CYPHER AND SHIPPING TELEGRAMS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4165, 27 July 1874, Page 2

CYPHER AND SHIPPING TELEGRAMS.

The following regulations, relating to the Telegraph Department, have been agreed to by the Executive Council, and will come into force on the Ist of August. CYPHER SIGNATURE AND ADDRESS. 1. Every person receiving or intending to become a receiver of foreign telegrams may, upon payment of a fee of one guinea, register his address or signature in cypher at any Telegraph Station within the Colony. A register of cyphers will be kept by the officer in charge, in which he will enter the "cypher" fixed upon, and opposite to it the proper name and address in full of the person so registering, which name and address shall be furnished to the officer by such person. By " foreign telegrams" are meant telegrams sent from some place without the limits of the Colony of New Zealand to an address within the Colony. TELEGRAMS FROM MASTERS OF VESSELS TRADING IN NEW ZEALAND TO HARBOR MASTERS. 2. The master of any ship or vessel trading coastwise in the Colony of New Zealand, and whose ship or vessel is ready for sea, or about to proceed on a voyage, may, upon payment of a fee of sixpence, send a telegram addressed to the Harbor Master at the port where his vessel is bound to, or to any intermediate port that his vessel may pass in the prosecution of her voyage, asking for information as to the state of the weather at any such port, in accordance with these regulations. 3. For the purposes of these regulations, the term "Harbor Master" shall include the Deputy of such Harbor Master at any port, or any other person discharging the duties of such Harbor Master or Deputy Harbor Master.

4. In sending any such telegram, it shall be sufficient if the master signs the name of his vessel instead of his own name ; and, in sending a reply, the Harbor Master shall, instead of signing his own name, sign the name of the port for which he is such Harbor Master. 5. The Harbor Master's reply to any telegram sent by the master of a vessel shall be treated as a "reply paid" telegram. The charge for such telegram shall be included in the first charge of sixpence. 6. Every such telegram must relate strictly to information respecting the weather ; and every such telegram, and the reply thereto, shall in no case exceed ten words in sucli telegram or reply, as the case may be. 7. Information, respecting the weather may be obtained by asking any question of the following kinds, or a combination thereof; that is to say,— As to the state of the barometer, the strength and direction of the wind, or the state of the sea. At bar harbors, the state of the bar may be described in the same terms as are used in describing the state of the sea ; but in no case is the state of . both bar and sea to be sent in the same telegram. 8. The telegrams will in every other respect be accepted and transmitted in conformity with the rules and regulations in force relating to ordinary telegrams. Any attempt at evasion of these regulations will render the telegram liable to be refused.