Continued from Part 2.

4. Stamp Designs

The necessity of maintaining the six regional series following Federation, coupled with other uncertainties which bedevilled the postage stamp position generally, strengthened Post Office reluctance to disturb existing stamp designs which had originated in the Colonial era. Particularly, there were no strong feelings, either within or outside the Department, for the introduction of new designs in the regional series, necessarily regarded as purely temporary issues. It was recognized of course that new designs were essential to the projected uniform series when this could be provided.

At the turn of the century, the designs of postage stamps did not arouse more than a faint stirring of interest in the public mind and only occasionally was the philatelic press inclined to comment upon any aspects of design. The attitude of the several Australian postal administrations before Federation to stamp design matters had not been moulded by public opinion and could be said to be at a level consistent with the character of the times. This condition persisted beyond Federation and in the light of the situation regarding postage stamps it could scarcely be varied by the lesser action taken to alter the basic patterns of the regional series so as to express the Federal view.

It needs to be recalled, however, that most of the designs in the New South Wales regional series had had their genesis in the public stamp design competition conducted for the 1888 centennial series, and a few designs in the Victorian and South Australian regional series had been adopted following later and more limited competitions. That the majority of designs depicted Queen Victoria was in the tradition of the times, and even after her death there was no move (except in regard to £1 and £2 stamps of the Victorian series and some postal stationery stamp designs) to depart markedly from a portrait pattern which had originated with the British penny black of 1840.

While the first Australian Commonwealth stamp design competition did not take place until 1911, it may be observed, as significant of the outlook of some 60 years ago, that the Postmaster General's Department was engaged as early as 1904 with a public competition for pictorial postcards. The trend towards reduction of the numbers of different designs, and taking expediency also into account, was exemplified early in Federation by the adoption of the design of the N.S.W. postage due series for the more general series of 1902, and later by the use of the Victorian design for the completely uniform postage due series of 1909.

The first entirely new design at the Federal level - and one which was poorly received at the time - was that adopted for the 9d. stamps of 1903 for use in New South Wales and Queensland, the two stamps differing only in regard to the names shown in the base panels. This design was thought in its day to be the precursor of new series of regional stamps of the same general pattern but the principle did not develop, one potent reason being the peculiar difficulties then surrounding the maintenance and printing of the six separate series.

There were of course in the aggregate a few other new designs, and particularly a continuance of old designs with slight modifications, including adaptation to other denomin­ations. Overall, however, if considerations of watermarks, colour changes, new values, per­forations and variations of printing methods are excluded, the position can be reviewed in a very few words.

In the Queensland series, for instance, the only new design was the 9d. of 1903 already mentioned, although an existing 2d. design was re-drawn on two occasions. In New South Wales, apart from the 9d. of 1903 the only new introduction was the 2/6d. lyrebird of 1902 and this was obviously copied from an earlier stamp bearing the name subject. The South Australian series was affected only in the "long" stamps where the inscription was altered from "Postage and Revenue" to "Postage". There were no new Tasmanian designs and in the Victorian series the old designs were very evident, although generally with slight inscriptional modifications. The two major innovations were £1 and £2 stamps portraying King Edward VII and planning for these had commenced before Federation. The Western Australian series was augmented by five high value stamps with designs showing Queen Victoria but these were new only to that series; the same designs had long been used in Victoria and were adapted for Western Australia as a printer's expedient to provide new stamps quickly. The Western Australian series also gained some new variants of the basic swan design, including two which appeared in 1908 when long-held stocks of 6d. and 1/- De La Rue printed stamps were placed on sale.

Apart from the two instances previously mentioned, the report of the 1907 Stamp Board had no effect on the then prevailing trend of design for the regional series. However, it did echo the Department's desire for overall standardization of the stamp series and did establish a basis which was followed to a major extent when the 1913 uniform series was being developed.

The ideal concept for a postage stamp series, as envisaged by the 1907 Board, was expressed in its other recommendations which can be regarded as typical of contemporary thought on this subject. The Board envisaged a recess-printed series of 19 values comprising five design groups with three different stamp sizes. The subjects proposed were, in order, a portrait of the King, a portrait of the Queen, a representation of both, an emblematic head or figure, and finally, a design characteristic of Australia. It was proposed that the designs should not be too photographic or realistic "but be in accordance with the traditional and more formal designs to be found in the best stamps." An important part of the report was the recommendation that a public stamp design competition be held, and considerable care was taken to suggest a set of conditions for the competition. The Board, however, did have mis­givings as to whether any satisfactory designs would be received and to overcome such a situation named several "stamp-engraving firms which might then be approached."

The removal of the bookkeeping clauses late in 1910, as mentioned earlier, enabled arrangements for the uniform stamp series to be put in hand. The first move, following the 1907 Board report, was to conduct a public stamp design competition. The conditions were published in January 1911 and the closing date for the receipt of entries fixed for 31st May, 1911. One of the important aspects of the conditions was that designs were called for a stamp of only one size, the variable sizes suggested by the 1907 Board not being found acceptable taking into account production aspects. While the outcome of the 1911 competition is outside the scope of this article, as it is part of the history of the uniform stamp series, it is of interest that a total of 1,051 designs from 533 competitors were submitted.

5. Aspects of Stamp Usage

Before Federation most of the Australian colonial postal administrations had found it a convenience to have available for purchase at their respective General Post Offices a few low value stamps of other Australian colonies, and sometimes also of other countries, so that senders of letters to such places might enclose stamps for replies. The practice, while not uniform from colony to colony, was continued into Federation, for the time being, without change.

Thus, at the G.P.O. Sydney, 2d. British stamps and 2d. stamps of Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand could be bought at face value up to an amount of 10d. Beyond that a commission of 2d. was charged on each 5d. worth of British stamps or each 6d. worth of Australian issues. At the G.P.O. Brisbane, British and Australian stamps (the latter not precisely defined) could be obtained, minimum purchases being 5d. British and 6d. Australian with a maximum of 5/-, commission being at the rate of ld. for each 6d. worth or part. In South Australia, 1d. and 2d. British and ld. and 2d. stamps of the other Australian issues were available, the commission being on the same level as that charged in Queensland.

Victoria had more expansive provisions; in addition to British and Australian stamp issues those of France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the U.S.A. were available, with a commission rate of 1d. for each 5d. worth of British or foreign stamps or each 6d. worth of Australian stamps.

While similar facilities may have existed in Tasmania and Western Australia in the earlier colonial period they were apparently not available in the first years of Federation. However, in earlier years most of the colonial postal administrations had issued stamp vendor's licences to residents in other colonies, so that apart from any official facility it would seen that in most capital cities the appropriate stamps could usually be obtained by commercial houses and individuals who were aware of the local supply source.

As it was deemed desirable to maintain this class of facility at General Post Offices while regional stamp series continued, the Postmaster General's Department standardized the system by regulation, this resulting in all General Post Offices having available stamps of the other five regional series which could be purchased for face value to an amount of 4d. and beyond that amount on a sliding commission rate.

This regulation did not, of course, confer any extra-territorial status to stamps of the regional series which could still be used only in their appropriate States. The system was terminated late in 1910 when all regional stamps were declared valid for use in any part of Australia.

During the colonial period a practice had developed of utilizing New South Wales stamps in certain Pacific Islands* which were not under Australian jurisdiction, and as a matter of practice these stamps were also employed in Lord Howe Island, a dependency of New South Wales, and in Norfolk Island, technically a British colony but de facto under New South Wales control. Following Federation, the same usage of stamps of the New South Wales regional series was continued. However, a new principle was established by the Postmaster General in May 1907, when in a decision concerned with the cost of carriage of private mail bags for British officials in the South Seas - which bags usually contained private mail to and from local residents in the same island groups - he decided that the cost of transport­ation should be borne in equal proportion by the Commonwealth and the persons to whom they were addressed, except in cases where stamps bearing the name of a State of the Commonwealth were used in prepayment of postage in both directions when the Commonwealth would bear the whole cost.

The effect of this determination not only encouraged the usage of Australian stamps in those Pacific areas affected but removed the long-held view that only stamps bearing the words "NEW SOUTH WALES" could be so employed. It was now possible to use stamps of the other regional series in such areas, but actually very little such usage occurred because the habit of drawing stamp stocks from the G.P.O. Sydney was retained, and comparatively few travellers carried stamps of other Australian series. As might be expected, however, some philatelic covers illustrative of this new situation were originated at the time.

The bookkeeping clauses which caused the maintenance of the six regional stamp series were nullified by the passage of the Surplus Revenue Act 1910 and as a consequence it was decided that from 13th October, 1910, postage stamps of any of the regional series should be valid for postage in any part of Australia. The immediate effect was not very significant as it was not considered desirable to vary printing and distribution arrangements, particularly as the denominations of the separate series were in line with the differing postal rate structures. There was not, therefore, any large scale usage of stamps of one regional series within another region, although stamp collectors of the day did seize the opportunity to create covers illustrative of the changed circumstances.

The next significant event was the passage of the Postal Rates Act 1910, which came into force on 1st May, 1911, and provided for uniform postal rates throughout Australia. This Act did have some effect on the character of the regional series as it brought about an increased overall demand for ld. stamps, particularly in States where the base letter rate had been 2d. It also affected stamp printing arrangements in some instances and gave rise to new philatelic varieties in ld. stamps. The Tasmanian, Victorian and Western Australian 1d. on 2d. provisionals of 1912 also came about either by reason of the heavy demand for ld. stamps or because of the desire to get rid of surplus stocks of 2d. stamps by means of the overprint.

There was not a clear-cut division of usage between stamps of the regional series and those of the 1913 uniform series. The initial distribution of the various values of the uniform series was spread over several months and issue dates varied considerably in parts of Australia. In some States, sales of stamps of the uniform series were intentionally held back until stocks of the earlier stamps were sold. In a few instances, some quantities of earlier stamps were still in post office stocks as late as 1914.

Reprinted from the APO Philatelic Bulletins - 1966/67