Tasmania - Colonial: 1854-1900.
The 1856 Electric Telegraph Act.

The following legal documents were accepted in the Legislative Concil and received the Assent of the Governor:

  1. the 1854 Electric Telegraphs Bill;
  2. Regulations and scale of charges for 1859.

A BILL for Electric Telegraphs - 1854:

  1. From the passing of this Act, all lines of electric telegraphs in Tasmania, made or to be made, shall be subject to its provisions.
  2. Governor may appoint an Inspector of Telegraphs and such other officers and servants as may be necessary; and may remove them.
  3. Empowers the Inspector, and persons acting under his authority, to enter upon any lands for the purpose of taking levels, digging, cutting and removing any soil, stone, gravel, trees or timber for the construction or maintenance of any line of telegraph
  4. Telegraph posts may be set up upon any lands, sea-shore or road and all excavations may be made, provided that no wire or cord crosses any road at a height less than eighteen feet from the ground, or that the free use and enjoyment of any road, and the navigation of any inlet, bay, river, creek or lake be obstructed no further than is absolutely necessary.
  5. Proprietors of land through which the line passes to cut down and remove all trees and underwood for the space of twenty feet on each side of the line; in default the inspector may cause it to be done.
  6. In case of injury to cultivated or ornamental land, compensation to be made the amount to be decided by arbitration, demanded within three months of the first entry.
  7. The Governor in council to appoint fees, rates and regulations for the the transmission and due delivery of messages: a scale of such fees and a copy of such rules to be published in the Gazette.
  8. Provides for the payment of fees, and recovery of same.
  9. Messages to be transmitted in the order in which they are received, under a penalty of £50; but messages relating to the arrest of criminals, the discovery or prevention of crime and government messages to have preference.
  10. Penalty for injuring or molesting the line or the working the same, not less than £5 nor more than £100, or imprisonment with hard labor for any period not exceeding six calendar months.
  11. Any officer, &c., employed in transmitting messages not to divulge them, except to authorised persons, under a penalty similar to the above.
  12. Any person may apprehend anyone found offending against this Act; resistance to the execution of the provisions of this act liable to a penalty of £20, or two months imprisonment.
  13. All offences against this Act to be dealt with summarily.
  14. Appeals to be made in the way provided by the "Appeals Regulation Act" but no certiorari.
  15. Title "The Electric Telegraph Act."

 

Electric Telegraph - Annexed regulations and scales of charges.
1st October, 1859.

His Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, has been pleased to approve of the annexed regulations and scale of charges for transmission of messages by electric telegraph between the several stations established in Tasmania; and has also directed the publication of the under-mentioned rates chargeable upon the transmission of messages to or from telegraph stations in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia respectively.
By His Excellency's command,
F. M. Innes, Postmaster-General.

REGULATIONS.

  1.  To lessen as much as possible any liability to error in the transmission of messages from defective manuscript, it is desirable that the use of figures should be avoided, and that words at length be substituted; and the public, in using the Electric Telegraph, are requested to be particular in giving a full and correct address to every message, so that the least possible delay in delivery may occur.
  2. Messages will be transmitted in the order of their reception; and no precedence will be allowed except for special despatches on the service of the government, the arrest of criminals, and in cases of pressing emergency,  sickness or death.
  3. No private messages shall be transmitted at one operation, to an extent exceeding one hundred words, if any other communication requires to be forwarded not exceeding that number of words.
  4. Newspaper messages will be forwarded to the extent of five hundred words on arrival of an English mail, or at any time when important intelligence for the press requires to be forwarded.
  5. All messages will be held strictly confidential.
  6. No stranger shall be allowed to enter the operating room, and any officer of the department admitting any person or persons to the said operating room who are not officers of the department will render himself liable to the penalties stated in the 11th clause of the "Electric Telegraphs Act" and, in addition, shall for each and every such offence forfeit one month's salary.
  7. Payment of charges in advance will be required, except for replies to interrogatory messages on which the sender may have written the words "Reply will be paid for" but special arrangements may be made for the receipt of messages payable by the receiver, either by depositing security at the receiving office, or by furnishing written authority covering the cost of transmission.
  8. No charge will be made for the date, address or signature to any message, and it is particularly requested that the two latter may be as clear and explicit as possible.
  9. Messages must be written with ink, in a clear and legible manner, and bear a proper date, address, and genuine signature in the usual handwriting of the sender.
  10. Messages will be delivered free of charge within one mile of the office; over that distance cab or omnibus fare will be charged when incurred; and for messages to be delivered on shipboard, an extra charge to cover the disbursement of boat expenses will be made.
  11. Messages may be transmitted in cypher in the English language, on payment of an additional charge of fifty per cent., but cypher words must not average more than two syllables.
  12. On special occasions, when the communication may be kept open during the night, an additional charge equal to one-third of the ordinary rate will be required upon all messages received for transmission later than 8 p.m.
  13. Every reasonable exertion will be used and precaution adopted, to secure the greatest promptness, accuracy, and despatch in conducting the business of the telegraph, but no responsibility will be assumed for any errors, omissions, or delays in the transmission or non-transmission, delivery or non-delivery of any message, from whatever cause the same arise. In order, however, to afford the fullest security for the correctness of a transmitted message, the sender may obtain a copy of the message as repeated back from the receiving office, if within the bounds of this colony, upon payment of one half the original charge upon such message but in no case will any pecuniary responsibility be recognised.
  14. In the event of serious delay occurring to prevent the transmission of a message within a reasonable time, or sufficient to destroy the value of the despatch, notice will be conveyed to the sender, should his address be known, and the message together with the amount paid thereon be returned if desired.
  15. In cases where immediate replies are required, the messenger will be instructed to wait five minutes after the delivery, provided the message may contain the words " Reply by telegraph immediately".
  16. Printed forms upon which messages should be written may be obtained upon application at the office; but all messages, whether written upon the prescribed forms or upon plain paper, will be considered as tendered for transmission, and transmitted to their destination under the several conditions and stipulations above   detailed.
  17. The offices will be kept open for the transmission of messages by the public generally between the hours of 8.30 a.m and 8 p.m.

The Scale of Charges has been included elsewhere.