Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 27

[128] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, X: 63.

[129] See page 33.

Our ill.u.s.tration (No. 34 on Plate II) shows a sample of the whole set, the only variation, outside of the color, being the denomination in the label at the bottom. This is in each case expressed in words. The stamps are beautifully engraved on steel as usual, and are printed on stout wove paper and perforated 12. The values from 1/2 cent through 5 cents were printed in sheets of 100, ten rows of ten. Above the 5 cent, that is from 6 cents through 5 dollars, they were printed in sheets of 50, ten horizontal rows of five stamps each. The marginal inscriptions are very meagre, consisting merely of "OTTAWA--No--1" (or some other plate number) in hair-line Roman capitals 2-1/2 mm. high, at the top of the sheet only. The inscription is 40 mm. long, being centered over stamps 5 and 6 of the top row in the sheets of 100, and over stamp number 3 in the sheets of 50. This is the first time that plate numbers appear on the sheets of Canadian postage stamps, and it is well to record them.

Taking them serially we find the plates of the various values were made as follows:--

Plate 1 3 cents 2 3 "

3 3 "

4 3 "

5 1 "

6 1 "

7 2 "

8 2 "

9 1/2 "

10 5 "

11 3 "

12 3 "

13 3 "

14 3 "

15 1 "

16 1 "

17 6 cents 18 15 "

19 10 "

20 8 "

21 20 "

22 4 dollars 23 50 cents 24 3 dollars 25 5 "

26 2 "

27 1 "

28 3 cents 29 3 "

30 3 "

31 3 "

The colors, which will be found in the Reference List, are quite constant, as would be expected. The princ.i.p.al variation is only one of tone in a few values.

A newspaper despatch from Ottawa tells us that "A return brought down to-day shows that the cost of printing the jubilee stamp was 20 cents per thousand."[130]

[130] =Post Office=, IX: 37.

Considerable criticism was naturally aroused by the inclusion of the values from one to five dollars, and outside of the palpable attempt to "make capital" from stamp collectors and others, it was claimed that the four and five dollar values were useless, as the "highest amount that can _possibly_ be required on a parcel sent by mail from Canada is $3.59 (including registration). This owing to limitations of weight, etc., and the highest amount that can be required on a letter is $1.65".[131] An "official" replied[132] that "very frequently parcels leave the Toronto Post Office with $15 and $20 postage on them, and in some cases the postage has reached the amount of $63. There is another way in which the $4 and $5 stamps may be used, viz.:--in second cla.s.s rate books. Canada does not issue Newspaper or Periodical stamps so these two high values can be used in this way."

[131] =Weekly Philatelic Era=, XI: 383.

[132] =ibid.=, XI: 406.

Someone wrote the Postmaster General, quoting the above letter and asking further particulars. The reply stated[133] that "the regulations do not fix any limit to the weight of letters.... According to the regulations of this Department 'Second Cla.s.s Matter' comprises newspapers and periodicals addressed to regular subscribers, (including sample copies) and that, postage being payable upon such matter at a bulk rate of 1c. per lb., the stamps required for prepayment are not affixed to the packages, but are placed in small books and cancelled.

The books for this purpose are supplied by the Department to all Post Offices where they are required." This was a.n.a.logous to the practice in the United States, only regular postage stamps were employed instead of special newspaper and periodical stamps. As a matter of fact the high value Jubilee stamps, which later became a drug on the market, were largely used for this purpose. Mr. King confirms the fact of large postage payments:[134] "I have seen packages originating at and pa.s.sing through the post office here [Halifax] that had from $12.00 to $15.00 postage on them ... and the case can be recalled of a letter on which $40 was prepaid."

[133] =ibid.=, XI: 426.

[134] =Monthly Journal=, VIII: 177.

The question of the unlimited validity of the Jubilee stamps for postage was also brought up, doubtless because of the temporary nature of their issue, and a special circular was issued touching this point, of which the following is a copy:[135]--

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA.

POSTAGE STAMP BRANCH.

OTTAWA, 24th June, 1897.

SIR--I am directed to send you for your information and guidance, the following statement, which has just been given to the press:

"Enquiry having been made at the Post Office Department as to whether the Canadian Jubilee Postage Stamps would continue good as postage for a limited period only, it has been officially stated that the Jubilee stamp will remain valid for postage purposes so long as they may continue in circulation. _They will not, however, be redeemed by the Department, a distinction being drawn in this respect between them and the ordinary postage stamps._"

I am Sir, Your obedient Servant, E. P. STANTON, Superintendent.

[135] =Weekly Philatelic Era= XII: 210.

A curious case of splits is recorded from the _Suss.e.x, N. B., News_:[136]--

The _Railway News_ last week on account of not receiving permission from the Post-Master General to allow papers to go through the mails free, was compelled to pay postage. No half cent stamps being available, the post office department allowed one cent stamps to be cut in halves for postage. This is the first time on record we believe where such was allowed and the stamps have been eagerly sought after, one dollar being paid for a single stamp with the post office stamp on it. The _News_ will pay twenty-five cents each for the one cent Jubilee stamps cut in halves bearing the post office stamp of November 5th, 6th, or 8th, which was allowed to pa.s.s through the mails on that date owing to there being no regular half cent stamps obtainable.

[136] =ibid.=, XII: 96.

The 1 cent ordinary also did duty at some offices for like reasons, but the practice was not approved from headquarters, as postmasters were officially instructed in such cases to use whole 1 cent stamps and get a refund on the difference in value.

It may be recalled that one of our quotations stated that the first set of Jubilee stamps printed would be presented to the "Prince of York"--a slip for the "Duke of York," afterwards Prince of Wales, and now His Most Gracious Majesty King George V. An account of this presentation set may not be without interest here:[137]--

A very unique and handsome piece of work is the postal portfolio which is to be presented to His Royal Highness, the Duke of York, by the Dominion Government, and which is on exhibition in the window of Kyrie Brothers, Jewelers, Toronto. The portfolio is in the form of an alb.u.m, the cover of which is of royal blue morocco leather, handsomely decorated in gold. In the center of the front cover is a raised s.h.i.+eld in white on which are the words in gold letters, "Dominion of Canada, Diamond Jubilee Postage Stamps, 22nd June, 1897." The corners of the portfolio are decorated with guards of Canadian gold made from British Columbia and Ramey district ore. The right hand upper corner decoration is a design of maple leaves, and the lower corner of English oak leaves and acorns. The portfolio is fastened with a clasp of Canadian gold in the form of oak leaves, while the bracket on the front holding the clasps in position is entwined with maple leaves with the monogram of H. R. H. the Duke of York--G. F. E. A.--George Frederick Ernest Albert. On the third page is the inscription, "This collection of postage stamps issued at Ottawa by the Dominion of Canada in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria is presented to H. R. H. the Duke of York, K. G., by the Government of Canada, 1897." The last page of this unique stamp alb.u.m will contain the certificate of the destruction of the dies and plates in the presence of Hon. Wm. Mulock, postmaster-general of Canada.... This is probably the dearest stamp alb.u.m in the world, and contains only a single specimen of each denomination of the jubilee issue.

[137] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, X: 28

It will be noted that the Superintendent's last circular concerning the exhaustion of the Jubilee stamps stated that the plates had been destroyed. An eye witness sent _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ (X: 166) an account of the process which is interesting enough to reproduce.

On Friday afternoon, Sept. 10th, ... I presented myself at the Post-Office Department and joined a party who were just leaving the building to go over to the American Bank Note Co's. building, a couple of blocks away.... Arriving, we were conducted to the top floor by the manager. The plates, dies, etc., were brought out by those in charge, and the seventeen original dies after inspection by those present were placed one by one under a press and an obliterating roller pa.s.sed over them several times: proofs were then pulled which faintly showed the outline of the ovals, etc., but the words showing the value could not even be made out. Next the rolls for transferring the impression from the dies to the plates came in for their share of attention. There were nineteen of them, and a few burns from an emery wheel quickly put each one "out of sight". The plates, 31 in number, were subjected to the same treatment as the dies and the total time occupied in the destruction of the various parts occupied almost two hours.

The Postmaster General's Report for the 30th June, 1897, reprints the extract from the _Canadian Hansard_ of 20th May, which we have already given.[138] The stamp accounts show a few curious things. In the first place the announcement of the issue gave the quant.i.ty of 8 cent stamps as 200,000. The accounts for 1897 give the number received from the manufacturers as 240,000, and we find in the column headed "Returned by Postmasters as unfit for use," 40,000 copies, and in the column headed "Stamps destroyed as unfit for use", a like amount! When the Post Office Department estimates for the ensuing year were being discussed in Parliament in May, 1898, the following interpellation occurred and was replied to by the Postmaster General:[139]--

_Mr. Ingram._ I notice that 40,000 eight cent stamps were returned by the postmasters as unfit for use, and that 40,000 were destroyed as unfit for use.

_The Postmaster-General._ The explanation of that is this: The total number issued was limited to the schedule mentioned in the answer that I gave to Parliament. By a mistake a larger quant.i.ty was delivered to the department, and before it was discovered the department had distributed a larger quant.i.ty than was mentioned in the schedule.[140] They discovered it when the mail had gone out, and at once recalled the over-issue. Of course they were at once destroyed, so as to keep the amount within the figure named by Parliament.

_Mr. Ingram._ Then it was not through stamps being unfit?

_The Postmaster-General._ I do not know how it is worded there; "Unfit for use" is not a proper description. There was not one stamp in excess of the limit stated in Parliament that got into the hands of the public. There was that little error I speak of, but it was detected at once and corrected, and of course the extra amount was at once destroyed--I suppose by the Auditor-General and by Mr.

Stanton of the stamp department.

[138] See page 148.