AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA AND NAURU FOR THE EXCHANGE OF MONEY ORDERS

(Nauru - Melbourne, 28 September-27 October 1921)

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 27 OCTOBER 1921

It being considered desirable that an Agreement should be entered into by the Postmaster-General's Department of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Administrator, Nauru, the undersigned, duly authorised for the purpose, have agreed upon the following Articles: 

Article 1

There shall be a regular exchange of money orders between Nauru and the Commonwealth of Australia. 

Article 2

1. The service shall be performed exclusively by the agency of offices of exchange. 

2. On the part of Nauru, the office of exchange shall be Nauru, and on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, the office of exchange shall be Sydney. 

3. Additional offices of exchange may be established from time to time as may be arranged. 

Article 3

1. The maximum amount of each money order shall be twenty pounds ([sterling]20) sterling. 

2. No money order shall contain a fractional part of a penny. 

Article 4

The amount of each money order, whether issued in Nauru or in the Commonwealth of Australia, shall be expressed in sterling. 

Article 5

The amounts of money orders deposited by the remitters and paid to the payees shall be in gold coin or any other legal money of the same current value. 

Article 6

Each money order shall be delivered to the remitter thereof, to be forwarded by him, at his own expense, to the payee, except in the case of "through" orders (Article 7, paragraph 4), which shall be re-advised by the intermediary office of exchange. 

Article 7

1. The Postal Administrations of the respective countries shall have the power to fix, from time to time, the rates of commission to be charged on all money orders they may respectively issue. 

2. Each office shall notify to the other its tariff of charges or rates of commission which shall be established under this Agreement, and those rates shall be in all cases payable in advance by the remitters and shall not be repayable. 

3. The commission so charged shall belong to the country of issue; but that country shall credit to the paying country one-half of one percent on the total value of the orders issued in its jurisdiction, and advised to the country of payment. 

4. In the case of money orders issued by Nauru for payment in countries in respect of which the Commonwealth may be able to act as intermediary, the commission to be allowed on such orders by the issuing country shall be at the same rate as that allowed on orders payable in the country which acts as intermediary. For its services the intermediary office shall be entitled to deduct from the amount of each "through" order, a sum of 3d. for each [sterling]5 or fraction thereof, and in view of such deduction, "through" orders should be drawn for an amount which includes the sum to be deducted by the intermediary office. As in the case of the commission referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, the intermediary charge shall not be repayable to the remitter. 

Article 8

1. Each Administration shall have the power under extraordinary circumstances which may warrant it to temporarily suspend the exchange of money orders with the other. 

2. Notice of such suspension shall be given to the other Administration, if necessary by telegram, if such means of communication are available. 

Article 9

Money orders shall be drawn only on authorised money order offices of the respective countries, and each Postal Administration shall furnish to the other a list of such offices, and shall from time to time notify any addition to or change in such list. 

Article 10

Every money order and advice drawn in Nauru on Australia must contain the name of the office at which it is intended payment shall be made, and the State in which such office is situated. 

Article 11

The applicant for a money order shall be required to furnish, if possible, the full surname and christian name (or at least the initial of one christian name) both of the remitter and of the payee, or the name of the firm or company who are the remitters or payees, and the address of the remitter. If, however, a christian name cannot be given, an order may nevertheless be issued at the remitter's risk. 

Article 12

1. List of money orders issued (Form A) shall be despatched from each office of exchange, accompanied by the relative advices. The lists shall be numbered consecutively throughout the year, commencing with No. 1 at the beginning of the month of January in each year, and ending with the number of the last list despatched in the month of December the same year. The money orders shown in the lists shall also be numbered consecutively (these numbers to be called "International Numbers") commencing with number one (1) at the beginning of each calendar year. 

2. The particulars of "through" orders (Article 7, paragraph 4) shall be entered either in red ink at the end of the ordinary advice lists or on separate sheets. 

3. In all cases of "through" orders, the name and address of the payee, including name of the town and country of payment, shall be given as fully as possible. 

Article 13

Lists shall be despatched only when there are advices to be forwarded. 

Article 14

1. Each office of exchange shall promptly communicate to the other the correction of any simple error which it may discover in the verification of the lists. 

2. When the lists shall show irregularities which the receiving office cannot rectify, that office shall apply to the despatching office for an explanation, and such explanation shall be furnished without delay. 

3. Pending the receipt of the explanation, payment of orders fond to be erroneous in the lists may be suspended at the discretion of the paying office. 

Article 15

1. The orders drawn in Nauru on Australia shall be subject, as regards payment, to the regulations which govern the payment of inland orders in Australia, and likewise orders drawn in Australia on Nauru shall be subject, as regards payment, to the regulations which the Administrator shall promulgate. 

2. The paid orders shall remain in the possession of the country of payment. 

Article 16

Duplicate orders shall be issued and transfer of place of payment made only by the Postal Administration of the country on which the original orders were drawn, and in conformity with the regulations established or to be established in that country. 

Article 17

1. The remitter of a money order may, before payment of such order, demand repayment of the amount thereof or the rectification of the name or address of the payee. 

2. Repayments of the amounts of orders to remitters shall not be made until an authorisation for such repayment shall have been obtained by the country of issue from the country where such orders are payable, and the amounts of the repaid orders shall be duly credited to the former country in the quarterly account (Article 21). 

Article 18

Money orders which shall not have been paid within twelve calendar months after the month of issue shall become void, and the sums received therefore shall be credited to and be at the disposal of the country of origin. 

Article 19

1. The remitter of a money order may obtain an Advice of Payment of the order by paying in advance, to the exclusive profit of the Administration of the country of issue, a charge to be fixed by such Administration. 

2. If application for an Advice of Payment be made at the time of the issue of the order, the words "Advise Payment" shall be written on the order and the advice in the space for the date stamp of the office of payment, and the full address of the remitter shall be written after the name on the advice and in the list. The letters "A.P." shall also be written against the entry in the list. 

3. After paying the amount of the order, the paying office shall forward an Advice of Payment by first post, as an ordinary letter, direct to the remitter. 

4. In the case of "through" orders (Article 7, paragraph 4), all completed forms of Advice of Payment shall be sent to the exchange office of the intermediary country, which shall arrange for their despatch to the remitters. 

5. If application for an Advice of Payment be made subsequent to the issue of an order, a form of Advice of Payment, giving full particulars of the order, and of the advising, and full addressed to the remitter, shall be sent to the exchange office of the country of payment (or in the case of "through" orders to the exchange office of the intermediary country), which shall arrange for its completion and despatch to the remitter. 

Article 20

At the end of every month, each office of exchange shall prepare and forward to the other office a statement showing the particulars of all orders issued by the other office which have remained unpaid at the end of the period specified in Article 18 (Form B). 

Article 21

At the close of each quarter, or as soon thereafter as practicable, separate accounts, in duplicate, shall be prepared by Australia and forwarded to the Administrator, Nauru. Such accounts shall comprise Forms C, D, E and F, in respect of the business between Nauru and Australia: 

Form C - showing particulars of orders authorised during the quarter, to be repaid to remitters; 

Form D - showing particulars of void orders brought to account during the quarter (vide monthly Forms B); 

Form E - showing amount of each list (Forms A); and 

Form F - showing General Account of money order transactions based on particulars contained in Forms C, D and E. 

Article 22

(1) If the balance of the two accounts be in favour of Australia, the amount due shall, unless otherwise mutually arranged, be paid by  Nauru by cheque in sterling to the Deputy-Postmaster-General, Sydney, and the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, advised of the payment. 

(2) On the other hand, should the balance be in favour of Nauru, the amount due shall be paid by the Postmaster-General's Department of Australia to the Administrator, Nauru. 

(3) The expenses attending all remittances made under the provisions of this Agreement shall invariably be borne by the Administration by which payment is to be made. 

Article 23

The Postal Administration of each country shall be authorised to adopt any additional rules, if not repugnant to the foregoing, for greater security against fraud, or for the better working of the system generally. All such additional rules, however, shall be communicated to the Postal Administration of the other country concerned. 

Article 24

This Agreement shall take effect on 27 October 1921 and shall continue in force until twelve months after either of the contracting countries shall have notified to the other its intention to terminate it, unless it shall be mutually agreed that circumstances warrant an earlier termination. 

DONE in duplicate, and signed at Nauru on the 27 October 1921 and at Melbourne, Australia, on the 28th September 1921. 

[Signed:]

(GEO. H WISE)

POSTMASTER-GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
	[Signed:]

(T. GRIFFITHS)

ADMINISTRATOR OF NAURU

_____________________________________________________________________________

FORM A

No. of List ................ 

LIST OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN AUSTRALIA AND PAYABLE IN NAURU

Despatched this ................................. day of ..........................................

Inter-national No.	No. of order	Date of order	Office of issue	Office of payment	Christian and surname of remitter	Christian and surname of payee	Amount of order	Remarks	
							[sterling]	s.	d.		

											

No. of List................ 

LIST OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN NAURU AND PAYABLE IN AUSTRALIA

Despatched this ................................. day of .......................................... 

Inter-national No.	No. of order	Date of order	Office of issue	Office of payment	Christian and surname of remitter	Christian and surname of payee	Amount of order	Remarks	
							[sterling]	s.	d.		

											

FORM B

.................................. on ........................................

List of money orders issued in the month of ......................................... 19 ....... which, not having been paid within the twelve months after issue, have become void.

Date of issue	No.	Where issued	Where payable	Amount	Remarks	
					[sterling]	s.	d.		

									

Money Order Office, 

Sydney, ......................................... 19 

....................................... 

Accountant 

FORM C

Table showing the particulars of such orders as have been repaid to the remitters in the country of issue, brought to account during the quarter ended ........................... 19 .....

ISSUED IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA	
Number of list	Date of list	International number of money order	Amount of order		
			[sterling]	s.	d.		

							
							
To credit of Commonwealth of Australia					

ISSUED IN NAURU
Number of listDate of listInternational number of money orderAmount of order[sterling]s.d.To credit of Nauru
FORM D

This form is exactly similar to Form C, with the exception of the heading, which will read:

Table showing particulars of such orders as have become void, brought to account during the quarter ended ........................................ 19 ..... 

FORM E

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Abstract of the lists of money orders issued by the Commonwealth of Australia and Nauru respectively during the quarter ended ................................. 19 ......

ORDERS ISSUED BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA	ORDERS ISSUED BY NAURU	
Date of list	No. of list	Amount of each list	Date of list	No. of list	Amount of each list	
		[sterling]	s.	d.			[sterling]	s.	d.	

										
										
Total to credit of Nauru				Total to credit of the Commonwealth of Australia				

General Post Office, 

Sydney ............................ 19 ........ 

........................................... 

Accountant 

FORM F

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Account of money order transactions between Nauru and the Commonwealth of Australia during the quarter ended .....................................19 ......

TO THE CREDIT OF NAURU	TO THE CREDIT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA	
	[sterling]	s.	d.		[sterling]	s.	d.	
Balance from preceding account 

Amount of orders issued in the Commonwealth of Australia on Nauru 

Commission on amount of such issue at 1/2% 

Amount of void and repaid orders of  Nauru  issue 

Remittances, viz.:				Balance from preceding account 

Amount of orders issued in Nauru on the Commonwealth of Australia 

Commission on amount of such issue at 1/2% 

Amount of void and repaid orders of Australian issue 

Remittances, viz.:				
Particulars	Amount			Particulars	Amount			
	[sterling]	s.	d.		[sterling]	s.	d.	

								
Balance in favour of the Commonwealth of Australia	Balance in favour of Nauru	
TOTAL	TOTAL	

Postmaster-General's Department 

Central Office, Melbourne 

............................................... 19 .... 

.............................................. 

Chief Accountant 

The above statement is accepted with a balance of [sterling] .................... due to ........................ 

.............................................. ......................................... 

............................................ 19 ...... .............................................