PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2293, 10 February 1898, Page 53

PHILATELY.

By Old Stamp.

DUNEDIN PUBLIC LTBRAEY,

Stanley Gibbous Monthly Journal, referring to the scheme which w&s suggested for raising money for the above object, editorially writes :— \

" The proposal is to raise from £10,000 to £15,000 by means of an issue tf stamps, of the nomiual values oi -gel, Id, 2<j, and 2£d, but to be sold of course at 6d, Is, 2s, and 2s 6ri, in order •to give to Duu&din the benefits of a free public library.' Hospifals we kuow, an« we are also familiar tsith the statement tbat charity covers a multitude of sin-? ; po^t offices and otber public buildiogs we hava likewise been called upon to contribute to by the purchase of unnecessary stamps ; bub this scheme really is the la»t straw, and we trust that ii; will turn out to be a very broken reed indefcd. It must not be supposed that we have tbe v^ry sms-llest objection to ' the poor, unoffending Australian ' — whether philatelist or otherwise minded — contributing his ohillingo cr his half crowns towards providing his fellow-citizens with hospitals or public libraries or swiamiing bathti, or anything else that thair souk or bodies may require ; bub it is just aa well that those persons who are likely to invest iv tbs proposed labels from reasons other than those of pure philanthropy should know that philatelists outside Australia (or in ib either) are nob takiog any thia time. The British ratepajer knows all about public librau«i, snd where he has had experience — Vrona tlio ratepayer's jioiiii; of view — he is not, aa a rule, ia entire sympathy with tbe movement. It is aad that tihis should be so, but such is human nature. It is true that he might not feel the same objections fco a public library ab Du'aedm as to one nearer horn* 1 , but hie antipathy to sub?cribing--e iiipec:ally under a sotb of compulsion — is, equally great in either case. On the other hand, there is a class of collectors who have not, as far as we are aware, been drawn upon at all as yet, and this would be an extremely appropriate occaftioa for making a first attack upon their pockets, one to which we feel sure they would gladly respond. We make a present of the suggestion to tha promoters of public libraries in general, and that of Dunedin in particular — there's a lot in ib if properly worked. Let them convert their gorgeous labels— they will probably be quite large enough — from posfcaga stamps into book plates : a hundred years hence or so collectors of ex libris will give any price for them, and the speculator of to-day may safely put them by for bhe benefit of his great-great-grandchildren !

• . • I am still unable to notify tha appearance of our new issue of stamps. The London correspondents of several dailies nofeiced that they were on view at the Agent-genersl's offices, and would probably arriva in the colony at the beginning of the year. One thing is certain, however — they are not yet on sale.

' . ' It will doublleps surprise most people fco know that John Bull spends nearly £52.000,000 a year in writing to his friends or conducting business through the post. The management of this business requires the constant attendance of 140,000 persons, and entails an expenditure of £8,000,000.

• . • British Bechuanaland is preparing ft new and permanent series of postage stamps.

• . " The colour of the 2c carmine stamp of the United States is to be changed back to green, on the plea that the present colour 56 not considered dignified and proper enough for Government purposes. This being so, the colour of the 10c green must necessarily be altered.

• . • Ab a recent meeting cf the Sydney Philatelic Club 700 specimens^of Sydney view stamps were exhibited. • . • I stated recently tbat the late Postal Union CoDgrcss had agreed to the change of colour of several stamps, so that the stamps of Britain and her colonies and other nations should all be uniform. The Philatelic Journal of Grpat Britain goea into details on the question. It writes: — "Very radical in its effects will be the proposal that all countries compri6iog the Poolal Union should issue the postage stamps of the values of sc, 10c, and 25c — or their eqvivalents — in green, red, and blue, and that this change should come into force on January 1, 1889. This decision will affect our Id, and 2^d values, and as a corollary the Is value. The will have to bo changed from vermilion to green, the Id from lilac to the old familiar red, and the 2^d from purple on blue to blue. In consequence of the value having lo appear in green, a new colour will have to ba chosen for the la green

to guard against mistakes. These changes will also be necessitated in most of the colonies, Tery few of them cow issuing these three values in the prescribed colours. If we pass on toother couubribs we find that France has to change two Talues, Greece three, Holland three, Belgium one, Spain two, Switzerland two. United States two — in fact, very few countries exist that have nob to change the colours of one or more values. We have no doubt but that in & good many ii-stances the postal administrations will issue entirely new sets of stamps — perhaps even new designs will bake bhe place of tho current ones. It may be said that we are on the eve of a revolution in postage stamps. From a collector's point of view this change will be hailed with delight ; whether it will meet, however, with the unmixed approval of the postal adminiptraHons remains to be seen. The ' new collector ' can therefore look forward to a good timp."

• . ■ The attention of the philatelic authorities in London having been called to the issue of the New South Wales and Victoria hospital stamps, it has been declared that " inasmuch as these were entirely unnecessary for postal purposes, and were only made available in order to induce collectors to bny at enhanced prices," the latter are informed that the etanap in question will not be recognised as such by the society. This declaration has the effect of rendering the stamps as so much waste paper from the collector's point of view. Stamp collecting has reached such lengths tbat collectors alone — or dealers acting for them, which is the same thine — are capable of absorbing from £10,000 to £20,000 worth of a bona fide issue.