The Money Order system operated in almost every country through the Postal Department. At first this was a postal money order system which involved the Post Office to send money (in varuoious postal ways) from one location to another. In many places it was comonly used by miners and workers away from home to send funds to their families.
As technology developed and the telegraph became widely used, the Telegraphic money order system became established and much more commonly usd. Using the telegraph simply reduced the time for transfers but also allowed more reliable auditing of the transfers. Hence Telegraphic Money Orders were a process of transmitting money using telegraphic communication rather than the postal system. It involved sending a notification to a designated Telegraph Office and, at the same time, sending a telegram to the named recipient notifying them of the transfer of funds.
The Money Order system was very important to life in Colonial times - especially for:
The postal Money Order facet of the overall postal and telegraphic system is not addressed in detail on this site because telegrams were only a part of the more detailed service offered to transfer money.
The Money Order System was first introduced in New South Wales. It was augmented by the modern technology as from 1 July 1860 when notifications began to be sent over the telegraph lines.
Details provided in this site are:
From 1 February, 1925, money orders could be issued in Australia for payment in countries other than Great Britain. They were advised by telegraph as far as London for onward transmission as ordinary money orders by post from London. Detailed information of the arrangement was obtainable on application at any money order office.
From 1 October 1934, it was possible to send five telegraph money orders from England to Australia in one advice telegram if the remittance did not exceed £200 from one remitter to the same payee. There was a supplementary fee of 1/- for each order.