TELEGRAPH REGULATIONS.

7

E.—No. 8.

35. All Government telegrams written in cypher must be repeated back from the Eeceiving Station to insure accuracy in transmission. This rule admits of no exception. 36. 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 send more than two hundred words of any telegram at one time. In carrying out this rule great judgment must be used by officers in charge whose object will be to cause as little delay as possible to Press telegrams consistently with fairness to the commercial public and others using the telegraph. (See precautionary measures at end of list of codes, in rule 17, Schedule B.) Equal justice is to be done to all members of the Press by transmitting fairly and equally the two hundred words prescribed by the regulations and conditions where such restriction is necessary, or an equal number of more than two hundred words, as circumstances will permit, in accordance with precautionary measures laid down in rule 17, Schedule B. Instructions for Receiving Clerks. 37. Telegrams must be written in a clear and legible manner in ink or some indelible matter but not in lead pencil, they must bear an intelligible and proper address and must be signed by the sender. No abbreviations must be allowed in writing telegrams. 38. Special instructions as to the delivery of telegrams whether by man and horse, by cab, omnibus, or by post, should be distinctly written on the back of the telegram form together with the amount charged for such delivery, and tho whole signed by the person presenting the telegram for transmission. 39. The amount paid for the transmission and delivery of any telegram must be written on the face of each telegram, in tho proper place printed for that purpose on each telegram form, and the clerk receiving such money must affix his initials to the sum to show that he was the receiver of such telegram. 40. Any officer or servant receiving a telegram shall give a receipt according to the authorized form for all charges made and shall sign the same in full and give the date on which the moneys specified therein were received. 41. Telegrams of a seditious, libelous, indecent, or injurious nature are to be refused acceptance and transmission by the officer in charge of any Station. The utmost care, however, must be taken in carrying out this rule, and in the case of a telegram being refused transmission the full circumstances of the case must be at once reported by letter to the General Manager. 42. The sender or receiver of a telegram, when properly identified, may be allowed to see the station copy of such telegram, or to receive a copy or copies of such telegram on payment of the tariff rates for each copy so required from the officer of the department. Payment of Receipts and Rendering Accounts. 43. All officers shall give security for the due performance of their duty in a bond for such amount as shall be required according to the trust reposed in them ; such securities must be approved and the bonds executed by the respective parties within three months after the notification of their appointments. 44. When an officer hears of the death or bankruptcy of one of his sureties he is to report the same to the General Manager, and to give in the name of another person to become surety for him, and it will be his imperative duty to transmit annually to the Electric Telegraph Commissioner a report as to his sureties being alive and solvent. 45. All cash received for the transmission and delivery of telegrams shall be entered in a cash book provided for the purpose and the officer in charge of a Station shall balance up his cash receipts with his cash book daily. Should any excess be found which cannot be accounted for, it must be paid into the bank with the ordinary receipts, but should any deficiency occur full particulars of the case must be immediately reported to the General Manager, and the officer in charge is bound to use his utmost endeavours to ascertain the cause of the deficiency, and to report thereon to the General Manager. 46. All cash or moneys received on account of the department, whether for the transmission, delivery, porterage, or postage of telegrams, together with all moneys received for Press accounts, or from the offices of other lines, shall be paid daily into the nearest bank or most convenient SubTreasury, or as otherwise specially directed. A monthly account-current of all moneys received and expended, supported by vouchers, and prepared in such form as shall be directed by the Electric Telegraph Commissioner, shall be furnished by the officer in charge, and forwarded to the Auditor-General not later than the fourth day of each month. A monthly statement of receipts and expenditure, in such form as shall be directed by the General Manager, shall be transmitted to the General Manager not later than the fourth day of |each month. No deductions are allowed to be made from the Station cash receipts. Payment for telegrams transmitted on other lines, for special porterage and postage of telegrams, must be made out of imprest advances, in accordance with Treasury Eegulations 32, 33, 34, and 35. 47. Forwarded and received abstracts must be kept at each Station and all telegrams must be entered daily therein, according to the special instructions that will be issued as occasion may require. These abstracts are to be forwarded to the General Manager as near weekly as possible by the regular mails. 48. All telegrams must be sent up to the chief station at least weekly, where such is practicable;