Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 29

Paper, when absorbing moisture, expands more in one direction than the other. The direction of greater expansion is what is technically known as the "cross direction", and is the direction _across_ the flow of pulp in the paper making machine. During the flow of the pulp the bulk of the fibres lie parallel with the movement of the wire gauze, and it is a scientific fact that the diameter of a fibre is increased by absorption of water much more than is the length.

The subsequent shrinking on drying also is uneven.

[146] See page 53 =et seq.=

[147] =United States Postage Stamps=, 1894-1910, page 16.

The Postmaster General's Report for 1897 says:--

The contract with the British American Bank Note Company expired on the 22nd April, 1897, and a contract was entered into with the American Bank Note Company for the manufacture and supply of postage stamps &c. An estimate of the probable ordinary requirements for the next fiscal year and the comparison based thereon between the old and the present rates show that, under the new contract, stamp supplies will cost the department, say, $10,000 per annum less than under the old contract, a reduction in outlay of about 20%.

It is also noted that during 1896-7 electric cancelling ("mail marking") machines were introduced, six of which were rented and installed in the Montreal Post Office and one at Ottawa.

The reduction in the domestic letter rate from 3 cents to 2 cents per ounce is forecasted, as well as a proposed reduction from 5 cents to 2 cents per 1/2 ounce on letters between Great Britain and many of her colonial possessions. This will be more thoroughly discussed later.

Concerning the postal changes we have been considering the report says:--

Owing to the change of contract for the manufacture and supply of postage stamps, a new series of stamps became necessary at the beginning of the present fiscal year. New stamps ranging in value from the 1/2 cent to the 10 cent denomination (inclusive) were printed, and the first supplies thereof sent out to postmasters as the corresponding denominations of the old stamps became exhausted.

A considerable quant.i.ty of the higher values of that series (15 cents, 20 cents and 50 cents) remaining over from the late contract, these three stamps continued to be issued, so that the department, previous to the introduction of the same denominations in the new series, might, in accordance with the universal practice, dispose of the old stamps in each case before issuing any of the new. The design of the new stamps is of a uniform character, and consists of an engraved copy (reduced) of an authorized photograph of Her Majesty taken during the Diamond Jubilee year. This, placed within an oval bearing the usual inscriptions, is enclosed in a rectangular frame, a maple leaf on a lined ground occupying each of the triangular s.p.a.ces between the two frames. To conform to the regulations of the Universal Postal Union, the colour of the new 1 cent stamp is green, and that of the 5 cents a deep blue. This necessitated corresponding changes in the colours of the other stamps of the new series; for example, purple, instead of green, being selected for the 2 cent denomination, and orange instead of slate for the 8 cent.

The special delivery system was also introduced, and will be treated of later.

CHAPTER XIII

THE "NUMERALS" ISSUE, 1898-1902

Hardly had the "maple leaf" issue gotten generally into use before complaints began to be heard about the difficulty of distinguis.h.i.+ng the different values. The _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for June 4, 1898, quotes a plaint of this character as follows:--

The Toronto _World_ says: "We take the liberty of suggesting to the Postmaster-General that we have a large figure indicating the value in cents of the various issues of Canadian stamps. It is hard to make them out at present."

This is only one of the numerous complaints made daily against our new issue. Some changes ought to be made.

But the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ in its issue for April 2, 1898, had already given information of an impending change which in the main proved correct. It says:--

Much dissatisfaction is expressed by the French speaking inhabitants of the rural parts at the lack of figures of value on the stamps, the denomination in all cases being printed in English which they are unable to understand. It has, therefore, been decided to alter the new stamps by removing the maple leaves from the lower corners and inserting large numerals of value in their place. The s.p.a.ce occupied by the head will also be somewhat enlarged and the value will be placed on a straight band below.

All of which transpired save the placing of the value on the "straight band". In the issue of the _American Journal of Philately_ for June 1, 1898, a Canadian correspondent reported: "I saw yesterday the proof of the new Canadian stamps. The frame is slightly changed and the value in figures is at the bottom on each side of the stamp, in place of the maple leaves." No date is given, but it was doubtless early in May.

Finally _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ reported the actual issue of the 1 cent and 3 cent stamps, stating that a Montreal correspondent had purchased them at the post office on June 21st, which was doubtless their approximate date of issue.

No further news of the numeral set is recorded until the issue of the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for September 17th, wherein its Toronto correspondent says that "Last week the 2c. purple with numerals in lower corners made its debut, a few days later the 1/2c arrived similarly altered, followed closely by the 6c." This evidently puts the issue of these three values within the first ten days of September. The 8 cent was recorded in the same paper for October 15th, so that it must have been issued about the first of the month. The 10 cent did not make its appearance until November, being noticed under the "Toronto Letter" in the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for November 19th, so that again it was doubtless the early part of the month that saw its advent.

For six months nothing further was heard of new "numeral" stamps, when finally the 5 cent, which was the one value lacking to complete the set in its altered form, made its appearance on July 3, 1899, according to a correspondent of _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_.[148]

[148] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XIII: 265.

The new type of stamp, as already stated, was merely an alteration of the preceding "maple leaf" design, due to two criticisms--that no numerals were shown, making it often difficult without a close look to tell the denomination, and bothersome to the large population of French origin who did not speak English; and that the portrait was too large for its oval frame, giving a somewhat cramped effect. In the new design, ill.u.s.trated as number 40 on Plate II, the first objection was met by placing the proper numerals in small squares in the lower corners, which necessitated the removal of the maple leaves from the lower spandrels; and the second objection was met by enlarging the oval frame containing the portrait, thus giving a much better effect. To do this the oval was extended to the outside of the stamp, cutting the rectangular border lines instead of lying wholly within them, as in the design it superseded.

The stamps were of course line engraved on steel and printed in the usual sheets of 100, ten rows of ten. The imprint was the same as on the last issue, and the plates again began with No. 1 for each denomination.

As far as we have been able to ascertain, the plate numbers are as follows:--

1/2 cent No. 1.

1 " " 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

2 " " 1, 2, 3, 4.

3 " " 1, 2, 3, 4.

5 " " 1, 2, 3.

6 " " 1.

8 " " 1.

10 " " 1.

There were of course many more plates of the 1 cent stamp, at least, which remained in use for five years, and probably several more of the 2, 3, and 10 cent, but there seems to have been very little interest in Canada in keeping track of these.

But during the life of this series there were important changes taking place which were reflected in the stamp issues, and we must keep track of them.

In the first place, the Hon. William Mulock, the Canadian Postmaster-General, was a firm believer in and an active agitator for Imperial Penny Postage. At the Imperial Conference on Postal Rates in London, in July, 1898, the project was carried through, and a rate of one penny (2 cents) per half ounce established by certain colonies in connection with the Mother Country, to take effect on Christmas Day of 1898. Concerning this we shall have more to say in the next chapter; but meanwhile Canada's domestic rate stood at 3 cents per ounce or fraction, in spite of attempts to reduce it, particularly since the United States had lowered its internal rate in 1883. The anomaly would be presented under such conditions of a letter mailed from one town to another in Canada costing three cents, even if weighing a half ounce or less, while the same letter could cross to Great Britain and travel to Cape Colony, for instance, on payment of but two cents postage.

The agitation and the London conference evidently had their effect, for on the 13th June, 1898, a bill[149] in amendment of the Post Office Act was a.s.sented to in Parliament which subst.i.tuted 2 cents for 3 cents as the domestic postage rate per ounce weight. It also provided that the new rate should not take effect until a date to be named by the Governor General. After the date for the inauguration of Imperial Penny Postage was fixed, the Governor General named New Year's day following as the date for the change in Canada's domestic rate. The following notice was published in the _Canada Gazette_:[150]--

Order in Council,

Post Office Department.

By Proclamation dated the 29th day of December, 1898, in virtue of the Act further to amend the Post Office Act (61 Victoria, chapter 20) and of an Order in Council in accordance therewith, it was declared that the postage rate payable on all letters originating in and transmitted by post for any distance in Canada for delivery in Canada, should be one uniform rate of two cents per ounce weight, from the 1st January, 1899.

[149] 61 Vict. Chap. 20.

[150] =Canada Gazette=, x.x.xII: 1223.

This of course had the immediate effect of vastly increasing the consumption of 2 cent stamps and also of rendering the 3 cent stamps practically useless. Another point would be that whereas the Postal Union requirements named red as the color for the stamp used for domestic postage, and the 3 cent had been in its proper hue, the stamp for the new internal rate was printed in purple and would therefore have to be changed. This change was not forced, however, the Post Office Department as usual preferring to use up the stock on hand of the current 2 cent stamp before issuing the new one. It took considerable time to do this, so that the 2 cent carmine did not make its appearance until the 20th August, according to a correspondent of _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_.[151] It was of course the same stamp as before but printed in the color of the 3 cent value, and we have to record plate numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, though there were doubtless many more.

[151] =Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News=, XIII: 324.

But the 3 cent stamp still remained on hand in large quant.i.ties, and in order to use them up more quickly and perhaps save confusion between them and the new 2 cent stamps, the Post Office Department decided upon surcharging the stock on hand down to 2 cents, thus making Canada's first offence in this line. The notice concerning this change and some others that were decided upon was as follows:--

_Department Circular_.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, CANADA, OTTAWA, 1st July, 1899.

Owing to the reduction in the Domestic letter rate of postage, the issue of the 3 c. letter-card, the 3c. stamped envelope and the 3 cent postage stamp from the Department has ceased. Any unused 3c.

letter-cards, 3c. stamped envelopes or 3c. stamps, still extant, will, however, continue available for postage purposes, or may be exchanged at any Post Office, at their full face value, for postage stamps of other denominations.

The color of the Domestic-rate postage stamp, as prescribed by the Universal Postal Union, is red, and it is intended to discontinue the issue of the ordinary two cents purple colored stamps as soon as the present supply on hand is exhausted. This will be about the 20th July, 1899. Thereafter the Department will issue two cents stamps in red, first, however, surcharging down to two cents the unissued remnant of the three cents stamps in red, now in the possession of the Department, and as soon as the supply of such surcharged _threes_ is exhausted, the issue of two cents stamps in red will begin. The surcharged stamps will be issued to Postmasters as 2c.

postage stamps and be recognized as postage stamps of that denomination.