442

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

[No. 15

The number of words in the request and reply is not to exceed twenty-four. If required, the message may be made urgent at double the above rate and coded OT or UOT, as the case may be, the instructions “Reply paid, weather,” being inserted in the original message.

68. Government and public-service telegrams shall be prepaid in stamps, with the following exceptions:—
    (1.) Telegrams from His Excellency the Governor;
    (2.) Telegrams from any of His Majesty’s Ministers;
    (3.) And others as set out in the Official Correspondence List published annually.

69. Telegrams forwarded by or on behalf of His Excellency the Governor or any of His Majesty’s Ministers must be marked “Official paid, Government House,” or “Official paid [Name of the Minister’s office],” as the case may be; or franked by the signature, or a fac-simile thereof, of His Excellency, or the Minister, or of any officer to be designated by His Excellency or by such Minister as the case may be, in the space provided for “Instructions.” (See Official Correspondence List.) The envelope superscribed “Telegram for transmission,” or any other envelope used for enclosing telegrams, must be affixed to the back of the relative telegram.

70. All other Government telegrams, and public-service telegrams from local bodies and from the Bank of New Zealand, shall be paid for by means of “official” stamps to be affixed to the telegrams before presentation.

71. “Collect” telegrams sent by or addressed to Government Departments must be delivered, and an acknowledgment of the sum due obtained on a form provided for the purpose; the amount to be subsequently claimed by the Post Office.

72. “Collect” telegrams on public business which may have been accepted, addressed to His Excellency the Governor or to His Majesty’s Ministers, must be delivered in the ordinary course; the envelopes to be marked “Official,” and initialled by His Excellency, or the Minister, or by an official designated by His Excellency or by such Minister as the case may be, and then handed to the message-boy delivering the telegram.

73. Government and public-service telegrams not complying with these regulations may be refused transmission.

74. The special stamps in use by the Government Insurance Department may be used in prepayment of telegrams or bureau communications on Government Insurance business.

75. In lieu of prepayment of telegrams by adhesive “official” or Government Insurance stamps, the charge may be indicated by an imprint made by any automatic stamping and recording machine of which the use is sanctioned by the Postmaster-General. The use of such machines shall be subject to such conditions as the Postmaster-General may prescribe in each case.

76. Service telegrams must only be used by officers on the business of the Department, except when sent by those officers of the Post and Telegraph Corps who are authorized to communicate with one another by service telegram on the business of the corps. When communicating with or on business of other Departments the telegrams must be either prepaid or coded and sent as GMs. Received STs must be written with a soft black-lead pencil. The writing of a false or bogus ST is a very serious offence, punishable with dismissal. The sending of an ST on telegraph or postal business is absolutely forbidden to any officer not specially deputed by a Telegraph Engineer, Superintendent, a Chief Postmaster, or a Postmaster to send such telegrams.