New South Wales - Colonial period: 1858-1900.
Transmission form: NC-TO-3.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: No form number.
Wavy heading
Message area: 45 boxes in 9 lines.
Reverse side: 10 Regulations.
Colours (text & form): Black on grey.
Size of form overall: 236 × 222 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:

In the Legislative Council on 22 June 1876, Mr. Docker said, in answer to a question, that new transmission forms for telegraphic messages would be issued on the 1st July. The time a message was received for transmission or the time it was issued for delivery would be recorded. No more of the forms now in use were to be printed. The Sydney and suburban offices and the country offices would be supplied as soon as the forms could be furnished by the Government printer and distributed.

This form appears to have been issued in mid-1876. The Age (24 June 1876, p.5) noted, in reporting on New South Wales news, that "the Postmaster-General has directed the issue of new telegraph forms, by which delay in transmission will be detected". Hence entries were provided in the heading to record times RECEIVED and SENT.

NC-TO-3.
Balmain to Cullen's Railway Station, Moss Vale on 9 January 1877.

Characteristics:

  • has entries for time of receipt and sending;
  • message area has boxes for up to 45 words in 9 rows of 5 boxes on the front and
    the provision continuing on the reverse side for a total of 130 words;
  • no stock number.

Reverse side of above NC-TO-3 form showing:
  • boxes in 17 rows of 5 boxes to provide for a total of 130 words;
  • below the boxes is included NOTICE - REGULATIONS with ten regulations;
  • DELIVERY OF SPECIAL MESSAGES - related to delivery of messages to destinations greater than one mile from the Telegraph Office.
A Telegraph office had been established at Moss Vale Railway Station in May 1871. It continued to operate until July 1963. The Post Office in Moss Vale was removed to the Railway Station in July 1871 but then moved back to its original location in April 1873.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
NC-3A et-52    
NC-3B None 9 January 1877 at Moss Vale. RR