The Stamps of CanadaPoole, Bertram W. H. (Bertram William Henry)
History
The Stamps of Canada
Poole, Bertram W. H. (Bertram William Henry)
Postage stamps -- Canada
The imprint was the same as the second type employed for the small
"cents" issue--"British American Bank Note Co. Montreal" in a
pearled frame--and likewise appeared four times on the sheet, as
already fully described in the chapter dealing with that issue. The
denomination of the stamp was also expressed as TWO CENTS, in the
shaded Roman capitals which we found in the case of the postage
stamps, over the first stamp in the top row of that value, but with
the 5 cent the word FIVE alone appears. The 8 cent we have not
seen. On the 2 cent there is also a large numeral 2, 7-1/2 mm.
high, over the last stamp in the top row (number 5) but the 5 cent
has none.
The stamps were ordinarily perforated 12, like the then current postage
stamps, but the 2c in orange and the 5c in dark green are both known
entirely imperforate.
The Postmaster-General's Report for 1877 stated that "the registration
charge on registered letters between the United Kingdom and Canada has
been reduced from 8 cents to 5 cents". This, naturally, largely reduced
the demand for the 8 cents stamp though it is probable that the 8c rate
still applied to foreign countries. Shortly afterwards (the exact date
has not been traced) the registration fee on letters to all foreign
countries was reduced to 5 cents so that the use of the 8c denomination
was entirely abolished. The stamps in the hands of postmasters were
called in and destroyed and by examining the official figures relating
to the numbers originally issued and those destroyed Mr. Howes estimates
that about 40,000 of these 8c registration stamps were used.
In 1889 a general revision of postal rates took place, as already
explained in Chapter X, and one of these changes affected the
registration fee. The domestic fee was raised from 2c to 5c so that the
registration charge was uniform and was 5c on letters sent anywhere.
This, of course, did away with the usefulness of the 2c registration
stamps but, as indicated in the official circular, "for the present, and
until further instructed, the registration fee maybe prepaid by using
the 2 cent Registration stamps and postage stamps to make up the
amount."
The Postmaster-General's Report for 1889, in referring to the advance in
the registration charge, says:--
The charge for the registration of a letter, parcel, book or other
articles of mail matter was also made uniform, and fixed at 5 cents
for all classes of matter. The frequent delay consequent upon the
prepayment of a wrong registration fee will no longer take place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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