Health Stamp Sales

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31764, 22 August 1968, Page 14

Health Stamp Sales

Sir, —On the day the firstday covers with health stamps were sold (August 7) I went to the Merivale post office to buy envelopes and stamps, to be told that envelopes had all been sold by 12 noon and no-one seemed to know where I could buy some. Luckily, a friend had bought a few in the morning for me and I was able to buy stamps for these. I was then told at the counter that to get the correct first-day covers stamped 1 should take them to the main post office in town. Is this the way to encourage people to buy and send firstday covers? No wonder sales of health stamps are down.— Yours, etc., DISGUSTED. August 19, 1968.

[The Chief Postmaster (Mr M. E. Wilson) replies; “The sale of special first-day covers is not handled by the Post Office, but at some post offices voluntary sellers organised by the health camp committee do sell both stamps and envelopes. Post Office tellers sell standard first-day covers only, and special covers are available from local stationers. To obtain any desired postmarking, covers are posted at the particular office concerned, but special date-stamps for the first day of issue are provided only at the Chief Post Office, or in the case of health stamps also at Glenelg Health Camp. Persons unable to attend the Chief Post Office on the first day may send their covers to my office before that date, indicating what cancellation is required, and enclosing a remittance to cover the cost of the stamps plus a servicing fee of 2c for each envelope sent.”]