Labels - overview

Forms were printed for specific purposes although, in some cases, they were infrequently used or there were supply problems.

To avoid both problems, a decision was made that some telegrams could be marked as being special with a simple label affixed to the top of the form. Such a strategy formalised the common practice of simply writing a relevant word such as URGENT or ... on the top of an ordinary rate delivery form.

The first labels produced were for URGENT telegrams. These are claimed to have been printed in 1909 although none has been recorded. Later, when it was considered unnecessary to have special forms for international telegrams, labels were produced for these - probably during the early 1930s. The earliest recorded dates for the various types of labels printed together with hyperlinks to all known types are:

URGENT - 8 August 1927;
INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAM - 25 April 1934;
OVERSEAS TELEGRAM - about 1955;
PRIORITY - date uncertain.
RADIOGRAM - 2 November 1952 (H).

There is also a very special type of label printed in Victoria. It has the message "URGENT LETTERS/ FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY.

A different type of label was printed to seal a new design of delivery form.

These were printed in red.

Full details of these can be found elsewhere.

Unfortunately some people - especially on Ebay - are listing fake labels without any caveat as to them being ffigments of a person's imagination and not genuine labels.

Examples of these fakes are shown below:

There is also another, printed in red, in which the top line has a major break in it instead of being continuous as shown in the block above.

DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO BUY THESE NON-DISCLOSED FAKES.

Labels were also used in conjunction with telegraph work in New Zealand - although their purpose is not clear.

Examples of these labels used about the same time as those in Australia are shown below: