Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery Part 4

At the time of the transfer, the Postmaster General issued a lengthy set of _Regulations and Instructions for the Government of the Post Office Department in Canada_, and it is perhaps best to reproduce here such sections as may prove of interest in connection with the use of the stamps, various rates of postage, etc., etc.

20. Letters posted to be sent by Mail are to be carefully postmarked on the face or address side, with the name of the Post Office, the month and the day of the month in which they are posted, and, except when they are Prepaid by Postage stamps, with the Rate of Postage in plain figures. In performing these operations great care must be used to avoid interference with the address.

22. If the Postage is Paid in Money when the Letter is posted, stamp or write the word "_Paid_" against the Postage rate, and mark the rate in _red ink_; but if the Letter is "_Unpaid_" the rate is to be marked in _black ink_.

42. Should the Receiving Postmaster find that any of the Letters have been under-rated, that is, not charged with sufficient Postage,--if for example, a Letter weighing an ounce has only been charged with one rate, he will mark the additional Postage with the words "_More to pay_," and his initials on the Letter.

44.... Letters are to be postmarked on the back or seal side with the date of the day on which they arrive....

58. On Letters not exceeding 1/2 oz. in weight between any place in Canada and any other place in British North America, including Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton, the rate is a uniform charge of 3d.

For every additional weight of half an oz., or any fractional excess of half an oz., there shall be charged an additional rate of 3d.

59. On Letters deposited at an Office for delivery in the same place, called Drop or Box Letters, the rate is One half-penny each, to be brought to account by Postmasters.

60. On Letters between any place in Canada and any part of Great Britain or Ireland, if conveyed in the Weekly closed Mails through the United States, the rate is a uniform charge of 1s. 2d. sterling, equal to 1s. 4d. currency, on a Letter not exceeding 1/2 oz., in weight.

62. On Letters between Canada and the United Kingdom, conveyed by the semi-monthly Mails by way of Quebec, New Brunswick and Halifax, the rate is:

On Letters not exceeding 1/2 oz., 1s. 0d. sterling equal to 1s.

1-1/2d. currency.

On Letters not exceeding 1 oz., 2s. 0d. sterling equal to 2s. 3d.

currency.

On Letters not exceeding 2 oz., 4s. 0d. sterling equal to 4s. 6d.

currency.

63. On Letters between any place in Canada and any part of the United States, except California and Oregon, the rate is a uniform charge of 6d., equal to 10c. per 1/2 oz. weight.

64. On Letters to California and Oregon, the rate is 9d., equal to 15c. per 1/2 oz.

67. Letters to Newfoundland may be sent via Quebec and Halifax at a Postage rate of 7-1/2d. per 1/2 oz.

68. Letters to British West Indies via Quebec, Halifax and Bermuda will be charged the Canada rate of 3d. and in addition the Packet rate for sea conveyance between Halifax and Bermuda of 4-1/2d.

currency, making on a letter not weighing more than 1/2 oz. a rate of 7-1/2d.

69. Letters may also be sent from Canada to the British West Indies and Havanah by the ordinary United States Mails to New York, and from thence by British Steam Packet to destination, on Prepayment in Canada of 9d. equal to 15c. per 1/2 oz.

70. Mails are made up at Montreal every fortnight for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and despatched for conveyance to Halifax with the Mails by the Royal Mail Steamers from Boston to Halifax and Liverpool by which Letters may be sent to the following places at the rates mentioned:

Letters to Halifax and Nova Scotia 7-1/2d. currency.

Letters to Newfoundland 1s. currency.

Letters to Bermuda and British West Indies 1s. currency.

74--75--76. [_Almost identical with first three paragraphs of_ Department Order No. 4. _describing and prescribing use of postage stamps_. Vide supra.]

77. If the Stamps affixed to a Letter addressed to any place in British North America or to the United Kingdom be not adequate to the proper Postage, the Post Master receiving the Letter for transmission will rate it with the amount deficient in addition.

78. On Letters for the United States when Stamps are affixed representing less than the amount of Postage to which the Letters are liable, the Stamps are to be cancelled and the Letters rated with the full rate as Unpaid.

79--80--81. [_Identical with last two paragraphs of_ Department Order No. 4. _concerning cancelling, omission of same, and accounts of stamped letters_.]

82. Stamps affixed to Letters coming from either of the British North American Provinces, the United Kingdom or the United States, and recognized as equivalent to pre-payment at the Office where the Letter has been posted--are to be allowed in Canada as evidence of pre-payment accordingly, on the Letters to which they have been affixed.

84. [_Postage Stamps must be taken when offered in payment of postage on delivery of Unpaid Letters._]

88. [_Non-Commissioned Officers, Embodied Pensioners, Seamen and Soldiers, while employed in Her Majesty's Service, can send and receive letters at a rate of 1d. each, which must be paid at time of posting, and letter must not exceed 1/2 oz. in weight._]

95. [_Rate on circulars, price currents, hand bills, etc., 1d. per ounce or fraction._]

96. [_Rate on pamphlets, periodicals, magazines and books, 1/2d. per ounce._]

100. [_Limit of weight for periodicals, etc., (--96) is 48 oz._]

103. [_Book post to England is 6d. sterling (7-1/2d. currency) for 1/2lb., 1s. sterling (1s. 3d. currency) for 1 lb., and at 1s. per lb., rate thereafter._]

112. [_Postage on newspapers in Canada is 1/2d. except on exchange copies, which are free._]

It strikes one as curious, in glancing over the above, to note the several half penny and one penny rates, as well as two at 7-1/2 pence, and to realize that no stamp of the lowest value, at least, should have been arranged for whereby these amounts could have been prepaid by means of stamps. To be sure, the 7-1/2d. rate could be obtained by halving a three penny stamp in conjunction with a 6d. stamp as was the common practice in Nova Scotia, but no such combination is known on a Canada cover.