The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-09-27 00:00:00

REGULATIONS RESPECTING TELE-
GRAMS.

The London Gazette of Friday (19th), contains a long
series of regulations which have just been issued by
Lord J. Manners, the Postmaster-General, fixing the
sums to be from time to time paid for the transmission
of telegrams within the United Kingdom, and with
reference to the general conduct of telegraphic business.
The charge for the transmission of a telegram origi-
nating and intending to be delivered within the United
Kingdom, if the length of the telegram does not
exceed 20 words, is to be is.; if it exceeds that
number of words, 3d. for every additional five
words or for any fractional part of five words.
The sum charged for the transmission of a telegram
Is to cover the cost of delivery by special foot
messenger within the limit of one mile from the ter-
minal telegraph office, and if that happens to be a head
office, within the limits of the district served by the
letter-carriers starting from such office.
The sender of a telegram is to be responsible for all
charges conneeted with the.delivery of it, and when the
address of delivery is not within the limits of free de-
livery from the terminal telegraph office the sender must,
when practicable, state its distance from such office
and prepay the charge for delivery. Telegrams de-
posited with telegraphic stamps attached in wall or
pillar boxes, or in letter boxes of ordinary receiving
offices, or post offices not having telegraph offices, are
to be taken to the nearest telegraph office on the first
collection of letters from the place of deposit, and will
be forwarded thence in due course.

Postmasters are to be at liberty, on the request of
any person, to keep open their offices for the accep-
tance of telegrams after the ordinary business hc.nrs,
and for their transmission to any postal telegraph office
which may happen to be open at the time.

Telegrams written in any modern European
language and in English characters are to be
counted and charged for in the same way as
telegrams written in the English language; but all
words not forming parts of any modern European
language and all unintelligible combh;iations of letters
are to be charged at the rate of five letters to a word.
The sender of a telegram will be entitled to cancel it
before delivery, subject to certain provision, and to a
receipt for it on payment of 2d.
As to Press messages, in the absence of some special
arrangement to the contrary, the list of addresses to
which such messages are to be delivered must be
written at the head of the messages when tendered,
and the rates of charge for the transmission of a
Press message given in to be sent to one or more
addresses at 6 p.m., or between 6 p.m., and 9 atm.
are fixed at a shilling for every 100 words, or for any
fractional part of that number. If the message be
intended to be delivered at more than one address
an additional sum of 2cl. for every 100 words is
to be charged in respect of every such additional
address. These charges are to be designated the
"night rates," and the "day rates," which apply
to transmission between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., are taxed
at is. for every seventy-five words, a charge of 2d., as
in the case of night rates," being made if the mes-
sage be intended to be delivered at more than one
address. The charge for the transmission of a Press
message is to include the charge for delivery by special
foot messenger within the limit of one mile from the
terminal telegraph office.
The expression a " continuous message " is defined to
mean a series of Press messages tendered for transmis.
sion at different times, but forming a continuous com-
munication relating to one matter complete in itself; and
such a series is, under tertain conditions, to be charged
for as forming the parts of one and the same telegram. In
the case of a telegram which forms part of a con-
tinuous message certain words, such as " more to
follow," by way of instruction to the telegraph clerk,
may be transmitted free of charge, and special
arrangements may if practicable without undue ex-
penee or without inconvenience to the public service
be made for keeping any postal telegraph office open
after the ordinary business hours for the transmission
of a Press message exceeding 500 words, on receipt of
sufficient notification of a request for such an arrange-
ment.

THE HARVEST.
Mr. J. J. Misch!, Tiptree-hall, Kelvodon, Essex, writes to
The Times:—
pa h
r crops, especially
thrashing and dressing machines are now
revealing
eespseocrirallowyfuolu hfacetavtyhalatntlg,eadhedfiecvieenhcyohinwoeullr.
farmed lands, is greater than was anticipated, verify.
lug Mr. Caird's and Mr. Scott's estimates of 30 per
cent, under average. We all expected a better
result, from the abundance of straw and numerous
beads; but the latter are ill filled with very inferior
shrunken kernels, and the straw, although bulky,
lacks weight and has a dark mildewy colour. Water.
living weeds have had undisturbed possession among
the corn crops, for their destruction was rendered
impossible by the constantly saturated condition of the
soil. Root crops are late, and only half a crop;
potatoes much diseased. There has been heavy loss
by death of lambs, and cattle have done badly on
unricened, watery grasses. In fact, the absence of
sunshine, a low temperature, and excess of rain have
prevented healthy development both in farm crops
and in fruit. There is a great vacation of farms,
and the local papers are filled with notices of farm
stock sales and or farms to be let or sold,
In this district we have three weeks of dry and
generally bright weather, so that a few days more will
complete our harvest
rartridati are • complete failure.
,

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