JUBILEE STAMPS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18763, 20 July 1935, Page 2

JUBILEE STAMPS

WHY DESTROY SURPLUS? POST OFFICE EXPLAINS "Why destroy unsold Jubilee stamps?” is a question which has been put by a number of newspaper correspondents throughout New Zealand, and there has been at least one editorial suggestion that the Surplus stocks ol Silver Jubilee stamps should be nut up to the highest bidder at intervals. The unused Jubilee stamp—there is not a large stock of them—will he destroyed, for .reasons, which will probably be generally appreciated when they are explained. The process docs not involve nun'll" ffhste ,of material, though it avoids a considerable public loss which would be caused if these stamps were sold at less than their face value. What has been destroyed? To the Post Office so many pieces of paper of very small cost, though if they went into circulation they would immediately command the value denoted upon them, for the reason that the Post Office is- prepared to rentier service to the amount specified. For instance, it will carry a letter across the world for a Jubilee Id stamp, or send it. speedily by air mail to the United Kingdom for Is 6(1. If surplus stamps were sold to the highest bidder at bargain rates- they could be used to secure these postal services at a cost less Ilian that, paid hv those members of the public who had not enjoyed the thrill of a bargain sale. In the ease of the jubilee stamps, a stock-ttiKing was arranged, the results telegraphed to headquarters, and deficiencies in stocks in one area filled from surpluses in another. This enabled sales to be- maintained until June 22, and .so carefully had supply been oal-

ancal against demand that, in the General Post Olliee itself only nine stamps of one particular Jubilee denomination remained in the bulk stock. However, as 2000 offices throughout the Dominion had had to be- supplied with stocks for public sale, there was an inevitable surplus after June 22, and tliir was returned to (lie General Post Office to he destroyed.