Dec. 19. THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3207

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7. Printed forms upon which telegrams should be written may be obtained at all telegraph-offices on application; but all telegrams, whether written upon the prescribed form, upon any other printed form, or upon plain paper, shall (subject to the provision hereinafter stated) be considered as presented for transmission under the several conditions contained in these regulations: Provided that telegrams written upon printed forms other than those supplied by the Government shall be first approved of by the Minister of Telegraphs, or the same may be refused when presented for transmission. Books of telegram forms, interleaved with white forms for use with carbonic paper, may be purchased at the principal telegraph-offices at the cost price of 9d. each. One hundred forms, in duplicate, are contained in each book. Books of telegram-forms without lines may be purchased at telegraph-offices at 3d. each. These are made specially for use with the typewriter. Telegram forms, bound in books of twenty, interleaved, embossed with a sixpenny stamp, may be purchased at telegraph-offices at 10s. per book. Excess charges may be attached to these forms in ordinary stamps.

How to be signed.

8. When it is not intended or desired that the sender’s signature should be telegraphed, it must be written on the back of the message. The message may then be transmitted without a signature, or with any signature known to the receiver, such as “Kate,” “Harry,” “Mamma,” which the sender may insert for transmission; but the receiver may have the full signature telegraphed by paying for the necessary telegrams.

Special Instructions.

9. When the sender desires that special instructions, such as “Private,” “Confidential,” “To be opened at once,” “Per Te Anau,” “Post,” “By first steamer,” or the like, shall be written on the envelope of the message, he shall write those instructions immediately after the address of the receiver, and pay for them as part of the message: The words shall also be written in the space for instructions.

Cipher Telegrams.

10. Telegrams may be written in cipher, which will be counted according to the following scale, whether for figures or for letters separately: Groups of five ciphers, or a fractional part of five ciphers, count as one word; groups exceeding five ciphers are counted at the rate of five ciphers to the word, and any fractional portion remaining is to be counted as one word. A cipher is any figure, or any letter not forming a word or a part of a word. In groups of mixed letters and figures each letter or figure, or each collection of letters or figures up to five characters is counted as a single word. For examples see Post and Telegraph Guide.

11. The use of a code address is allowed on telegrams for transmission within New Zealand.

Telegrams may be dropped into a Letter-box.

12. Persons not wishing to send to a telegraph-office may post a telegram in an envelope addressed “Telegram Immediate,” in a wall- or pillar-box, or at a receiving office or sub-post-office. Telegrams so posted are sent on by the next collection or the next mail to the telegraph-office to which they are addressed, or to the nearest telegraph-office, and are thence transmitted and delivered free of extra charge, provided the proper amounts for transmission and for porterage (if any) have been prepaid. The time of arrival at the telegraph-office is regarded as the time of receipt from the public. Telegrams may also be posted not enclosed in envelopes, and when so posted they will be treated in the same manner.

13. Telegraph forms, and envelopes having the words (printed in red) “Telegram for transmission to the Officer in Charge Telegraph-station,” can be procured at post-offices in towns where there is no telegraph-station.