Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 22

In my opinion, which I have had confirmed by several most competent authorities, the various imperforated copies which I show you, some used and some unused, are absolutely genuine varieties. Imperforated copies of various values were sold over the Post-office counter in Montreal about the years 1891-3, at their face value, and have been good for postage whenever people cared to use them. The quant.i.ties in this condition are, I believe, extremely small.

[108] =Monthly Journal=, VIII: 237.

[109] =London Philatelist=, XVI: 88.

Supplementing this Mr. Pack writes:[110]--

I quite agree with Mr. Horsley in regard to the various imperforate copies of the issues of 1882 to 1895. There are a good many specimens of these stamps imperforate, and they were on sale at a Canadian Post Office.

[110] =London Philatelist=, XVI: 144.

The above statements are correct, and we can vouch for them by doc.u.mentary evidence. Not only were the various values of the series we are considering on sale in imperforate condition, but also the 8, 20 and 50 cent stamps which we are next to consider, and the shade of the 8 cent stamp shows it to have been among the earlier printings--probably in 1893. We are fortunate in being able to present ill.u.s.trations of all these imperforates in blocks of four or more, which will be found on Plates IX, X and XII.

That these imperforates are perfectly good for postage and are recognized by the Canadian Post Office to this day, equally with their perforated prototypes, has been proved to our satisfaction because we have employed some on registered matter addressed to the United States.

As this cla.s.s of mail requires to be fully prepaid, any irregularity would at once be detected and the covers would tell the story. We ill.u.s.trate a pair of the 2 cent imperforate on a registered cover mailed at Como, Quebec, on March 20, 1905. [Plate XIII, No. 129.]

As before, we find that a few stamps have been "split" and used for half their value, copies of the 2 cent and 6 cent having been cut vertically and doing unquestioned duty as 1 cent and 3 cent stamps respectively. As this practise is unauthorized they can be regarded mearly as freaks that have slipped through by carelessness--or favor.

Turning once more to the Postmaster General's Reports, we begin with that of the 30th June, 1875. This notes that:--

The Act pa.s.sed in the last Session of Parliament for the regulation of the Postal Service of Canada, came wholly into force on the 1st October, 1875.

1. Letters pa.s.sing by mail at 3 cents per 1/2 oz.

2. Local or drop letters at 1 cent per 1/2 oz.

3. Post cards 1 cent each.

4. Canadian newspapers and periodicals, from office of publication at 1 cent per pound of bulk weight.

5. Transient newspapers and periodicals, circulars, books, pamphlets, etc., open, 1 cent per 4 oz.

6. Newspapers or periodicals weighing less than 1 oz. each, when posted singly, 1/2 cent each.

7. Closed parcels not containing letters, 12-1/2 cents per 8 oz.

The Act referred to was "An Act to amend and consolidate the Statute Law for the regulation of the Postal Service. [_a.s.sented to 8th April, 1875._]"[111] and was mainly a repet.i.tion of _The Post Office Act, 1867_,[112] with certain amendments incorporated. The princ.i.p.al changes which interest us are as follows:--

[111] 38^o Vict. Chap. 7.

[112] 31^o Vict. Cap. X. See page 95.

1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as "The Post Office Act, 1875," etc., etc.

10.--6. Cause to be prepared and distributed postage and registration stamps necessary for the prepayment of postages and registration charges, under this Act; also stamped envelopes for the like purpose and post-cards and stamped post bands or wrappers for newspapers or other mailable articles not being post letters.

19. [_Letter rate of 3 cents per 1/2 oz._]: and such postage rate of three cents shall be pre-paid by postage stamp or stamps at the time of posting the letter, otherwise such letter shall not be forwarded by post, except that letters addressed to any place in Canada and on which one full rate of three cents has been so pre-paid, shall be forwarded to their destination charged with double the amount of the postage thereon not so prepaid, which amount shall be collected on delivery.

20. [_Drop letter rate restricted to_ "one cent per half ounce weight."]

22. The rate of postage on newspaper and periodical publications printed and published in Canada, and issued not less frequently than once a month from a known office of publication or news agency, and addressed and posted by and from the same to regular subscribers or news agents, shall be one cent for each pound weight, or any fraction of a pound weight, to be prepaid by postage stamps or otherwise as the Postmaster General may, from time to time, direct; and such newspapers and periodicals shall be put into packages and delivered into the post office, and the postage rate thereon prepaid by the sender thereof, under such regulations as the Postmaster General may, from time to time, direct.

23. Newspapers and periodicals weighing less than one ounce each may be posted singly at a postage rate of half a cent each, which must be in all cases prepaid by postage stamp affixed to each.

24. On all newspapers and periodicals posted in Canada, except in the cases hereinbefore expressly provided for, and on books, etc., etc., [_repeats Sec. 26 of Act of 1867_], the rate of postage shall be one cent for each four ounces or fraction of four ounces, ... and this postage rate shall be prepaid by postage stamps or stamped post bands or wrappers....

27. [_Repeats Sec. 29 of Act of 1867_] And when any letter or other mailable matter is posted in Canada without prepayment, or insufficiently prepaid, in any case in which prepayment is by this Act made obligatory, the Postmaster General may detain the same, and cause it to be returned, when practicable, to the sender.

28. [_Replaces Sec. 30 of Act of 1867_] And for avoiding doubts, and preventing inconvenient delay in the posting and delivery of letters,--no Postmaster shall be bound to give change, but the exact amount of the postage on any letter or other mailable matter shall be tendered or paid to him in current coin as respects letters or other things delivered, bearing unpaid postage, as shall also the exact value in current coin as respects postage stamps, registration stamps, stamped envelopes or post cards, post bands or wrappers, purchased from any Postmaster and the exact amount of postage payable to any letter-carrier on any letter or mailable matter delivered by him.

38. [_Repeats Sec. 40 of Act of 1867 concerning dead letters, but lowers the charge for returning to three cents and allows for deduction of postage prepaid in the case of insufficiently prepaid matter._]

87. The foregoing sections of this Act shall come into force and effect on the first day of October, in the present year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, except only in so far as they relate to the rates of postage on newspapers and periodicals sent to the United States, as to which they shall come into force on the first day of May now next....

From the above quotations we see that the new Act made prepayment of letters by stamps obligatory, and imposed a fine of double the deficiency if insufficiently prepaid; that the unlimited weight of drop letters was restricted to 1/2 oz. per rate; that newspapers and periodicals were cla.s.sed together and publishers given the low rate of 1 cent per pound; that the rate of 2 cents on transient newspapers was reduced to 1/2 cent per ounce, and 1 cent up to four ounces; etc.

The Report of 1875 further informs us that the free delivery of letters by carrier had been commenced in the following cities on the dates given:--

Montreal 1st October, 1874.

Toronto 1st March, 1875.

Quebec 1st April, "

Ottawa 1st May, "

Hamilton 1st " "

St. John, N.B. 1st " "

Halifax, N.S. 1st July, "

Previous to the above dates a charge (in addition to the ordinary postage) of two cents on each letter received by mail, of one cent on each letter posted in the city, and of one cent on each newspaper, was collected by the letter-carrier on delivery of the same. Halifax was an exception, as letters and papers sent out for delivery by letter-carrier had been delivered without extra charge since 1851.

The British American Bank Note Co. was paid for

Engraving and printing postage stamps for Post Office Department, $22,675.50.

The Report of 1876 contains no special items not already noted, but that of 1877 states that the letter rate of postage with Newfoundland had been reduced from 6 cents to 5 cents per 1/2 oz., and the same rate had been obtained with Germany from 1st April, 1877.

The Report of 1878 announces the admission of Canada into the Universal Postal Union from the 1st July, as we have already detailed.[113] The Report of 1879 says: "A reduction has been made, from the 1st September last, in the postage rate on closed parcels sent by post within the Dominion, from 12-1/2 cents per 8 oz. of weight to 6 cents per 4 oz.

Under this change small parcels not exceeding 4 ounces in weight are admitted to pa.s.s for 6 cents instead of 12-1/2 cents as before." This sounded the death knell of the 12-1/2 cent stamp, which dropped in the number issued to postmasters from 84,150 in 1879 to 13,400 in 1880 and 4950 in 1881. It was issued in decreasing numbers down to 1888, when it disappears from the accounts.

[113] See page 109.

Nothing further of importance transpired until 1881, when a supplementary agreement touching certain points was signed with the United States Post Office Department:--

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DOMINION OF CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

For the purpose of affording to the public increased facilities for the exchange of written correspondence, and also of preventing evasions by publishers, of the postal laws and regulations of the United States, the undersigned, duly authorized by their respective Governments, have agreed upon the following additional articles to the Postal Agreement of 27th January and 1st February, 1875:

Article I.