Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal StationeryHowes, Clifton A. (Clifton Armstrong)
History
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery
Howes, Clifton A. (Clifton Armstrong)
Postage stamps -- Canada; Postal stationery -- Canada
Persons transmitting letters, which they desire should pass through
the post as "registered letters," must observe that no record is
taken of any letter unless specially handed in for registration at
the time of posting. Upon all such letters, with the exception of
those addressed to the United States, one penny must be prepaid as a
registration charge. If addressed to the United States, the ordinary
postage rate on the letters to that country _must be prepaid_, and
in addition a registration charge of 3d. per letter. The registry
thus effected in Canada will be carried on by the United States Post
office until the letter arrives at its destination.
In like manner, letters addressed to Canada may be registered at the
place of posting in the United States, and the registry made there
will accompany the letter to the place of delivery in Canada.
A certificate of registration will be given by the postmaster if
required.
The registration system can be applied to the letter portion of the
mail only....
_[The Postal Department is not liable for the loss of any registered
letters._]
The next year's Report gives the number of registered letters posted
annually as computed at 500,000. The Report of 30th September, 1858 also
says: "About 500,000 letters were registered last year", and goes on to
state:--"It is also considered that it would be an improvement on the
system if the charge for registration were made pre-payable by a stamp,
instead of by money as at present." From this it is evident that the
postage stamps were not then used for indicating the payment of the
registration fee. Just when they were permitted to be so employed does
not appear, but it was doubtless within a comparatively short time
thereafter, as we have seen a cover with stamp so used which was dated
in 1862; in fact it seems probable that arrangements for using stamps to
indicate the payment for registration may have accompanied the
introduction of the decimal stamps in 1859.
Further remarks upon the registration system are found in the Report for
1860, as follows:--
A rate of charge for Registration so low as, in no probable degree,
to operate as a motive, with persons posting letters of value, to
deny themselves the advantage of securing from the Post Office an
acknowledgement of the receipt of the specific letter, has always
been considered to be a cardinal point in the Canadian Registration
System.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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