POSTAL UNION STATISTICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2387, 30 November 1899, Page 49

POSTAL UNION STATISTICS.

From the headquarters of the Univerul Postal Union come the 1896-97 statistics of the postal services of the. various countries comprised in the union. The following interesting comparisons have been made . — The largest mimbers of post offices in tLe various countries : 1. United States 72,278 2. Germany 41,028 3. Great Britain 21,202 4. Indiu • ... 11,989 5. Canada 9,371 6. France 9,066 The- largest numbers of letter-boxes in use: 1. United States 139,435 2. Germiny 108,897 3. France 67,681 4. Breat Britain 51,595 5. Japan 40,934 6. Ital} 40,096 7. India ... v 20,990 The Transvaal war has, stange to saj r , caused no special demand for Transvaal and Orange Free State stamps from local dealers. The American-Spanish war coniplettiy sold out many big stocks of Cuba, Porto Rico, and Philippines.

Post-card collecting is going ahead in America, and a big collection was recently sold there for considerably over four figures. I often wonder more attention is not paid to this branch of philately. There is nothing more interesting than a good collection of used post cards.

There appear to be unduly large quantities of Great Barrier Island stamps in a used condition to be had, and some caution in buying would not be unwise. One collector* states that he lias seen over 400 of these in the possession of his acquaintances. Either business in the pigeon pest line is excessively heavy or someone with sufficient knowledge of stamps to be a rogue is at work. I really cannot understand any collector even looking at such stuff.

Our local firm, Wilcox, Smith & Co., lias just completed the purchase of a very fine collection of Australasians from a Wellington collector. Amongst the treasures are no less than 28 Sydney views, Victoria almost complete including the rare 6d yellow (West Australian), 6d bronze, South Australia, a fine lot of Government suicharges, and last, but not least, the Soula »Sea Islands (Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and Cook Islands) complete. I understand the purchase money ran" into close on £300. The member of the firm who made the trip for the deal informs me that stamps are very brisk up north. Everywhere he went there were more buyers than sellers. Here is a tremendous item of new 3 for philatelists ! On the Ist January, 1900, a new ponny stamp will be issued for Great Britain. It will be of exactly the same design as the present penny stamp, but instead of being coloured mauve, as now, the old brownish, red colour of the former penny stamp will be reverted to. NEW ISSUES. ■ The Philatelic Monthly and World says the postal authorities of Turkey recently opened a competition for a new design for their postage stamps. Among the numerous proposals submitted, the one designed by Nazine Effendi, a civil functionary of the Seraskierate, was unanimously selected, and being submitted to the Sultan, equally approved by him. The young, successful official was ghen a furlough from his official duties in the Ministry in order to prepare the designs for the new plates, and to superintend the obtaining of essays and proofs. The nature of "the desigu" tas not as yet been given out. Holland has just issued a new set of adhesives, with the bald design of numerals of value. New Zealand. — The 4d, printed in the

same design as the penny, seems to have! been on issue only in Wellington for a day,, and was withdrawn as soon as possible owing to the confusion arising by reason of its similarity to the penny. This "ticoloured fourpenny should become a rare stamp, seeing that so few were sold. Most probably if they are ever re-issued they will be surcharged -with a large 4.