1080
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 29

the contents of any telegram coming to his knowledge in his official capacity. Moreover, I will neither detain nor delay, nor will I willingly or knowingly suffer any other officer in the service to detain or delay, any telegram intrusted to the charge of the Department for delivery, unless in such cases as may be provided for by the regulations and conditions approved of by the Minister of Telegraphs.”

Telephone Exchange Officer’s Declaration.

“I, [Name in full], do solemnly and sincerely declare that I will be true and faithful in the execution of the trust committed to my charge, and that I will not willingly or knowingly divulge or make known any communication or message, or the purport of any communication or message, which may come under my notice while acting or employed as Telephone-exchange Clerk [or Cadette]; nor will I willingly or knowingly divulge or make known the contents of any telegram coming to my knowledge in my official capacity, or suffer any other officer in the service to divulge such communication or telegram coming to the knowledge of such officer in his or her official capacity; that I will neither detain nor delay, nor will I willingly or knowingly suffer any other officer in the service to detain or delay, any message, telegram, or communication intrusted to the charge of either of us for delivery, unless in such cases as may be provided for by the regulations and conditions approved of by the Minister of Telegraphs.”

These declarations must be made before a Justice of the Peace or a Postmaster duly authorized by warrant under the hand of the Governor to take and receive statutory declarations. But the declaration by a post officer may be made before a departmental officer specially authorized by Governor’s warrant to witness such postal declarations.

121. The declarations must be made by any Customs officer, or any other person who may be appointed under section 33 of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, to witness the examining, opening, and disposal of letters, &c., under sections 27 and 29 to 32 of the same Act; also by railway operators or other employees of that Department, or the employees of mail-contractors, whose duties afford them cognisance of postal or telegraph matters, or who are required to handle mails. In the event of the re-engagement of temporary employees by the Department or mail-contractors, the declaration must be taken at the commencement of each fresh term of their engagement. A Customs officer examining parcels for the assessment of duty only need not be required to make the declarations.

122. Chief Postmasters have the custody of the declarations of all officers within their respective districts, with the exception that the declarations of telegraph officers in the telegraph-offices at Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington remain in the custody of the respective Officers in Charge. Chief Postmasters and these Officers in Charge will be held responsible that declarations, both postal and telegraph, are filed for every officer under their control. Telegraph Engineers are responsible for requiring linemen and other officers and persons engaged in telegraph construction and maintenance to make the declarations, and for filing the declarations when made.

123. When an officer is removed from one district to another his declarations must be forwarded to the Telegraph Engineer, the Postmaster, or the Officer in Charge of the office (or district) to which he has been transferred. After being noted they must be sent to the Chief Postmaster, except in the cases provided for in Rule 122.

124. The declarations of officers no longer in the service must be sent to the Secretary (Staff Division).

CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OF DUTIES.

125. No information regarding any matter which may come to the knowledge of any officer through his employment in the Department shall, without express authority of the Secretary, be furnished to the Press or be given privately or made public by him under pain of dismissal. This instruction applies not only to Post Office and Telegraph matters generally, but to all matters relating to Old-age Pensions, Advances to Settlers, Public Trust