STAMP NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 139, 14 May 1936, Page 2

STAMP NOTES

(By '‘Philatelist.”) NEW WATEitMARKS. Now that paper with the new multiple New Zealand and star watermark is being used for further printings of the pictorial stamps, one wonders how far-reaching this change will be. Will the air mail stamps, life insurance stamps, postage dues, and the fascinating express delivery stamp eventually appear on the new paper? And more interesting still, will the same new paper be used for the stamps of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Western Samoa? It seems as though the three values, 2d, 6d, and Is, of the two first-mentioned dependencies, which have just been issued on watermarked paper, will be well worth watching. SCARCE OFFICIALS. The new pictorials, overprinted “official” that are in stock at the local post office are on the old watermarked paper. Unless the first printings of the three values have been particularly large, these may be very scarce in a very short time, as it is almost certain that when further supplies are required, stamps on the new paper with multiple watermark will be utilised. Not only these three “officials” but also any other values of the pictorials that appear thus overprinted, should be worth watching. In fact, all the stamps of New Zealand and Dependencies are worth watching during this interesting transitional stage from London to New Zealand printings, and from simple to multiple watermark paper. Incidentally, of the pictorial issue of last May, scarcely half the values are still available, the rest having already been replaced by later printings. TIN CAN MAIL. A correspondent sent in a “Tin Can” cover with an enquiry as to whether it is one of the first ones. Although the date is undecipherable, it is of 1930 or later, as the hand-stamp-ed inscription includes the words “Tin Can—Canoe Island.” On the back is a large cachet inscribed “Original Tin Can Canoe Mail Cover, W. G. Quensell, T.C.C.M. Man.” Gibbons’s Stamp Monthly of July, 1935, contained a very complete illustrated article on this subject, and a map of Niua Fo’ou Island. The present population is about 1290. Years ago, during the hurricane season, the U.S.S. Coy’s, vessels used to send mails ashore by means of rocket. (“Rocket mails” are not so very new after all!) This was unsatisfactory. From 1903 to 1930, inward mail, contained in a sealed tin can; and outward mail, wrapped in oiled paper and attached to a staff, was taken between ship and shore by swimmers. These are the original “Tin Can Mail” covers—and there is no mention of “canoe.” Owing to a shark tragedv, this method was abandoned, and mails are now collected by canoe service. It would seem that these later mails have been much exploited—and arc interesting, but not scarce. A note in Gibbons’s .Stamp Monthly of September, 1935. states: “According to cables from Australia, this mail has, now been discontinued. It is stated that tile-surviving postmen asked for a rise. . . ” , “Philatelist” has not seen this discontinuing of the service reported in any other paper, and it seems as though such a popular feature would be continued as long as possible as it was apparently bringing in a great deal of revenue. The later envelopes were made to look very cheap and commercialised by being plastered over on back and front with all sorts of rubber handstamped inscriptions. JUBILEES. The Bulletin Mer.suel publishes the official numbers sold of the Newfoundland Jubilee stamps: 4 cents., 1,767,826 stamps; 5 cents, 1,018,371; 7 cents, 196,173; 24 cents, 166,174. When one remembers that there were 320,000 copies of the New Zealand 6d stamp, it will be seen that, in spite of the apparent rareness of this stamp, it is really much more common than the 7 and 24 cents of Newfoundland, and probably more plentiful than most of the higher value Jubilees of the Empire. Compare, the 320,000 copies of the Now Zealand 6d with the 106,843 copies cf the Id Samoa 1 Incidentally, the large size of the Jubilee stamps seemed very unpopular in Great Britain. From the Times of July 12: “The Assistant Postmas-ter-General, asked when the issue < f Jubilee stamps would cease, in view of the very awkward form of the stamps, said he anticipated the stocks would be exhausted in about ten days’ time, except at small offices. (Cheers!)” And the Morning Post had a good story of a London messenger boy, who, on being handed a Jubilee stamp for the first time, was heard to ask: “What’s this, a ’ymn sheet?” [These notes are published with the co-operation of the Manawatu Philatelic Society. Queries and items of interest for publication should be addressed to the Stamp Editor, care “Standard” Office.l