MILLIONS OF STAMPS

Southland Times, Issue 25268, 24 April 1935, Page 7

MILLIONS OF STAMPS

DISTRIBUTION OF PICTORIAL ISSUE. ASSESSING THE PUBLIC DEMAND. Thirty-eight million stamps are now being distributed to the post offices of the Dominion in preparation for the issue on May 1 of the attractive new pictorial series. Stocks are replenished from headquarters every month, but this impressive total represents something more than the need of the normal period because the Post Office is naturally preparing for an- unusually heavy public demand, and it is also ready on this occasion to completely replace unused old issues in the hands of the public. It will exchange the King George stamps already purchased for equivalent values of the new pictorials so long as the total amount concerned in each transaction is not less than 2/6. A special staff at the General Post Office has been extremely busy making ready for this large scale distribution. The stamps arrived from England packed in bundles of one thousand sheets, some of the sheets carrying 240 stamps and others of higher value 60 to the sheet. Every single sheet, has been carefully examined for possible flaws, and, of course, a careful check has been made of the totals. The examined stamps are forwarded in bulk to eighteen chief postmasters who, in turn, distribute them to each Post and Telegraph office under their control, the probable demand having been estimated in advance. There are wide differences between the demand for the halfpenny and the highest value, three shillings. Actually the most popular stamp in point of general use is the Id, for which the Post Office anticipates a monthly demand of nineteen millions. The turnover of id stamps is expected to approximate over twelve millions. Then there is a big drop in demand, the 2d coming next with a total of three millions, and a further big drop to 123,090 of 2Ad stamps, mostly used for correspondence addressed to countries other than those which accept our letters at the Id rate. The anticipated demand for the 2/- denomination is 90,000, and that of the 3/-, the highest denomination, 54,000 a month. Though millions have been freely used in describing the first month’s distribution of the pictorial issue, it can be readily understood that there is _ no exaggeration in the language when it is known that letters and letter-cat ds alone posted in New Zealand last year totalled 131,000,000.