426
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

-English Mail Press Telegrams; Messages of the
General or Provincial Governments, marked urgent;
Messages relative to the arrest of criminals or persons
accused, to the discovery or prevention of crime, or
connected with the administration of justice; and
telegrams in cases of pressing emergency, such as
accident, sickness or death, may be transmitted in
priority to any other telegrams.

5. Subject to the provisions of the last regulation
   Ordinary Government messages, Press and Ordinary
   messages shall be transmitted in the order in which
   they may be received by the officers of the depart-
   ment; but when several telegrams are presented for
   transmission about the same time, and any of these
   telegrams shall be of considerable length, then no
   officer shall be bound to transmit more than two
   hundred words of any such telegram at one time, in
   order to prevent telegrams of the same date suffering
   too great a delay, and to prevent a monopoly of the
   line by any one company, firm or individual.

6. Telegrams will be received for transmission at
   each Station at the usual hours of business, published
   in the New Zealand Gazette.

Telegrams in Cypher.

7. Telegrams may be written in cypher, which will
   be counted according to the following scale, whether
   for figures or letters:---

8. Separate cyphers count as one word; groups of
   five cyphers, or fractional part of five cyphers, count
   as one word; groups exceeding five cyphers are
   counted at the rate of five cyphers to the word, and
   any fractional portion remaining is to be counted as
   one word.

9. Where cyphers are used, the sender is recom-
   mended to pay for the repetition of such telegram
   in order to insure accuracy.

Delays in Transmission of Telegrams.

10. In the event of serious delays occurring through
    accident to the lines, which may prevent the trans-
    mission of a telegram within a reasonable time, or
    may destroy the value of any telegram, notice will
    be sent to the senders of such telegrams should their
    address be known; and the sender may on producing
    a written application to the officer in charge of the
    Station at which such telegram was presented, receive
    the amount paid thereon if so desired, and the tele-
    gram will be cancelled.

Delivery of Telegrams.

11. Telegrams will be delivered free of charge
    within one mile of the Station to which they may be
    addressed and transmitted; but beyond that distance,
    cab or omnibus fares, or horse hire, will be charged as
    necessary.

12. All telegrams requiring to be delivered on
    shipboard, or on the water, or across the water, will
    bear an extra charge to defray any boat expenses so
    incurred.

13. Receipts must be signed by the receiver of
    telegrams.

14. When the sender of a telegram objects or
    refuses to pay the above charges, the ordinary rates
    for postage must be charged to prevent the non-
    delivery or detention of such telegram, and it will be
    sent by post immediately on its arrival at the Station
    to which it it destined.

Telegrams that may be refused transmission.

15. Telegrams of a seditious, libellous, indecent or
    injurious nature are to be refused transmission by
    the officer in charge of any Station.

Payment for Telegrams.

16. All telegrams must be prepaid.

17. Special arrangements can be made with the
    General Manager or General Superintendent alone
    for the payment of telegrams by deposit, or by
    furnishing written authority covering the cost of
    transmission and other expenses.

18. When the sender of a telegram desires it, the
    reply to such telegram may be prepaid, and the
    messenger will be instructed to wait for such prepaid
    reply for the space of ten minutes, after which time
    the reply must be forwarded to the Station by the
    receiver of the original telegram.

19. Should the sender of a telegram desire to have
    the telegram repeated to insure accuracy, such repe-
    tion will be made at a charge of half the rate of the
    original telegram.

The telegram is usually repeated back from the
receiving Station.

20. On special occasions when the Stations are kept
    open beyond the usual hours of business, a double
    charge will be made on all telegrams presented for
    transmission.

Secrecy of Telegrams.

21. All telegrams will be held as strictly confiden-
    tial, and any violation by officers or servants in this
    respect is punishable by "The Electric Telegraph
    Act, 1865."

22. In the administration of justice, telegrams may
    be produced in Court on a Judge's order alone.

Tariff of Rates and Hours of Business.

23. The tariff rates and hours of business will be
    published from time to time in the New Zealand
    Gazette, and posted in the various Stations.

Responsibility.

24. The Government will not be held responsible
    for errors, omissions or delays in the transmission
    of telegrams, nor for the non-transmission of any
    telegram, nor for delays in the delivery, nor for the
    non-delivery of any telegram, from whatever causes
    the same may arise.

Customs Telegrams.

25. No message or communication relating to the
    Customs shall be transmitted by any officer or other
    person employed in working any telegraph line
    belonging to the New Zealand Government or be
    allowed by him to be transmitted by such line during
    any period which shall be specified in any order from
    the Honorable the Commissioner of Customs, unless
    under the written authority of the said Commissioner
    or of some person authorized under his hand in that
    behalf.

SCHEDULE B.

Rules and Regulations for the guidance of Officers and
Servants engaged in the Electric Telegraph Depart-
ment of the General Government of New Zealand.

General Duties of Officers, Operators, Assistants,
Clerks, Messengers, Workmen and Linemen.

1. All persons engaged in the service of the
   Electric Telegraph Department, whether holding a
   temporary or permanent appointment, are considered
   as officers or servants of the department holding
   situations of trust, and they will, upon accepting their
   appointments, engage faithfully to comply with the
   following rules and instructions:--

2. Every Manager or Operator having charge of a
   Station will be held responsible for the order and
   efficient performance of the several duties thereof in
   conformity with the following rules and instructions,
   and all officers and servants are expected and bound
   to use all possible celerity in the receipt, transmission,
   or delivery of telegrams committed to the care of the
   department.

3. Every station must be open and ready for the
   transaction of business at the hours appointed, which
   will be published in the New Zealand Gazette. And
   no Station must close until the appointed hour; nor
   even then, except when the lines are broken down