Australia - War and recovery: 1940-1957.
Phonograms - ordinary rate transmission forms: AW-PO-1 to 5.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form number T.G. 70.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & form): Black on light brown to cream.
Size of form overall: 193 × 222 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 

The variations in both the colour of this form and the size are significant as can be seen below.

The first five types of ordinary rate Phonograms are shown on this page. They are all printed during the War and the recovery period and keeping them together facilitates the comparison amongst them.

AW-PO-1A
Printed in July 1947.		 AW-PO-1.

Unused ordinary rate phonogram form.

Characteristics:

  • size is 145 × 190.
  • "Commonwealth ..." heading has been omitted - the only telegraph form in the 1917-1988 period to have this error. The consequence of the omission is that there is no noted Authority for the form.

 

 
AW-PO-1A-rev Part of the reverse side of the unused 1947 form above. The upper flap not shown in the scan to the left is blank (see following form).

The serrations to facilitate tearing the counterfoil from the transmission part are visible above the heading.
AW_PO_2A
Printed in July 1949.		 AW-PO-2.

Unused ordinary rate phonogram form.

Characteristics:

  • size is 144 × 188 mm;
  • "Commonwealth ..." heading has been added but below the "Subscriber's ..." details;
  • longer schedule number than usual and printed in very small font;
  • dotted line for "No. ..." extends much further to the right than the line above.
AW-PO-2A_rev Reverse side of the unused form above showing entire reverse side.

The serrations to facilitate tearing the counterfoil from the transmission part are visible above the heading.

Characteristics:

  • form number for the counterfoil is T.C. 70
    (which is probably a typesetting error);
  • dotted line for "No. ..." extends much further to the right than the line above (as for the front side also);
AW-PO-3Printed in August 1950. AW-PO-3.

Characteristics:

  • size is 153 × 190 mm.
  • "Commonwealth ..." heading still under "Subscriber's ..." line and both lines begin at the same left indent;
  • T/C/B touches the vertical line;
AW_PO_3A_rev Reverse side of the unused form above showing only a small part of the blank space above.

Characteristics:

  • form number for the counterfoil has been changed back to
    T.G. 70.
AW-PO-4A
Printed in August 1951.		 AW-PO-4.

Characteristics:

  • size is 172 × 201 mm.
  • "Commonwealth .." heading is now at top of form;
  • the 2d for the fee has been omitted;
  • "Subscriber's ..." heading is well to the left;
  • "No. ..." has been moved to be above the Date Stamp at the right.
AW-PO-4A_rev Reverse side of the unused form above showing only a small part of the blank space above.

Characteristics:

  • Now has "Commonwealth ..." at top of counterfoil;
  • "No." has been moved to be above Date Stamp and has no dotted line after.
AW-PO-5A
Printed in March 1956.		 AW-PO-5.

Characteristics:

  • size is 178 × 202 mm.
  • "Commonwealth ..." line now in two parts and left justified;
  • three-sided date stamp box;
  • new layout for boxed part of heading.
AW-PO-5A_rev Reverse side of the unused form above showing entire reverse side.

Characteristics:

  • "Commonwealth ..." line now in two parts and is left justified;
  • the words in the heading are reversed - now PHONOGRAM precedes COUNTERFOIL.
   

 

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
PO-1 Sch. C 5403 - 7/1947.  

NC for unused intact forms.

RR for used forms (which will be just the counterfoil). No message part is recorded used.
PO-2 Sch. C 6040 - 7/49 - 68232-S  
PO-3 Sch. C 6322 - 8/50.  
PO-4 Sch. C 6589 - 8/51.  
PO-5 Sch. C. 7452 - 3/56. 9 January 1964 at Townsville.