In late February or early March 1922, a new experimental £1 booklet was placed on sale. This contained 90 twopenny red and 15 fourpenny violet King George V stamps. The booklet was intended to replace the £1 booklet containing one penny stamps only but it did not prove popular with the public. In June 1922 it was decided to discontinue the arrangement and revert to the former content of 120 twopenny stamps only.

During July 1922 certain amendments became necessary to the printed postal information on the back covers of 2/- booklets. As an interim measure, it was required that the changes be made by hand on existing stock of booklets held in the States.

Cover stocks at the Note Printing Branch were provisionally amended by the use of type in the two places required. The amendments comprised an alteration of the parcels rate to the United Kingdom by the all-sea route from 1/- to 1/4d. for the first pound, and the words "except U.S.America 1½d. 4 ozs." after the rate for newspapers to foreign countries. When this overprinted cover stock was used up, the amendments were incorporated in the text of new printings.

Reduction to 1½d. Postage, 1923
New postal rates effective on 1st October, 1923, brought about a lid. letter rate and it was decided that future 2/- booklets should contain 16 one penny halfpenny stamps and that the £1 booklets should be made up of 160 stamps of this value. At that time the penny halfpenny King George V stamp in use was of green colour and was included in both booklets.

It was found that the inclusion of 16 stamps in the 2/- booklet brought about manufacturing difficulties and early in 1924 the value of the booklet was altered to 2/3d. and 18 one penny halfpenny green stamps were included. There would appear to have been two different editions, distinguishable by different printing colours on the cover.

Later in 1924, when the colour of the one penny halfpenny stamp was altered to red, the content was so varied for both 2/3d and £1 booklets.

During the penny halfpenny postage period differences of watermark and perforation came about and these were reflected in the contents of successive editions of booklets.

A special 2/- booklet was issued on 9th May, 1927 in connection with the opening of Parliament House, Canberra. This booklet contained 16 one penny halfpenny Canberra commemorative stamps, with a specially-designed front cover. A picture of H.M.S. "Renown" and descriptive text appeared on the back cover. The total issue was 72,200 booklets.

In 1.928, a special plate was prepared for the printing of one penny halfpenny stamps to be included in the 2/3d. booklets, the impressions being arranged in the plate in units of six. Half these units were upside down in relation to the other half, and as a consequence, half of the stamps printed from this plate and subsequently included in the booklets showed the watermarked inverted.

Because of amended telephone charges and changes in postal rates on parcels which became effective on 16th December, 1929, the text on both the 2/3d. and £1 booklets had to be altered. All booklet covers printed after 7th January, 1930 embodied the desired changes.

Further changes came about later in 3930 consequent upon Postal Union Convention decisions affecting small packets. The Note Printing Branch was asked on 21st August, 1930, to incorporate the required amendments in future issues of both 2/3d. and V booklets.

During 1929 the Australian Post Office had issued a 3d. air mail stamp and in Yarch 1930 it was decided that it should be made up into booklets to contain 12 stamps and 12 air mail labels. Proofs were approved on 16th April, 1930, and a printing of 50,000 booklets was authorised. Distribution of supplies to post offices commenced in July 1930 and it was placed on sale, at the price of 3/-, immediately upon receipt of stocks. Supplies of the printing became exhausted at the Note Printing Branch in September 1933 but at that time considerable stocks were held in the States. The cover of this booklet was printed in black on blue and included on the front the words "AIR MAIL SAVES TIME".

2d. Postage, 1930
New postage rates effective from 4th August, 1930, brought about twopenny letter postage and the requirement to include twopenny stamps, instead of one penny halfpenny stamps, in both classes of booklets. The new 2/- booklets, which appeared later in 1930, contained twopenny red King George V stamps on small multiple crown A paper. The booklet cover was green with printing in deeper green. On the back cover, within a panel, was the injunction "USE THE AIR MAIL". Concurrently, a £1 booklet containing 120 stamps was provided.

The Note Printing Branch was requested, in December 1930, to vary the printed text relating to the maximum weight of small packets in both booklets. A further change, approved in May 1931, included a modification of the front cover of the 2/- booklet to show the content at the top and some postal charges below. About this time also a decision was made to discontinue £1booklets.

From about December 1931 the 2/- booklets included the current twopenny King George V stamp on paper watermarked small multiple crown C of A. As from 1st March, 1933, postal information included a change in the rates of postage for parcels posted in Australia for delivery within Australia.

The next change in the text took place in June 1934, affecting telephone charges. Opportunity was also taken to redesign the front cover upon which was featured a notice headed "IMPORTANT!I" and commencing "Address your mail fully..."

Changes in the text relating to registration were made in September 1934 and booklets embodying the alteration appeared shortly afterwards. The same section was amended again a few months later, additional matter being added, and the relevant booklets were in circulation from about April 1935.

It had been decided, in December 1934, to order a further supply of air mail booklets. The order was not lodged, however, until February 1935, and was for 12,300 booklets, each to contain 12 air mail labels. The front cover of this booklet was arranged quite differently from that of the 1930 edition and it carried the injunction "USE THE AIR MAIL". The booklet became available to the public in May 1935. No further supplies of the air mail booklet were printed.

As from 1935 Commonwealth Bank advertisements were included in the ordinary 2/-booklets, this move necessitating the redesigning of the front cover. Paper stocks used were of two shades of green.

Reference has been made in the philatelic press to a booklet containing the twopenny Anzac stamp of 1935. However, examination of all available papers has not disclosed that this stamp was authorized for inclusion in booklets and a search of Note Printing Branch records has also proved fruitless. For those reasons, a booklet containing twopenny Anzac stamps cannot be recognized, on the evidence at present available, as being part of the authorized booklet issues.

The 2/- booklets containing twopenny King George V stamps were continued in use until later in 1938 being then replaced by booklets of smaller format containing twopenny King George VI stamps.

Extracted from APO Philatelic Bulletin Vol 13, No 6.