JULY 5.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2041

11. When a private line is connected with a telephone-office in charge of a permanent officer of the Department a fee of £2 per annum will be charged for each subscriber on the private line, the service to be given being attendance for switching the private line to the bureau line, and the transmitting and receiving of telegrams on the private line. The usual bureau fees and the cost of the transmission of telegrams over the public line will also be chargeable.

12. Non-permanent Telephonists may fix a fee to be charged for their services. Approximately the charge is about £1 10s. per annum per telephone.

13. Where a telephone exchange has been established in a country town private lines may be connected with the same on the owners signing the prescribed form of application and paying the entrance fee of £1 and the charges set out in clause 14. Only one entrance fee is required for each line.

14. When a private line is joined up to a telephone-exchange connection, either through a subscriber’s wire or direct to the exchange by a departmental wire not exceeding a mile in length, the following rates in addition to the entrance fee shall apply:—

    (a.) For private-residence connections—
    If one connection on the private line, £5 per annum.
    If more than one connection, either to the same or to different persons, £4 per annum for each connection.

    (b.) For business connections: The initial business rate in force at the exchange with which the connection is made. If there is more than one connection either to the same or to different persons on the private line, the business rate chargeable for each connection is reduced by £1.

    (c.) If a departmental line exceeding one mile in length has to be erected, payment of the usual mileage rates is charged to exchange subscribers for the extra distance, in addition to the charges under paragraphs (a) and (b). Payment for each connection is to be made on the basis of a division of the total amount due by the number of connections on the private line from time to time.

15. The Department supplies a telephone free of charge to each subscriber, and, where necessary, an earth-plate, and, in the case of a long line, a lightning-guard; but these remain the property of the Department, and are not installed or maintained by the Department except at the expense of the subscriber and when the Department can conveniently spare the services of a lineman. Neither does the Department maintain any part of the private line. The Department will, however, supply material for renewing batteries, and will also repair or replace a defective telephone if it is sent in to the telephone exchange by the subscriber. Otherwise such subscribers have all the privileges of ordinary subscribers.

SALE OF SECOND-HAND TELEPHONES.

The Department has for sale a number of Edison-Bell telephones, at the following rates:—
Telephones, without battery, unpacked, 10s. each.
For packing in best manner and delivering on rail or steamer, for one telephone, 5s.
For packing each telephone after the first, 2s. 6d. additional.
All instruments are put in good order before being sent from the store.
Orders may be sent direct to the Storekeeper, Post and Telegraph Stores, Wellington, to any Telegraph Inspector, or to the officer in charge of any of the principal telegraph-offices.

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH TELEGRAMS ARE ACCEPTED FOR TRANSMISSION TO PLACES BEYOND NEW ZEALAND.

Definition: Telegrams for places beyond New Zealand, except those for Australia, are described as International.

MODE OF WRITING AND ACCEPTANCE OF TELEGRAMS.

1. No responsibility is accepted for any delay or errors in the transmission of telegrams, or for the non-transmission or non-delivery of telegrams from whatever cause arising. Every care, however, will be taken throughout to ensure speedy and accurate transmission and delivery.

2. In order to guard against mistakes, attention is called to the great importance of legible writing. Every interlineation, reference, erasure, or alteration must be authenticated by the sender or his representative.

3. To provide against errors in transmission, telegrams may be repeated at the sender’s request by being signalled back from office to office. One-quarter of the usual rate for transmission will be charged for such repetition.

4. Priority of transmission and delivery at destination may be obtained by writing the word “=Urgent=” or “=D=” before the address. Urgent telegrams, however, do not take precedence in America, on the Atlantic cables, or in Great Britain or India. For urgent cablegrams the charge is three times that of the ordinary rate, and the word “=Urgent=” is charged for. Telegrams may be accepted “Urgent New Zealand lines” only, in which case two inland rates as given under the heading “Table of Rates” will be charged.

5. Telegrams may be composed of either plain or secret language (except to countries which do not admit private telegrams in secret language), the latter being subdivided into code and cipher.