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
Of the 2 cent wrapper the accounts give 300,300 as issued in 1908 and of
the 3 cent wrapper 15,600. But during 1908 and 1909 213,546 of the
former and 13,790 of the latter were returned "fit for use" by
postmasters, and 4,574 2 cent and 790 3 cent "unfit for use" were
destroyed. It would appear from this that the actual issue to the public
of these two wrappers was 82,180 of the 2 cent and but 1,020 of the 3
cent! The 1909 tables, however, record the issue to postmasters of the
total quantity of these wrappers then on hand, and the 1910 tables
explain this by the statement:--"Withdrawn from issue and surcharged one
cent, June 18, 1908." The quantities of the surcharged wrappers are
therefore 280,246 of the 1 c. on 2 cents, and 52,190 of the 1c. on 3
cents. As these wrappers were not on sale to the general public but only
to publishers, who were obliged to purchase in quantity, their use was
considerably restricted; and as the wrappers often enclosed papers in
quantity, addressed to any one post office, they were removed in the
United States post offices before distributing the papers, and very many
probably lost sight of there as waste paper.
While the usual newspaper wrappers are designated officially as "Post
Bands," these we have been describing are called "Special Wrappers."
They were of stout manila paper, cut to 15 × 6-1/2 inches (378 × 165
mm.) in size for the 1 cent and 2 cent, and 13 × 8 inches (308 × 223
mm.) for the 3 cent, and ungummed. The stamp occupied the usual
position, but at its left was the following two line legend in block
letters, printed in the same color as the stamp, and occupying a length
of 92 mm:--
=THIS WRAPPER TO BE USED ONLY BY PUBLISHERS AND FOR THE SOLE
PURPOSE OF MAILING SECOND CLASS MATTER TO THE UNITED STATES.=
The 1 cent value was printed in dark green, the 2 cent in carmine, and
the 3 cent in a slate violet. The surcharges were first noted in
_Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News of_ 12th September, 1908, though they were
probably issued soon after the date quoted above. The overprint in each
case is in shiny black ink, the figure being 13 mm. high and the "c" 6
mm. high, with a period after it.
One curious circumstance has been noted in connection with the use of
these wrappers--large numbers have been used without the Post Office
authorities taking the trouble to cancel them, while in other cases they
have been cancelled in the usual manner.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE POST CARDS
We have already remarked that Canada lagged behind the United States in
adopting adhesive stamps and also stamped envelopes, but when we come to
post cards we find the United States to be the laggard by nearly two
years. In the Postmaster General's Report for 30th June, 1870, we find
the following:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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