Australia - Establishment period: 1917-1922.
Ordinary rate transmission form AE-TO-1.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form number E.T. No. 2 which soon after was changed to E.T. No. 1.
Heading is TELEGRAM.
Has two boxes in heading.
Message area: 30 boxes in 6 lines.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & form): Black on white.
Size of form overall: 126 × 203 mm.
Size of datestamp box: 22 × 31 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 
TO1D
Printing date unknown but probably 1917.
Provenance: Clemente, Johnstone.		 AE-TO-1A.

Used to draft a possible telegram to Hobart.

Characteristics:

  • Form number E.T.2;
  • top heading is sans-serif font;
  • has a stores number in lower left corner.

The use of the E.T.2 form number is unusual. That number was used by all former Colonies except Queensland during the interim period for transmission forms.

Hence its use on this form was probably a carry over until consistency could be achieved.
AE-TO-1
Printed in June 1918.		 AE-TO-1B.

Used for a telegram to Perth from Cue (4 October 1919).

Has a black oval Commonwealth Savings Bank datestamp - the Bank having a branch at the Post & Telegraph Office.

Used to draft a possible telegram to Hobart.

Characteristics:

  • Form number E.T.1;
  • top heading is serif font;
  • has a stores number in lower left corner using a different format to that on the previous form.
TO1B
Printed in February 1918.		 AE-TO-1C.

Unused form.

Used to draft a possible telegram to Hobart.

Characteristics:

  • Form number E.T.1;
  • top heading is serif font;
  • has a stores number in lower left corner using the same format to that on the previous form;
  • has serrations down the left side indicating this form would have been bound into a pad/book of forms with a stub at the left.
TO-1C
Provenance: Clemente, Johnstone.		 AE-TO-1D.

Unused form.

Characteristics:

  • Form number E.T.1;
  • top heading is serif font;
  • no schedule number;
  • rate for inter-state telegrams has been increased to 1s 4d - hence the printing must have been early in 1923.
Confirmation
Provenance: Gundersen, Johnstone.		 Copy of a telegram made for and by Cameron, Sutherland and Seward Pty Ltd.
(3 January 1924).

This form would be placed under the original PMG form with carbon paper and a secretary would type the message.

The format was designed for the first Australian transmission forms issued in 1918 (shown above) as these forms were slightly bigger than those issued later - the date fitted on these forms better than the small, later forms.

Very rare - only one other such form (for the same firm) is recorded.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
TO-1A B86092 .. 25 - St. 64 (37)   RRRR
TO-1B B. 873/12.17. - C.16602. - 200M. 21 November 1923 at ??. RR
  B.873/6.18. - C.9319. - 240M. 4 October 1919 at Cue, WA RR
TO-1C B. 873/2.18. - C.16602. - 200M.   RR
TO-1D None Probably available in 1923 RRR