THE POSTAGE DUE STAMPS
Canada managed for years, like many other countries, to collect the
postage due on insufficiently prepaid mail matter by merely marking the
amount on the cover. The use of stamps as checks on those responsible
for making the collections seems not to have been appreciated, or more
probably was not deemed necessary. At last the advantages of such a
system seem to have become manifest, and in the Postmaster General's
Report for the 30th June, 1906, we find the following:--
A system of accounting for short paid postage collected by
Postmasters, by means of special stamps known as "Postage Due"
stamps, has been adopted by the Department. These stamps are to be
affixed to short paid mail matter and cancelled by Postmasters when
such matter is delivered to the addressee, and are not to be used
for any other purpose. They cannot be used for the payment of
ordinary postage, nor are they to be sold to the public.
The denominations of these stamps are 1, 2 and 5 cents.
The first issue of the stamps to postmasters was on the 1st June, 1906,
but the system did not come into operation until a month later. The
following is the official notice with the technical portions omitted:--
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA.
OTTAWA, 1st June, 1906.
_Circular to Postmasters of Accounting Offices._
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.