Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 34

The fiscal year was once more changed from the 1st July to the 1st April of each year, so that the Reports of the Postmaster General have been made up to the 31st March since 1907. The Report of 1908 states that "for some time past the provisions of the Postal Convention between Canada and the United States relative to the postage on newspapers and periodicals pa.s.sing between the two countries were felt to be unsatisfactory, and an amendment was made to the Convention (taking effect on 8th May, 1907) by which the rate was fixed at 1 cent for each 4 ounces, calculated on the weight of each package of newspapers or periodicals, and prepaid by means of postage stamps affixed. The amendment was subsequently modified: and copies of legitimate daily newspapers posted from the office of publication addressed to regular subscribers and newsdealers, can now be sent from Canada to the United States and from the United States to Canada at the rate of 1 cent per pound. Newspapers and periodicals published less frequently than daily are still subject to the rate of 1 cent per 4 ounces."

The issue of the "6c. International Reply Coupon" is recorded as having taken place on the 5th October, 1907. A supply of 500,000 was received from Berne, and of these 62,625 were distributed. The Report for 1909 gives but 2,475 issued from headquarters, and the 1910 Report 14,050.

The 1908 Report also notes the extension of free delivery of letters by carrier to the following places: in Ontario:--Peterboro, Guelph, Berlin, Stratford, Windsor, St. Catherines; in Quebec:--Sherbrooke, St.

Hyacinthe, Trois Rivieres; in Prince Edward Island:--Charlottetown; in Manitoba:--Brandon; in Alberta:--Calgary, Edmonton.

The Report for 1909 states that "a greatly desired reduction was made in August 1908, in the rate of postage on letters posted for local delivery in cities and other places having free letter carrier delivery service.

The former rate was two cents per ounce; the present rate is one cent per ounce."

Further changes in newspaper regulations are noted as follows:--

Some changes have been made in the regulations respecting newspapers and periodicals posted from the office of publication addressed to regular subscribers and newsdealers. (1) The former rate of 1/2 cent per pound applicable to newspapers and periodicals which required to be transmitted a distance in Canada exceeding three hundred miles, or which were addressed for delivery in a place having Free Letter Carrier Delivery service has been abolished; and now all newspapers and periodicals published not less frequently than once a month can be posted from the place of publication to any place in Canada at the bulk rate of a quarter of a cent per pound. (2) The extent of the circular area in Canada within which newspapers and periodicals published no more frequently than weekly and no less frequently than monthly can be sent free of postage to regular subscribers has been increased from an area having a radius of 20 miles to an area having a radius of 40 miles, the center of which may either be the place of publication or some place not more than 40 miles distant therefrom, according to the wish of the publisher.

The following places are given as having had the system of free delivery of letters by carrier extended to them: in Ontario:--Chatham, Fort William, Port Arthur, Sarnia, St. Thomas; in New Brunswick:--Moncton; in Saskatchewan:--Regina; in British Columbia:--New Westminster.

The Report for 1910 contains nothing special. New Parcels Post regulations are noted with the United Kingdom, British West Indies, British Guiana and Mexico, by which the rate is made 12 cents per pound or fraction, with a limit of 11 pounds.

In closing the chapter on the King Edward stamps, doubtless ere long to be superseded by "King George" stamps, it may be well to record the following statistics in order to note the progress made in the Post Office Department for the period we have been considering.

_31st. Mar. '03._ _31st. Mar. '10._ Number of Post Offices, 10,150 12,887 " " letters and post cards annually, 262,437,000 501,189,000 " " registered letters annually, 5,470,000 10,465,000 " " pieces of 3rd cla.s.s matter annually, 46,794,000 87,237,000 " " packets and parcels annually, 3,790,740 7,112,660 Mileage travelled on mail routes annually, 35,752,087 46,773,727 Net revenue, $4,366,127.75 $7,958,547.72

A very important fact is also to be found on examining the financial reports of the Department--that from a deficit (as usual for many years) of $416,183.99 in 1901, and a wee surplus of $5,109.14 in 1902, there has grown to be a surplus of $743,210.25 in 1910. Evidently Canada's Post Office Department is at least run efficiently and economically!

CHAPTER XVI

THE "TERCENTENARY" ISSUE OF 1908

It may be remembered, perhaps, that in our introductory chapter we noted the fact that the first permanent settlement in Canada was made by Champlain at Quebec in 1608. As the year 1908 approached, the idea of celebrating in proper manner the three hundredth anniversary of this event was strongly agitated, particularly by the French population of the Province of Quebec. Plans were formed and materialized in the shape of fetes, historical pageants, etc., which took place at Quebec in July, 1908, and to be present at which the Prince and Princess of Wales made a special trip across the Atlantic in one of Britain's most powerful wars.h.i.+ps.

In view of former precedents it was to be expected that the Canadian Post Office Department would also celebrate in a fitting way, and although a new Postmaster General had taken the place of Sir William Mulock, he nevertheless arose to the occasion as the following newspaper despatch shows:--

QUEBEC, March 31.--Hon. Rudolphe Lemieux, Postmaster Gen. of Canada, announces that a series of postage stamps commemorative of the Champlain tercentenary will be issued at Ottawa on the third of July, which marks the exact anniversary of the foundation of Quebec by Champlain.

No sooner was this fact made known than the Postmaster General was showered with suggestions of all kinds as to the designs of stamps appropriate to the occasion. But after the first announcement the Post Office Department was very reticent in regard to the matter, and letters of enquiry concerning the proposed issue were answered as evasively as possible.

At last the veil was lifted and the following despatch to the _Toronto Globe_[186] gave definite information concerning the proposed issue:--

OTTAWA, July 3, (Special).--Postmaster-General Lemieux has given instructions to issue a series of postage stamps commemorating the tercentenary.

They are eight in number. Four of them bear portraits of persons dear to Canada, or whose names recall great events. The first represents the Prince and Princess of Wales; the second the King and Queen. Next come Cartier and Champlain, and then, in connection with the battlefields park scheme, Wolfe and Montcalm.

The second part of the issue represents Cartier's arrival before Quebec. On the calm waters of the mighty St. Lawrence stand in bold relief three s.h.i.+ps of the discoverer of Canada, flying the fleur-de-lys.

As a sequel to the above is a very picturesque tableau. In Champlain's narrative of his third voyage to Canada is found the following pa.s.sage:

"With our canoes laden with provisions, our arms and some merchandise to be given as presents to the Indians, I started on Monday, May 27, from the Isle of Saincte Helaine, accompanied by four Frenchmen and one Indian. A salute was given in my honor from some small pieces of artillery."

The artist, under the inspiration of these few lines, has depicted Champlain's departure for the west. There stand two canoes. In one Champlain's companions have already taken their places, paddle in hand, whilst the great explorer is still on sh.o.r.e, bidding good-bye to a few friends. The picture is full of life. The legend underneath reads as follows: "Partement de Champlain pour L'ouest." The word "partement", now obsolete, is the one used by Champlain for the modern one "depart."

The same note of old France is used in connection with a view of the first house in Quebec, indeed in Canada, Champlain's habitation, which is called in his narrative "l'abitation de Quebecq." This stamp is a clear reproduction of a cut from Champlain's work.

Quebec as it was in 1700 is the next view, copied from Bacqueville de la Potherie's "Histoire de la Nouvelle France." It is a quaint picture of the old city, showing steeples here and there, the fort on the river front and in faint lines the Laurentide Mountains in the background.

All stamps bear with the words "Canada Postage" the line "IIIe centenaire de Quebec."

The postmaster-general has given special attention to the selection of portraits and historical scenes to be represented. His choice has been an excellent one.

The carrying out of the engraving part of the plan has been entrusted to Mr. Machado, of the American Bank Note Co., who, with keen artistic sense, has performed his part of the work with great success.

[186] =Ewen's Weekly Stamp News=, No. 462.

Excellent reproductions of this attractive series will be found as Nos.

46-53 on Plate III.

The stamps were placed on sale at Ottawa on the 16th July. They are of the same shape as the Jubilee issue, though the dimensions are 1 mm.

higher and nearly 3 mm. longer. The designs are as already described, except that the legend "Partement pour l'ouest" does not have Champlain's name in it, and the dates 1608 and 1908 are placed in the upper corners. The colors do not wholly correspond with the regular set; the 1, 2 and 5 cent naturally conform, but the 1/2 cent is in a black-brown and the 7 cent in the fine olive green of the regular 20 cent. The 10 cent is also changed to a handsome violet, while the 15 cent is in orange and the 20 cent in a dark brown.

The stamps are beautifully engraved, as usual, and printed in sheets of 100, ten rows of ten. Above the 5th and 6th stamps of the top row is the regular marginal imprint: "OTTAWA--No.--" and the figure representing the plate number. A peculiar variety has been recorded, however, in the sheets of the 2 cent value, some of those with plate numbers 3 and 4 having the imprint _inverted_ in the _bottom_ margin of the sheet.[187]

As it occurs both ways, the only explanation seems to be that the plates may have printed _two panes_, which were afterwards separated into post office sheets of 100 stamps each, and that by error, perhaps, the imprint was inverted on one of these panes.

[187] =Ewen's Weekly Stamp News=, Nos. 478, 480.

The plate numbers of the several values are as follows:--

Plate No. 1. 1/2c., 7c., 10c., 15c., 20c.

" Nos. 1, 2. 5c.

" Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1c., 2c.

The stamps are on stout white wove paper and perforated 12.

It may not be out of place to further describe some of the designs of these stamps because of their historical interest. Of course the portraits of the British Royal Family are familiar, that of the Princess of Wales being the one used on the handsome 4 cent stamp of Newfoundland, and that of the Prince of Wales being from a photograph taken by W. and D. Downey of London, just before the Prince's journey to India in 1906. The portrait of Cartier will also be recognized as the one that appeared on the early 10d. stamp of the Province of Canada.

Concerning the picture on the 20 cent stamp, "Arrivee de Cartier, Quebec 1535," we find some interesting details given by M. Th. Lemaire:[188]--

In 1533 Jacques Cartier obtained from Philippe de Chabot, Admiral of France, authority to arm s.h.i.+ps "to voyage, discover and conquer in New France, as well as to find, by the North-west, the pa.s.sage to Cathay." On his first voyage he touched Newfoundland, but the advanced season obliged him to return to France. King Francis I thereupon ordered him, as a "royal pilot", to arm three vessels for a second voyage. On the 19th of May, 1535, the flotilla set out from St. Malo. It was composed of two s.h.i.+ps, the _Grande-Hermine_ of 120 tons and the _Pet.i.t-Hermine_ of 80 tons, and a galley, the _Hemerillon_, of 40 tons. These are the ones shown on the stamp. The s.h.i.+ps were built with the high bows and sterns of those days, and were armed with "falconets" (small cannon) along the sides and "culverins" (long cannon) in a battery on the bridge. The galley was long and narrow, low in the water, and was propelled both by sails and oars; it was armed with two small cannon forward and a dozen large arquebuses. The complement of the three s.h.i.+ps comprised in all--officers, gentlemen, volunteers, chaplains, sailors, workmen, servants--a hundred and ten men.

On the 14th September, Cartier arrived at an Indian village, Stadacone, called also by the natives Canada (or _the town_), the residence of the chief Donnacona. This village was built on the bay which the river St. Charles forms where it flows into the St.

Lawrence, against the steep flank of a mountain, on the spot where now is built the south-eastern section of Quebec. The 20-cent stamp represents this arrival of Cartier at Stadacone, the future Quebec.

Samuel de Champlain, whose effigy figures on the 1 cent stamp beside that of Cartier, was sent by Henri IV in 1603 to found a settlement in Canada. On his first voyage he sailed up the St. Lawrence river and established friendly relations with the native chiefs. On the second expedition, in 1608, he disembarked on the 3d July at the foot of the promontory of Stadacone, accompanied by only thirty men.

His first care was to find a favorable place to built a "habitation"

with a view to wintering there. "I could find nothing more convenient or better situated, said he, than the point of Quebecq, so called by the savages, which was filled with walnut trees." It was on the same spot where, seventy-three years before, Cartier had constructed a fort of tree trunks.

Thanks to the activity displayed by all, the "habitation" was quickly finished. It was composed of three main houses of two stories, each measuring fifteen by eighteen feet. The magazine was thirty-six by eighteen feet, with a six foot cellar. Champlain lodged in the same building with part of the workmen, but on the first story. The other buildings served for the workmen and for storing the arms and munitions. In an ell back of Champlain's quarters, several artisans slept beside their forge. All around the buildings a gallery six feet wide served as a promenade. A ditch fifteen feet wide and six feet deep served to protect the colonists from the aggressions of the savages. Champlain had several breastworks thrown up outside the ditch where he placed his cannon.