber or instrument on a— |
( a ) two party service................................... | 3 | 17 | 6 |
( b ) three or more party service............................ | 3 | 5 | 0. |
|
Unit calls capital cities and Newcastle.
3. Regulation 35 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting the words and figure “ or within a 5-mile radius of the Newcastle Post Office.”.
Unit calls, other places.
4. Regulation 36 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by adding at the end thereof the following provisos :—
" Provided that in the case of such exchanges in the Newcastle district of New South Wales as are determined from time to time by the Department, calls may be made at the unit fee between subscribers connected to those exchanges.”.
* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on , 1948
†Statutory Rules 1927, No. 145, as amended to date. For previous Telephone Regulation, see footnote † to Statutory Rules 1941, No. 261; and see also Statutory Rules 1942, No. 504 ; 1943, No. 141 ; and 1946, No. 118.
3733.—Price 3d. 8/14.7.1948.
Public telephones specified.
5. Regulation. 120 of the Telephone Regulations is amended by omitting paragraph (c) and inserting in its stead the following paragraph :–
" (c) Those connected to exchanges in the Newcastle district of New South Wales, as determined from time to time by the Department ;”.
By Authority: L.F.JOHNSTON, Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra
Overview
The Statutory Rule 1948 No. 133 was made under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1946 and was introduced to address specific issues related to telephone services in the Newcastle district of New South Wales. This statutory rule was enacted by the Governor-General in and over the Commonwealth, W.J. McKell, acting on the advice of the Federal Executive Council, with the intent to amend existing telephone regulations. The primary objective of these amendments was to adjust the annual rental and unit fees for telephone services in the Newcastle district to better reflect the current service requirements and economic conditions. This statutory rule was designed to provide a more tailored approach to managing telephone services in this specific region, ensuring that the regulations were both fair and effective for the users within the district.
Scope and Application
The Regulations Under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1946 apply to the telephone services within the Newcastle district of New South Wales, as determined by the Department. These regulations specifically amend the existing Telephone Regulations, which govern the provision and pricing of telephone services across the Commonwealth. The scope of these regulations is geographically limited to exchanges within the Newcastle district, affecting the pricing structure for exclusive service, two-party, and three or more party services, as well as unit calls between subscribers connected to specified exchanges. This legislative instrument also adjusts the pricing for unit calls in certain areas and modifies the definition of public telephones connected to exchanges within the Newcastle district. The Regulations are effective from 1 August 1948 and may be further extended or modified through subordinate instruments as required by the Department.
Key Provisions
The primary sections of these regulations, under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1946, amend the Telephone Regulations to introduce specific changes regarding telephone services in the Newcastle district of New South Wales. Section 2 modifies Regulation 29 by introducing a proviso that stipulates different annual rental rates for exclusive and shared telephone services within a two-mile radius of certain exchanges in Newcastle, as determined by the Department. Section 3 removes a reference to a 5-mile radius around the Newcastle Post Office from Regulation 35, impacting unit call charges. Section 4 introduces a proviso to Regulation 36, allowing unit fee calls between subscribers connected to specified exchanges in Newcastle. Section 5 amends Regulation 120 by updating the list of public telephones to include those connected to exchanges in Newcastle, as determined by the Department.
The obligations imposed by these regulations require the Department to determine which exchanges in the Newcastle district will be subject to the amended provisions. This includes establishing the specific exchanges and the two-mile radius within which the altered rental rates and unit call provisions apply. The Department must also ensure that public telephones connected to these exchanges are identified and updated accordingly in Regulation 120.
For breaches of these regulations, the Act does not specify particular offences or penalties within the provided text. However, it is reasonable to infer that non-compliance with the stipulated rental rates or unit call charges could result in disputes or legal actions under the general provisions of the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1946. Such disputes might be subject to the standard penalties and remedies available under Australian administrative and common law, including fines, injunctions, or other court orders as deemed appropriate by the relevant authorities.