MILLIONS OF STAMPS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12536, 24 April 1935, Page 5

MILLIONS OF STAMPS

DISTRIBUTION Or PICTORIAL ISSUE.

-ASSESSING THE PUBLIC DEMAND (Special to tile Times.) WELLINGTON, April 23 Thirty-eight million stamps are now being distributed ■ to the post offices ol the Dominion in preparation for th 0 issue on May 1. of the attractive new pictorial series. Stocks are replenished from headquarters every month, but thi s impressive total represents something more than the need of the normal period, because the post office is naturally preparing for an unusually heavy public demand, and it- L als.o ready on this occasion to completely replace unused old issues iu the hands of the public. It will exchange the King George stamps already purchased for equivalent values of th 0 new pictorials so long as the total amount concerned in each transaction is not less than 2s €d. A special staff at the General Post Office has been extremely busy making ready for this, largo scale distribution. The stamps arrived from England packed in bundles of 1000 sheets, some of th 0 sheets carrying 2-10 stamps and others of higher value 60 to the sheet. Every single sheet has been carefully examined fop possible flaws', and of course >i careful civeek ha., been, made of the totals-. The examined stamps are forworc'od in bulk to 18 chief postmasters who, in turn, distribute them to each post- and, telegraph office .under their control, the probable demand having been estimated in advance. There are wide differences between the demand for ih 0 id and the highest value Bs. Actually the most popular, stamp in point of general use is tho Id., for which the post office anticipates a monthly demand of 19 millions. The turnover of -fd stamps is expected to approximate over 12 millions. Then there is a big drop in demand, the 2d. coining next with a. total of 3,090,090 and a further big drop to 123,000 of 21d stamps mostly used for correspondence addressed to countries other than those [which accept pur letters at the id rate. The anticipated deman 11 for the 2g denomination i s 90,000 and t!m t of the 3s, the highest denomination, of.COO per month. Though millions have hc.en freely used in describing- the first month’s distribution of tho pictorial issue it can ho readily understood that there is no exaggeration in the language when is known that- letters and letter cards alone posted in New Zealand last year totalled 131,OCX),000.