WI-DO-4

Western Australia - Interim period: 1901-1917.
Delivery form: WI-DO-4.

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Special aspects

General characteristics:

Heading and notes:	Form number E. T. 1. Standard Interim period heading.
Message area:	Blank.
Reverse side:	Blank.
Colours (text & form):	Blue on cream.
Size of form overall:	210 × 233 mm.
Size of datestamp box:	24 × 29 mm.

Distinctive characteristics of this form:

has address in box at top below TELEGRAM;
normal Interim heading is about one third down the form;
large blank message area.
a scan of the only known sheet of the Telegram seals is shown below while a block of 6 is shown in conjunction with the corresponding Victorian form.

In many countries, telegraph forms had been designed so that, when folded, they incorporated an envelope. There had long been the view held by some in the Australian Chief Telegraph Offices - even since 1893 in New South Wales - that a single form which incorporated an envelope would be more efficient and reduce errors in processing. That view is despite the fact that few errors were made - as is noted in various Annual Reports.

In 1912, a prototype form and envelope was trialled in at least two Chief Telegraph Offices. The only recorded example for Western Australia is shown below while the only recorded example for Victoria (VI-DO-4) is included elsewhere. The forms, after folding, were sealed with a specially printed C of A Telegraph stamp (or seal) which would be torn in two on opening. The concept was later developed further into the first delivery form issued by the Commonwealth without State references for both ordinary rate (AE-DO-1) and urgent rate (AE-DU-1) delivery forms.

WI-DO-4.
Geraldton to Perth
(Rare PERTH E.T.O. date stamp of 22 February 1912).
Also has a unboxed GERALDTON hand stamp.

Experimental format.

Characteristics:

has "2." in top left corner;
has two lines of vertical text at left.

This particular form was long regarded as being the only genuinely used example of this format known for any State. Another form has since been identified for Victoria (see VI-DO-4).

Provenance: Gundersen.

The only recorded sheet of the Telegram seals known to be still in existence.
Tasmanian Stamp Auctions April 2015.

A block of 6 seals is shown in conjunction with the corresponding Victorian form (VI-DO-4).

Details of use and rarity.

Form sub-number	Schedule number	Earliest recorded date	Rarity rating
DO-4	None	22 February 1912 at Perth.	RRRR