Commencing on the 1st July, 1906, the present system of collecting unpaid postage will be discontinued and thereafter the following arrangements will supersede the regulations now in force:-- (1) The Department will issue a special stamp which will be known as the "POSTAGE DUE" stamp and on delivery of any article of mail matter on which unpaid or additional postage is to be collected the Postmaster will affix and cancel as ordinary stamps are cancelled, postage due stamps to the amount of extra postage charged on such article. (2) The short paid postage must be collected from the addressee before postage due stamps are affixed; otherwise the Postmaster is liable to lose the amount of such postage. (3) Postmasters will obtain postage due stamps on requisition to the Department but the initial supply will be furnished without requisition, so that the new system may go into operation on the date above mentioned. When a new form is ordered "postage due" stamps will be included in the printed list, but it is proposed to use the stock on hand at present which would otherwise have to be destroyed. The denominations of the new stamps will be 1, 2 and 5 cents. The new stamps were of the same size as the regular postage stamps, but with the longer dimension horizontal. A large numeral in a central tablet flanked by an acanthus scroll at each side, CANADA above, CENTS below, and POSTAGE DUE in block letters along the bottom, all on an engine-turned groundwork, make a very neat and effective design for the purpose intended. [Illustrations Nos. 58, 59 and 60 on Plate III.] The engraving is of course in the usual steel plate process, and the sheets are of 100 stamps in ten rows of ten. The marginal imprint is at the center of the top of the sheet and is the same as for the later postage issues, "OTTAWA--No--1" or "2". So far there have appeared the following plate numbers:-- 1 cent No. 1 2 " " 1 and 2 5 " " 1 The numbers printed, according to the Reports, have been as follows:-- 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1 cent 500,000 700,000 300,000 600,000 2 " 1,100,000 500,000 900,000 900,000 1,300,000 5 " 200,000 200,000 200,000 200,000 400,000 All three values were printed in the same shade of dark violet, but in 1909 the 5 cent was reported in a red violet. CHAPTER XIX THE SPECIAL DELIVERY STAMP The Postmaster General's Report for 30th June, 1898, contained the following announcements:-- The calendar year has witnessed the introduction of the special delivery stamp, whereby on the payment of a delivery fee of 10 cents in addition to the ordinary postage, a letter immediately upon its arrival at the office of destination is sent by special messenger for delivery to the addressee.