PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2996, 16 August 1911, Page 66

PHILATELY.

Bz Pelthir.

At the invitation of the Postmastergeneral a party met on Saturday afternoon, March 25, at the new G.P.O. in King Edward street, London, for the purpose of inspecting what is held to be the most up-to-date post office in the world. The party was first shown the long lines of. post-box keys, and the un-erring system kept u]K>n their issuance, under signature, to the postmen. Similarly efficient was the busy room devoted to the changing of the time and date-plugs in the numerous postmarking dies, from each one of which an impression is recorded and filed before it is affixed to the marvellously ingenious cancelling machines. Mail matter is cancelled at the rate of some 700 to 1000 letters per minute, this almost incredible speed being rendered possible by the rotary system adopted Briefly, a stack of Letters is gently pressed from a trough against a series of wheels, which continually catch the end letter and carry it swiftly past a rapidly-revolving die. This impresses the postmark along the whole of the top of the letter, delivering them at the speed mentioned into a rack at the other side of the machine from which they are removed by the busy sorters From this trough they are passed on to the long lines of sorting racks, extending the whole length of the building on two -floors, where they are divided, and sub-divided until they are finally sorted by the postman in the way most convenient for delivery on his round. Only city letter, of course, are so dealt with, those for outlying districts, the country, and abroad, being sorted into routes and dispatched for classification at convenient centres. Some 250,000 missives airc dealt with daily in this marvellously organised office, which employs a staff of 4000 men, while reserves are at call. The sorters, among whom, are included the outside men, have no easy time, and to preserve their efficeincy they have to undergo a yearly test by “putting up” 40 letters per minute for 10 minutes at the sorting tables. Two attempts are allowed, and failure to pass means that the sorter must “go into college” for prac-

tioe in his own time until he becomes efficient. The “Blind” department excited a good deal of amusement with its weird assembly of insufficiently addressed, 11 n deciphered, and undecipherable inscriptions, and the translation of some of them by a practical official demonstrated that to remedy the mistakes of the careless and illiterate a nodding familiarity with everywhere is demanded, coupled with the ingenuity of a “Jig-Saw” expert.

All these things, and more, were carefully explained by the two courteous and obliging officials who conducted the party, and after a most enjoyable and instructive afternoon the members crossed the road to the Holborn Viaduct Hotel, where tea was in readiness. The party dispersed at about 6 p.m., after congratulating each other upon the efficiency of the country’s postal system.

The other day I saw a letter from a German dealer who had sent some stamps on appro. His English was rather quaint. “I do beg you dears Sins you will be gentilous to send to back the stamps any more quickly in lonquests any weekly. Two weeklys is too longtimes by a little. What Germany would write after having to wait a month would probably be something like this: “Four weeks a great too much. In posteriety you come back before going, else I come also to went back and fetch the cents.”

The death took place on May 1 of Makea, Queen of Rarotonga, Polynesia, after a long illness. Maloea reigned 40 years. Her first husband died six years ago.—Router.

Except for changes of paper, watermark, and perforation, these stamps 'have now mostly been in use tor 18 years. The Id', l£d, 2£d, sd, and lOd with portrait of Queen Makea, were first issued m 1895, and the bird type 2d, fid, and Is m 1898, the ad following in 1899. The ad, Id, and 2Ad were changed to postal union colours in 1902. There was an enormous demand for them down to 1903, but the fickle philatelic public then transferred their fancy to the many new stamps issued in 19034, and the interest taken in multiple watermarks and chalky papers has prevented much attention being paid to the Cook Island stamps.

A correspondent asks me the correct way to road a watermark. _ The watermark is correctly seen by holding the stamp against the light and looking through the face ot it. A watermark may often be more easily read by looking through the back or by laying the stamp lace downwards on a black surface, but will then appear in a reversed position.

The first supply of Ad British postage stamps printed by Messrs Harrisons, the new contractors, was issued in London on May 4, 1911. The control number is A, 11. At the Penny Postage banquet given by the Junior Philatelic Society at the Trooadero on May 8, in honour of the seventy-first anniversary of the penny black, Sir Joseph Ward, the .guest of the evening, announced that he had just received a despatch from the Colonial Office to the effect that “France has now no objection in principle to the establishing ot penny postage wish New Zealand. p 6 predicted that at the next Postal Union Congress in Madrid! universal penny postage would be unanimously adopted. NEW ISSUES. Canada. —We quote from the Canadian Mail and Empire (17-4-11): —“Ottawa, April 16.—The contract for printing a special issue of postage stamps to be known as the Coronation issue has been awarded to the American Bank Note Company, and it is expected that they will be distributed throughout the country by June 3, the King’s birthdav. These stamps will be double the size of the ordinary postage stamp, and only a limited number will be printed, as in tho case of the Quefc*PXJ Teircentenary issue. The new 2c stamp for ordinary use bearing the head of the new King will nob be ready for some time. Tasmania. —The current fid has been redrawn and printed from a new stone. The difference, though at once apparent to the ©y© is difficult to describe and impossible to ’illustrate. The little white cloud has disappeared from the sky, and there are more white dote on the trees in the background and more lines in the waterfall and river. ’ The wmk. is Crown over A, and both perfs. 11 and 12£ are reported. Greece. —Concerning tbe_ new stamps, Mr F. J. Melville writes in the Evening News (8-4 11) “It te a curious commentary on the clamour in Great for artistic stamps for home “consumption” that Greece, the Mother N of Arte, should come to this country to get her postage stamps engraved. Some years ago a. wellknown 1; on don firm printed, a series of stamps for the Greek Government to issue in connection with the revival of the Olympic Games. Now a London engraver, Mr Thomas Macdonald, has prepared dies for a handsome new series of stamps, the issue of which has just commenced in Greece. The 5 lepta and_ 25 lepta denominations of the new series are now in use, and other values are expected to appear gradually, as the stock of the old stamps becomes exhausted.