E.—No. 8,

8

TELEGRAPH REGULATIONS.

but where mails do not leave oftener than every ten or fifteen days, the telegrams must be made up with the abstracts, and forwarded to tho chief station up to the latest possible date by each mail. 49. The General Manager to furnish quarterly returns of stores, showing receipts and expenditure; and officers in charge of stations or store depots are required to keep an account of the furniture, instrument, materials, tools, and other stores belonging to their stations or depots, and to send in to the General Manager at the termination of each month a return showing what articles have been received, sent away, or used during the month, for what purposes they were used, when sent away, and from whence received, as well as a requisition for any articles required for the following month. 50. Officers in charge of stations or store depots must keep an account of all stationery received, used or sent away, and must forward a return to the general manager at the beginning of each month, showing what articles have been used, sent away, or received during the previous month, together with a requisition for the supply of any articles required for the following month. Officers will be held responsible for keeping their stations and depots properly supplied with stationery, and none but the monthly requisitions will bo attended to. It will be advisable to keep a month's supply of stationery always on hand, and requisitions must be made accordingly. Delivery of Telegrams. 51. Officers and servants must use their utmost endeavours to have all telegrams delivered to the person or persons to whom they may be addressed as speedily as possible. 52. On the delivery of any telegram, the messenger or person delivering such telegram shall take a receipt from tho person receiving it in or on the form issued for that purpose. 53. Should there bo no person at the house, store or locality to which any telegram may be addressed, the messenger must leave in the letter-box, or other convenient place, a notice stating that a telegram is lying at the telegraph station for tho person to whom it may be addressed. The rule is to deliver the telegram if possible. Public Complaints. 51. All complaints made by the public, whether on the conduct of an officer or servant, on the delay or non-delivery of telegrams, on overcharges, or on any other subject, must be made in writing. 55. All written complaints must be forwarded by the first post to the office of the General Manager, accompanied by ali telegrams, papers, or documents that may tend to elucidate or explain the case in point. 56. In cases of interruptions happening on the line which may cause serious delay to telegrams, intimation must be forwarded to the senders of all telegrams on hand in six hours after the occurrence of such accident, and notice of delay shall be given to all persons presenting telegrams for transmission in two hours after the occurrence of accident. 57. Whenever interruptions occur on the lines, and telegrams cannot be transmitted to their destination by telegraph, a copy must be forwarded to their address by the first post. Penalty for Non-observance of Rides and Regulations. 58. Officers and servants neglecting or offending against any of the foregoing rules will render themselves liable to the payment of a fine to be fixed by the General Manager or Electric Telegraph Commissioner, or in the case of a serious offence they will be liable to suspension from pay or duty, or dismissal from the service. All such fines must be paid on the first pay-day succeeding their infliction, to officers in charge, and be by them transmitted to the Telegraphic Engineer, at Wellington, to be paid into a fund to be distributed periodically among the most deserving officers and servants of the department.