Combine this page and Advertising - using telegrams.
To help increase revenue to Telegraph Departments - and therefore help to keep telegraphic rates low - a number of proposals were put forward in many countries to consider the inclusion of advertising on telegraph forms and/or delivery envelopes. Few countries actually adopted such proposals.
Some indications of the Australian proposals in Colonial and post-Federation periods are reported below.
Examples of forms and envelopes showing the inclusion of advertisements by other countries are shown elsewhere.
Proposals in Colonial Australia.
The Argus of 9 September 1895 included the comment:
"The 'infinite variety' of Mr Duffy is admitted. He is now about to turn the advertising agent. He has noted with satisfaction, the good price Messrs Cameron Bros are giving for the right to advertise on postcards and he meditates granting similar concessions in regards to the backs of telegraph forms and envelopes and postage stamps. The Minister has not yet come to any definite decision but the subject is on his mind. He recogises that the times are out of joint and stringent, though inartistic, measures may have to be taken to turn an honest penny.
Like the characters in 'Patience', who were constrained to embrace aetheticism for the sake of the girls they admired, he may have to do it though he does not like it. The public will doubtless like the disfigurement of their postal stationery still ]ess. At the same time, Mr Duffy is looking forward to the abolition of the midday delivery of letters in some of the suburbs".
Advertising on the backs of delivery envelopes.
In the Northern Miner of 5 July 1890 - as well as in many papers in Queensland and South Australia - it was reported that the Postmaster-General in Victoria had approved using the backs of telegram envelopes for advertising purposes. By October 1890, however there was a new Postmaster-General in Victoria. He did not approve of the Post Office being used as an advertising medium. He was therefore determined that the proposal of the previous Postmaster-General - to let the backs of telegram envelopes be used for advertising purposes - should not proceed.
Proposals in post-Federation Australia.
Advertising on the backs of telegram delivery forms.
On 6 September 1929, a number of newspapers including the Perth Daily Mail, printed an announcement about the introduction of advertising on telegrams:
ADVERTISING THE P.M.G.
Telegram Form Innovation
It has occurred to the Postmaster General's Department that the blank back of telegram forms can be utilised as an excellent space for advertising the service — the telegraphs, telephones and mails. Soon telegram forms everywhere will contain informative points concerning the various branches.
Sample forms have reached Perth. They are ordinary telegram forms but, where the backs were formerly blank. there are now three columns of newsprint. The reader is told that, just as he operates a switch for electricity, turns a tap for water or for gas:
These advertisements were printed on telegrams from June 1929 with the earliest recorded usage in mid-1930. Examples of the formats used are shown elsewhere.