STATUTORY RULES

1942. No. 550

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 Regulations under the Post and Telegraph Act 1901-1934.

Dated this twenty-third day of December, 1942

(SGD.) GOWRIE.

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

Postmaster-General.

Amendments of the Telegraph Regulations.†

Commencement.

1. These Regulations shall come into operation on the twenty-fifth day of December, 1942.

Lettergrams.

2. Regulation 62 of the Telegraph Regulations is amended by omitting sub-regulation (14).

3. Regulation 75 of the Telegraph Regulations is repealed and the following regulation inserted in its stead:—

“Telephoning of telegrams by subscribers.

75.—(1.) A telephone subscriber may telephone a message to a telegraph office for transmission as a telegram.

“(2.) A telephone subscriber within a metropolitan telephone area who wishes to telephone a telegram shall telephone the message to the Chief Telegraph Office. A subscriber outside a metropolitan telephone area shall, subject to sub-regulation (4) of this regulation, and except where otherwise approved by the Postmaster-General, telephone the message to the nearest telegraph office.

“(3.) Where a message sent by telephone is accepted for transmission as a telegram under the preceding provisions of this regulation, there shall be payable, in addition to the prescribed charge for the transmission of the telegram—

(a) a fee of Twopence; and

(b) except where the message is telephoned by a direct telephone line to the telegraph office, the telephone unit fee.

* Notified in the Commonwealth Gazette on , 1942.

† Statutory Rules 1927, No. 142, as amended by Statutory Rules 1928, Nos. 35, 88 and 97; 1929, Nos. 15 and 128; 1930, Nos. 1, 5, 42, 81, 114 and 129; 1931, Nos. 70, 132 and 136; 1933, Nos. 102 and 127; 1934, Nos. 24, 113 and 137; 1935, No. 77; 1938, No. 63; 1939, Nos. 14 and 84; and 1940, Nos. 50, 87 and 102.

8285.—Price 3d. 30/16.12.1942.

“(4.) When the nearest telegraph office is closed but the telephone exchange is open and trunk line service is available, a message may be telephoned to the nearest telegraph office open for business for transmission as a telegram.

“(5.) Where a message sent by telephone is accepted for transmission as a telegram under the last preceding sub-regulation, there shall be payable, in addition to the prescribed charge for the transmission of the telegram—

(a) if the message is telephoned between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day except Sunday—

(i) a fee of Twopence; and

(ii) in respect of a message telephoned over a telephone subscriber’s exchange service, the prescribed telephone unit fee, or, in respect of a message telephoned from a public telephone at a post office or elsewhere, the prescribed public telephone fee; or

(b) if the message is telephoned at any other time or on a Sunday—

(i) the charges prescribed by the last preceding paragraph; and

(ii) the appropriate trunk line fee, calculated on the basis of three minutes for each group of thirty paid words or portion thereof transmitted.

“(6.) At a telephone exchange at which service is given between the hours of 7 p.m. and midnight a subscriber may, during that period, telephone a message, for transmission as a lettergram, to the nearest telegraph office which is open for lettergram business, where the message shall be treated as a lettergram handed in at that office.

“(7.) Where a telephone trunk line is used for the purpose of telephoning a message under the last preceding sub-regulation, there shall be payable, in addition to the prescribed charge for the transmission of the lettergram, the charges specified in paragraph (b) of sub-regulation (5.) of this regulation.

“(8.) A telephone subscriber shall be responsible for the payment of all charges in respect of messages telephoned from his telephone for transmission as telegrams or lettergrams.

“(9.) The provisions of regulation 69 of these Regulations shall apply to a message telephoned in accordance with this regulation for transmission as a telegram or lettergram.

“(10.) The record of a message made at the telegraph office to which it is telephoned shall be regarded as the original telegram or lettergram.

“(11.) The Postmaster-General may refuse or postpone the acceptance of a message by telephone for transmission as a telegram or lettergram where—

(a) the message is of abnormal length;

(b) a large number of messages is telephoned at one time; or

“(12.) A person may, before commencing to telephone a message for transmission as a telegram or lettergram, request that a copy thereof be made and delivered to him by post. An additional charge of Threepence shall be payable in respect of each copy supplied in accordance with this sub-regulation.”.

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