THE NEWSPAPER WRAPPERS
In the Postmaster General's Report for the 30th June, 1875, we find the
following:--"Post bands bearing an impressed stamp of one cent each have
been issued for sale to the public, at the rate of four for five cents,
to be used in putting up newspapers and such other transmissions
requiring to be prepaid one cent, for which they may be found
convenient."
[Illustration]
The issue took place in May, 1875, and consisted of a wrapper of light
buff wove paper measuring 9-1/2 inches in height by 5 inches in width
(235 x 127 mm.), with the stamp impressed at the right side, about 2-1/2
inches from the top. The sheet is cut square and gummed along the top on
the back side. The stamp is typographed, and consists of an upright oval
containing the head of Queen Victoria copied from that on the adhesive
stamps, CANADA POSTAGE above, ONE CENT below, and the figure 1 in a
circle at each side. In this first type of the wrapper stamp these
circles containing the numerals are surrounded by foliations of acanthus
pattern, and each has a little quatrefoil ornament in the label beneath
it. There is also a thin, colored, wavy line which follows the border of
the inner oval, giving a scalloped effect, and serves as the
distinguishing feature of the first type. The impression is in dark
blue. The stamp accounts give the receipts from the manufacturers as
554,000 during 1875, and 918,000 during 1876. No further supplies were
received until 1879 so these figures doubtless represent the total
supply printed on the buff paper, as the small supply received in 1879
is probably otherwise accounted for.[219]
[219] See page 270.
In its issue for June 1, 1878, the _Philatelic Monthly_ states that "We
have received specimens of the newspaper wrappers with the stamp on the
left and half way from the top." M. Moens lists it in his catalogue,
where he gives the dimensions as 290 x 165 mm., or about 11-1/2 x 6-1/2
inches. This is somewhat larger than the previous size and we have been
unable to confirm it by a specimen, but the accuracy of M. Moens'
observations is seldom to be questioned. The London Society's work
states that this wrapper is unknown to the members of the Society, but a
cancelled copy, used by a business firm, is recorded in the _Monthly
Journal_ in 1892.[220] Evidently this variety was an error in the
cutting of the sheet.
[220] =Monthly Journal=, III: 3.
In the _Philatelic Record_ for December, 1881,[221] a change is noted in
the wrapper itself, the paper being described as white instead of buff;
but in Moens' catalogue it is listed as "very pale buff" and in fact is
what we might call "cream toned", being more correctly described later
in the _Philatelic Record_ as "almost white".[222] The wrapper was also
cut to a new size, 11 x 5 inches or 280 x 127 mm. It is very probable
that this wrapper comes from the lot of 197,000 received according to
the stamp accounts for 1880--the first since 1876, barring the small lot
in 1879.[223]
[221] =Philatelic Record=, III: 205; corrected, III: 227.
[222] =ibid=., IV: 142.
[223] See page 270.
[Illustration]
Again, in its issue for June 1, 1882, the _Philatelic Monthly_
illustrates a new variety in the stamp for the wrapper, stating that the
color is light blue. The distinguishing features of the new die are the
removal of the wavy line from the inner border of the oval, the removal
of the foliations from around the circles enclosing the numerals, and
the replacing of the little quatrefoil ornament beneath these circles by
an inverted triangular ornament. This wrapper was presumably of the
usual light buff tint as no mention is made of its color; but in the
issue of the same paper for October 1, 1882, it is recorded that "We
have received specimens of the newspaper wrapper, stamp of latest type,
on yellow-buff paper." The same wrapper is chronicled in the _Philatelic
Record_ which was issued the latter part of September as upon
"straw-colored wove paper," so it had doubtless appeared as early as
August, 1882. The size was the same as the last wrapper, 11 x 5 inches.
From 1882 on the wrappers have been issued in numbers approaching half a
million per year, and as no note is made in the stamp accounts even of
changes in design, it is of course impossible to estimate the quantities
printed or issued of any one variety.
In an article in the _Dominion Philatelist_ upon the postal stationery
of Canada,[224] the "yellow paper" wrapper is given as the first issued,
in 1882, and the date 1883 is given the ordinary "pale buff" paper. The
chronicles we have quoted, however, show that both were doubtless issued
in 1882 and that the straw colored paper was not the first. The wrapper
also appears on a cream paper, and the year of issue in the article
quoted is given as 1885, but we have been unable to find any
contemporary chronicle to confirm this.
[224] =Dominion Philatelist=, V: 130.
[Illustration]
Once again, in 1887, we find a change in the impressed stamp. This time
the first design is reverted to, but with slight modifications which
readily distinguished the new type; these are the absence of the wavy
line running around the border of the inner oval, and the coarser
shading on the face and neck--dotted in the first type and composed of
lines in this third type. The new variety seems to have been chronicled
first in the _Philatelic Monthly_ for June 1, 1887, but nothing is said
about the color of the wrapper. The article in the _Dominion
Philatelist_, however, gives it as thin white paper with a variety in
"very thin tough white paper, fine quality." The same article under date
of 1888 gives this wrapper in cream toned paper of both thick and thin
quality, and in manila paper. The size of all these wrappers was the
usual one of 11 x 5 inches.
[Illustration]
Five years of the third type seemed to be sufficient, for in 1892 a
fourth variety made its appearance. This, curiously enough, reverts to
the second type in similarity, for the foliations around the numerals
again disappear and the only distinguishing feature is the ornaments
beneath the numerals--now little quatrefoils instead of the triangular
ornaments found on the second type. This fourth type seems to have been
first noted in the _Canadian Philatelist_ for March, 1892, and is more
fully described in the _Monthly Journal_ for 30th April, 1892, as being
upon "thin, surfaced, straw coloured paper." This wrapper was cut to a
slightly smaller size, 10-3/4 x 5 inches. The article in the _Dominion
Philatelist_ lists it upon "cream colored paper" alone, but both
varieties exist, though it would seem that the straw colored one was
perhaps the first issued.
There is one variety analogous to the "stamp at left" wrapper of the
first type, and which is also doubtless due to faulty cutting of the
sheets; this has the stamp at the usual distance from the top of the
wrapper, but nearly in the middle as far as the spacing from the sides
goes. The impression is in dark blue on the straw colored paper.
In its issue for 31 March, 1894, the _Monthly Journal_ chronicles a
change in the color of the wrapper stamp (fourth type) from blue to
"grey-black", the wrapper itself remaining a "straw" color as before. We
find the impression to be a plain black, though if lightly inked it
might show as gray black. Besides the pale straw colored wrapper there
exists a cream toned one and also one of stouter paper in a very light
brown tone. All these are cut to the last size noted, viz., 10-3/4 x 5
inches.
All the preceding wrappers were the product of the British American Bank
Note Co., but when their contract for supplying stamps ceased in 1897 a
new issue was naturally looked for. This did not materialize until June
or July, 1898, when a new wrapper of the usual size and of light manila
paper made its appearance with an impression of the 1 cent adhesive
stamp (maple leaves in the four corners) in dark green. Unlike the
stamped envelopes, it was manufactured by the American Bank Note Co.,
but the die for stamping it, instead of being a reproduction of the
adhesive, was newly engraved for typographic work and is therefore much
coarser in appearance than the adhesive stamps.
No change was made in the wrapper die to include the numeral of value
until the new issue with head of King Edward took place. As before, the
design of the adhesive was copied but the die was engraved for surface
printing and is coarser in its lines. The new wrapper probably appeared
early in October, 1903, as we find it recorded in _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp
News_ for the 24th October of that year. The size was as before and the
paper a light manila.
As a result of the changes in newspaper rates, due to the amending of
the Postal Convention with the United States in 1907,[225] we find a set
of special wrappers issued in that year, concerning which the Postmaster
General's Report for 1908 says:--
To facilitate the mailing of second class matter sent by publishers
to their subscribers in the United States, special newspaper
wrappers of the 1 cent, 2 cents and 3 cents denominations were
introduced. As a result of the reduction in rate of this class of
matter, made in February, so far as daily editions of newspapers
were concerned, the demand for 2c. and 3c. wrappers ceased, and
their issue was, accordingly, discontinued.
[225] See page 196.
The first issue of these wrappers is given as the 11th July, 1907, and a
reference to the Report of 1908, already quoted,[226] shows the reason
for their appearance. The rate on periodicals had been raised to 1 cent
per 4 ounces when sent to the United States, which in turn had made
provision for a like rate on periodicals addressed to Canada, at the
latter's behest. This move on Canada's part was aimed principally to
prevent the flooding of Canadian mails with cheap American monthlies.
But such a protest went up against this heavy increase, that the rates
were lowered, in February 1908, to 1 cent per pound on newspapers only,
which of course rendered any wrappers save the 1 cent of but little use.
With becoming thrift, however, the unissued remainder of the two
discarded values was surcharged "1c." in large block type in black and
used up in that way.
[226] See page 196.
[Illustration]
The quantities of these special wrappers delivered to the Department are
given in the stamp accounts as:--
_1908._ _1909._ _1910._
1 cent 1,501,000 353,000 884,000
2 " 367,000 ... ...
3 " 54,000 ... ...
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 x 6-1/2 inches (378 x 165
mm.) in size for the 1 cent and 2 cent, and 13 x 8 inches (308 x 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.