THE SUPPLEMENTARY VALUES OF 1893
Before proceeding with the subject matter of this chapter in detail, it
may be well to reproduce here a synopsis of the Canadian Postal Rates
and Regulations as set forth in the _Dominion Philatelist_ in December,
1893, and taken from the then current _Canada Postal Guide_. This will
give a comprehensive review of the results of the various Acts and
Amendments and Department Orders that we have quoted--and of some of the
last that we have been unable to obtain.
_1st. Class Matter._--Includes Letters, Post Cards, Legal and
Commercial Papers wholly or partially written, with the exception of
those specially exempted, and all matter of the nature of a letter
or written correspondence.
The letter rate for Canada, Newfoundland and the United States is 3
cents per oz., and for all other destinations 5 cents per 1/2 oz.
Insufficiently paid letters posted in and addressed to Canada are
charged with double the amount of the postage due thereon.
When posted wholly unpaid they will be sent to the Dead Letter
Office.
Insufficiently paid letters for or from the United States, are
charged with the deficient postage on delivery. Letters for the
United States must be prepaid at least one full rate, 3 cents.
Wholly unpaid letters for and from the United Kingdom and other
countries, are charged double postage on delivery, and
insufficiently prepaid letters double the deficiency.
Letters addressed to mere initials, or to fictitious names, will not
be delivered, unless a street address, the number of a box, or some
other definite direction is added.
Letters bearing mutilated stamps, or stamps so soiled and defaced as
to make it impossible for the sorting clerks to decide whether they
have been used before or not, will be sent to the Dead Letter
Office.
_Post Cards._ Nothing whatever may be attached to a post card, nor
may it be cut or altered in any way. A previously used post card,
bearing a 1 cent stamp, will not be accepted as a post card.
_2nd Class Matter.--For Canada, Newfoundland and the United
States._--Newspapers and Periodicals posted from the office of
publication, for regular subscribers in other places in Canada,
Newfoundland and the United States, pass free of postage.
Newspapers and periodicals issued less frequently than once a month,
and addressed to regular subscribers or news agents, and on all
specimen newspapers, one cent per pound or fraction of a pound.
British newspapers and periodicals brought by mail to Canadian
booksellers, or News Agents, for regular subscribers in Canada are
liable to 1 cent per lb. or fraction of a lb.
Newspapers from offices of publication for city delivery are subject
to ordinary transient newspaper rates.
_3rd Class Matter.--Addressed to Canada._--1. Transient newspapers
and periodicals. Rate, 1 cent per 4 oz.; prepayment compulsory;
limit of weight, 5 lbs. A single paper weighing not more than 1 oz.
may pass for 1/2 cent.
2. Book packets. Rate, 1 cent per 4 oz.; limit of weight, 5 lbs.,
except for a single book, in which case the limit is 7 lbs.
3. Miscellaneous matter. (_a_) Printed pamphlets, printed circulars,
etc., and also seeds, cuttings, bulbs, etc.; rate, 1 cent per 4 oz.
(_b_) Maps, lithographs, photographs, circulars produced by a
multiplying process easy to recognize, deeds, mortgages, insurance
policies, militia, school and municipal returns, printed stationery,
etc.; rate, 1 cent per 2 oz.
Circulars, Prices Current, etc., to pass at 1 c. rate must be
ENTIRELY PRINTED. Any insertion in ink is not permissible, except
the name and address of the addressee, the name of the sender and
the date of the circular itself.
Circulars type-written, or in such form as to resemble type-written,
are liable to letter rate.
All miscellaneous matter must be put up so as to admit of easy
inspection. The limit of weight is 5 lbs.
4. Patterns and samples. Rate, 1 cent per 4 oz.; limit of weight 24
oz.; must be securely put up and open to inspection, and boxes or
linen bags should be used for flour and similar matter.
_Miscellaneous Matter for the United States._--(_a_) Newspapers and
periodicals; rate 1 cent per 4 oz. (_b_) Other miscellaneous matter,
including books; rate, 1 cent per 2 oz., but a minimum prepayment of
5 cents is required for legal and commercial papers.
The limit of weight for patterns and samples is 8 oz., and for other
matter under this head 5 lbs.
_4th Class Matter.--Parcel Post for Canada._--Parcels must not
exceed five lbs. in weight nor two feet in length by one foot in
breadth or thickness. The postage is 6 cents per 4 oz., and the
parcel should be marked "by PARCEL POST." Parcels may be registered
by affixing a 5 cent Registration Stamp thereto, in addition to the
postage.
Insufficiently paid parcels may be forwarded charged with simply
the deficient postage, provided one full rate is paid and the
deficiency does not exceed one rate.
_5th Class Matter._--Comprises such articles of general merchandise
as are not entitled to any lower rate of postage. Postage 1 cent per
oz., or fraction of an ounce. Limit of weight, 5 lbs.; of size, two
feet in length by one foot in width or depth. Matter claiming to be
5th Class _must be open to inspection_ and there must be no
correspondence enclosed. Packages of 5th Class matter, including
Seeds, Bulbs, Cuttings, Roots, may be sent to the United States for
the same prepayment as required within the Dominion, but the
contents will be liable to Customs inspection and collection of duty
in the United States. Sealed tins containing fish, lobster,
vegetables, meats, &c., if put up in a solid manner and labelled in
such a way as to fully indicate the nature of their contents may be
sent as 5th Class Matter within the Dominion, but no sealed matter
can be forwarded to the United States under this head. Liquids, oils
and fatty substances may be sent to places in Canada and the United
States as 5th Class Matter, if put up in accordance with the ruling
referring to such articles in the Canada Postal Guide. Electrotype
blocks are included in this class. An insufficiently prepaid packet
of 5th Class Matter may be forwarded charged with double the
deficient postage, provided the deficiency does not exceed 5 cents.
_Parcel Post.--For the United Kingdom and the Countries and Colonies
with which the United Kingdom maintains Parcel Post relations, and
for Newfoundland, Barbados, British Guiana, Grenada, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent, Jamaica, Turks Island, Curacoa and Japan._--Parcels
securely and substantially packed and closed for the United Kingdom,
and other countries and colonies to which parcels may be sent via
England, and for Newfoundland, limited in size to 2 feet in length
by one foot in width or depth. The postage for the United Kingdom,
which must be prepaid, is 20c. for the first lb. and 16c. for each
additional lb. or fraction of a pound; the limit of weight is 11
lbs. For Japan the postage is 25c., the limit of weight is 7 lbs.
For Newfoundland, 15 c. per lb., or fraction of a pound. For
Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St.
Vincent, 20 c. per lb. Parcels for Newfoundland are daily forwarded
on to Halifax, N.S. For Japan, on to Vancouver, B. C. For Barbados,
British Guiana, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, on to St. John,
N.B., and for the United Kingdom and other countries and colonies by
the weekly mail and conveyed by the steamers of the Canadian Lines.
Parcels posted without the formalities required are sent to the Dead
Letter Office, Ottawa.
_Registration._--All classes of matter may be registered to places
in Canada, the United States and Postal Union Countries, and the
sender may entitle himself to an acknowledgement of delivery from
the party addressed by the payment of a fee of 5 cents in addition
to the registration fee.
(A) _Commercial Papers_, (B) _Books and_ (C) _Samples, for Postal
Union Countries_.
"Commercial papers" comprise all papers or documents, written or
drawn, wholly or partly by hand, (except letters or communications
in the nature of letters, or other documents having the character of
an actual and personal correspondence), documents of legal
procedure, Deeds drawn up by public functionaries, copies of, or
extracts from Deeds under private seal, Way-Bills, Bills of Lading,
Invoices and other documents of a mercantile character, documents of
Insurance and other public companies, all kinds of manuscript music,
the manuscript of books and other literary works, and other papers
of a similar description.
"Printed Papers" include periodical works, books, stitched or bound,
sheets of printed music, visiting cards, address cards, proofs of
printing with or without the manuscript relating thereto,
engravings, photographs, when not on glass or in frames containing
glass, drawings, plans, maps, catalogues, prospectuses,
announcements and notices of various kinds, printed, engraved,
lithographed, printed circulars.
(A) Limits of weight and size: 5 lbs. for the United Kingdom, and 4
lbs. for other countries, 18 inches in length and 12 inches in width
or depth.
(B) 5 lbs. for the United Kingdom, and 4 lbs. to other countries, 2
feet long and 1 foot wide or deep.
(C) United Kingdom, 5 lbs. in weight, 2 feet in length by 1 foot in
breadth or depth.
(D) Limits of weight to Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Egypt, France,
Hawaii, Italy, Portugal, Roumania and Switzerland, is 12 ozs., limit
of size 1 foot in length by 8 inches in width and 4 inches in depth.
If in form of a roll it may be 12 inches in length and 6 inches in
diameter.
The limit of weight to other Postal Union Countries is 8 ozs., limit
of size same as to Austria-Hungary, &c., &c.
_Matter Which Cannot be Forwarded Through the Post._--Liquids, Oils,
etc., not properly put up. Explosive Substances and other matter
likely to entail risk or injury to the ordinary contents of the
mail, cannot be sent by post.
Letters containing Gold or Silver Money, Jewels, or precious
articles, or anything liable to Customs duties, cannot be forwarded
by Post to any of the Postal Union Countries except the United
States.
We see from the above postal packet rates where the use of a 20 cent
stamp would be convenient, which accounts for the announcement of the
new value in the Postmaster General's Report last quoted in the
preceding chapter. The 50 cent stamp of course would serve a useful
purpose in making up relatively large amounts of postage. The above
rates also show that there was still use for the 15 cent stamp in
payment of parcels to Newfoundland.
We find notice of the issue of the new values in the _Dominion
Philatelist_[117] as follows:--
As foreshadowed in the Postmaster General's report, there have
appeared Canada postage stamps of the value of 20c. and 50c.; the
20c. is a bright deep orange and the 50c. is indigo blue, they are
of similar design and resemble very much the third issue bill stamp
and may be described as follows: head and shoulders of Queen to
left, with widow's cap and chin resting on right hand, enclosed in a
circle; above the circle the words "Canada Postage", below the
circle at either side the value in figures and across the bottom the
value in words.... The above were all placed on sale Feb. 22nd. The
20c. and 50c. stamps were intended for parcel post.
[117] =Dominion Philatelist=, V: 31.
The somewhat ambiguous description will be more readily understood by
reference to the illustrations, numbers 33 and 35 on Plate II.
The stamps, as stated, are very evidently copied from the design of the
dollar values of the Bill Stamps issued in 1868. The portrait of the
Queen in her widow's weeds, in fact, is doubtless reproduced directly
from the original die engraved twenty-five years previously. The stamps
were of course line engraved on steel, and printed in the usual sheet
arrangement of 100, ten rows of ten. The plates of course emanated from
Ottawa, but bear a new imprint, similar to the second one used in
Montreal. The colored strip is now 38 mm. long and 2-1/2 mm. high with
square ends, and bears the legend: "British American Bank Note Co.
Ottawa." within a pearled border. It appears only twice, in the center
of the top and of the bottom margins, and can be seen in illustrations
Nos. 106 and 108 on Plate IX. The colors are not exactly as described in
our quotation, the 20 cent being a vermilion or bright red, similar to
the colors of the 3 cent, and the 50 cent a deep blue, but not indigo.
According to the advices of the _American Journal of Philately_ (VI:
102) the stamps were issued on the 17th February--five days earlier than
the above quotation states.
Both values were printed on a medium white wove paper and perforated 12.
Both were ordered to the number of half a million copies in 1893, and in
1895 25,000 more of the 20 cent and 30,000 more of the 50 cent were
delivered, with a final 200 copies of each in 1896. These quantities
were sufficient to last until the 20 cent was superseded by the newer
type in 1901, and the 50 cent by the King's head stamp in 1908. Some
1500 of the 20 cent were returned for destruction and about 10,000 of
the 50 cent!
Both these stamps are found imperforate and in this condition are to be
classed in the same category as the imperforates of the "small cents
issue," which we have already considered.[118] Illustrations of blocks
of four of each will be found as numbers 106 and 108 on Plate IX. The 50
cent is in a peculiar black blue shade.
[118] See page 130.
* * * * *
In the preceding chapter we quoted a circular from the Postmaster
General which called attention to the changes made by _The Post Office
Act, 1889_. A uniform registration fee of 5 cents was one of these, and
to enable the 2 cent registration stamps to be used up permission was
given to make up the difference by postage stamps when registering mail
matter. Four years later it was decided to discontinue the use of the
special stamp for the registration fee, and to permit its prepayment by
ordinary postage stamps. As the combined letter and registration rate
was eight cents, a stamp of this value for use on registered letters was
deemed advisable. We read under "Canadian Notes" in _Mekeel's Weekly
Stamp News_ for August 10, 1893:--
The following orders were posted up in all the Canadian post-offices
on August 1st:
"A new postage stamp of the value of 8c. is now being put into
circulation. This stamp will be available for the prepayment either
of registration fee and postage combined, or of postage only. The
5c. registration stamp, when the present supply is exhausted, will
be withdrawn."
The new stamp reverted to the small size and general design of the
"small cents issue", but with the important difference that the head was
turned to the _left_ instead of the right, as with all the others of
that series. It was line engraved on steel, as usual, and the only
entire sheet we have seen was of 200, in ten horizontal rows of twenty
stamps, but without a sign of any marginal imprints. The perforation
variety 11-1/2 x 12 is reported as occurring in this value also, as well
as the regular gauge 12. The color was at first a bluish gray, which
soon darkened and ran through a series of shades as if in emulation of
the old 6 pence stamp. Mr. Horsley states[119] that it appeared in
slate-blue in October of 1893, and slate in 1895. _Alfred Smith's
Monthly Circular_ for December, 1895, records it in a "dark
slate-black," and the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for November 30, 1895,
says that "a peculiar feature in connection with the new shade of the
current eight cent Canada postage stamp is that upon being put in water
and left there for a few minutes the paper becomes of a pinkish tint
which after the stamp becomes dry still remains." This "new shade" was
doubtless the dark slate color referred to, which must have been issued,
therefore, in October or November of 1895. In December, 1897, the
_Monthly Journal_ notes it in a "deep purple", similar in shade to the 8
cent Jubilee stamp, and very likely printed from the same mixing of ink.
[119] =London Philatelist=, XVI: 88.
The stamp was printed upon a medium white wove paper, and is found in
imperforate condition like the other values of the then current stamps,
which we have already described.[120] The imperforates are in the early
bluish gray color, so that it is fair to suppose they were from the
first printings in 1893. A block of four is illustrated as number 110 on
Plate X.
[120] See page 130.
The first delivery of these stamps--and of course the first
printing--was of 100,000, as recorded in the stamp accounts for 1893. As
these accounts were made up to 30th June, and there is no record of any
"issue to postmasters," the stamps were doubtless delivered just before
the accounts were closed, so that opportunity had not been given to
distribute the new value. For the next few fiscal years the amount
received from the manufacturers averaged over a million and a half
annually, so that by the time it was superseded it had been printed to
the number of at least 7-1/2 millions.
There is nothing of special importance concerning postage stamps in the
Postmaster General's Reports from 1893 to 1897, but we glean an item of
interest from _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ of December 3, 1896:--
A new regulation has been put in force by the Canadian post-office
department. Until a few days ago it was unlawful for any person to
sell unused current Canadian stamps without a government license [as
a stamp vendor]. Merchants and others who received a great many
unused stamps as remittances, have heretofore been compelled to send
them to the department at a discount of five per cent, or dispose of
them by illegitimate means, running the risk of being prosecuted for
selling without license. A great deal of complaint was made to the
department concerning this matter, and last week Hon. Mr. Mulock
announced that thenceforth, all unused Canadian stamps would be
cashed at one per cent. discount in amounts of over $1.00. The
stamps may be pasted on paper, as they will not be put in
circulation again.