PHILATELY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 66

PHILATELY.

Bx Peluhe. An Australian journal publishes some interesting particulars of the Now Hebrides Condominium postal service, supplied by the late postmaster, Mr G. Roy, who has recently been superseded. We learn that a request for a permanent series with values in both French and English currency was forwarded bv the Resident Commissioners of Great Britain and France to their Governments as far back as October, 1909, but that up to December, 1910, no reply liad been received. The new stamps referred to last month are therefore those which have been somewhat tardily prepared in response to this request. Of the lsh value on single water-marked paper of the first British series overprinted at Suva, Fiji, Mr Roy states that a total of only 1440 copies was issued, forming the first consignment, and all subsequent printings wire iu>on paper having the Multiple Crown ('.A. watermark." At the end of November, 1911, the stock of overprinted Fiji stamps on hand at fort Vila was practically exhausted, no fresh supplies having been received since October 1, 1910, when the last consignment of the Suva overprint came to hand. The reason for the new scries being overprinted in London was that the Fiji Tost Office was beginning to run short of its postage stamp supplies, and as Messrs Do La Rue were then making a fresh printing of all values in conformance with the new colonial colour scheme, thev were in.-;truetcd by the High Commissioner of the Western Pacific to overprint a portion of the new consignment for use by the Condominium Post Office. This was accordingly done, the type employed by Messrs Do La Rue being slightly thicker and heavier than that use 3 at the Suva Government Printing Establishment, while the colour bars over the original name tablet were also omitted in the London overprint; so that it will be possible to distinguish between the two types of the id and Id, as well as the higher denominations. Supplies of overprinted Fiji stamps (without colour bar) were despatched from London on September 28, 1910, but wen l delayed for some considerable' time at Suva, and were not finally placed on sale in the Islands until December 15, 1910. Of the New Caledonian series with the additional overprint of the word "Condominium" only the 5 and 10 centimes and 1 franc values' have reached Port Vila, although all the other denominations have been obtainable for s ome time past from tho French Colonial Office in Paris. During the preparation of the stone of the 4fl value of Wostralia of 1851 there was evolved one of trie most celebrated of philatelic rarities —the so-called inverted swan variety, —of which only eight or nine copies are in existence to-day, and whose market price is in the neighbourhood of £4OO. The popular description of this error is, in realitv. somewhat misleading, since it was not the centre, but tho frame of the stamp which was actually inverted. The task of applying the new frames to the central device pasted on the sheet was necessarily ono of considerable difficulty, since, owing to the highly sensitive nature of the lithographic paper and ink, the printer was unable to touch them with his fingers, and, considering the smallness of the lettering of tho frame, it is scarcely surprising that it was

not at first discovered that ono of them had been inadvertently affixed upside down. Large American Mail—The largest mail ever carried by any one steamer was taken to New York on" December 7, by tho Oceanic from Southampton, Cherbourg, and Queenstown. There were over 6000 sacks, 2233 sacks having been shipped at Queenstown. From a recent number of the Daily Telegraph we extract the following figures, which show the increase which has taken place in the pestbag of the British Empire during the past 10 years. The ligures are for letters and cards only : —The Imperial Mail 1901. 191 °- British India .. 469.209,482 809.308.873 isritrem inaia •• 392.850.1*2 Australia " • Jt cicm : h i f-. nl n,i n 229,859,000 526,629,500 W Zealand .. .. s |>°g'™ 88,368 315 g#S"! w\: v. A3U «ww» The authorities appear to have been chiefly engaged in "touching up the British lion" on the Georgian British Samps. On the stamps that have done duty since, the Coronation the hon is a very white-washed specimen, with ribs plainly showing, as if. he badly wanted a meal In the new issue the shading is * i i Ll n »wt all over the. animal, and extended almost an ov«i »' „„*:» gives him a much more satisfied and satisfactory appearance. The portrait of King George too. is no longer blurred. Hitherto the beard and moustache have been almost indistinguishable, whereas now the neat moustache is clearly shown and fc£ Majesty is no longer shown as having something suspiciously like a black eye.-lhe Daily Chronicle.

NEW ISSUES. Canada.-Wilcox, Smith, and Co have ' very kindly shown us specimens of the new Canadian 'stamps. The design is handsome, and the stamps, which are hne-en-graved, will make a welcome addition to our albums. I consider it by far the best portrait of King George which has yet appeared on any postage stamp. The King is in naval uniform. . Cook Islands.—We have received the following i 6t ter:-"Oook Islands tion, Rarotonga, November 22, 1911. Ucar Sir,—l 'have the honour to acknowledge reciept of your letter of October 3, 1911. and ! in replv 'have to advise you that up to the ! present I have not heard of any oontem--1 plated change in five Cook Island I have etc., [Signed for Postmaster]. H. L. Ewen, Esq." South African Union.—We quote irom The Times, January 2. 1912:—"The design chosen for the new Id stamp of the Union of South Africa is nn exceedingly happy one. showing an excellent full-face portrait of King George V, surrounded by a Royal Crown and flanked by spray of mealies, enI circled by a narrow white band inscribed with the "designation of the Union in English and Dutch. In the two upper corners 1 of the stamp are depicted a mail steamer and a mining shaft. It is the work of Mr C. P. Immelmann, of Paarl, Cape Colony, and secured the first prize of £lO. in tho Government competition. French Senegal.—Die Tost (12.11/187) states that a new set of stamps of distinctive design ifi to bo issued during the com- : ing year. The design represents a Senegalese market, with a dealer in earthenware pots in the foreground, apparently just about to conclude a l>argain.