Decimal Stamps Decision Slated

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31003, 8 March 1966, Page 14

Decimal Stamps Decision Slated

The decision of the New Zealand Post Office to reissue current pictorial stamps in decimal currency’ in 1967 will mean financial loss to the Government and charitable groups, and utter chaos to the New Zealand public, according to Mr L. J. Franks, managing director of the largest stamp dealing organisation in New Zealand.

Mr Franks said that the stamp-issuing policy of the Post Office was archaic, and that a large potential earner of overseas currency had been neglected for years. In a leaflet which he has sent, to the PostmasterGeneral, the Ministers of Finance, Tourism, Customs, Island Territories, Industries and Commerce, as well as the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Franks said the current designs were not up to world standards of design and printing. He considered the real reason for the decision to reissue might be that the preparation of new designs would involve some effort and expense by the department. “The expense would easily be met through purchases by stamp collectors. If the Post Office is too short staffed to attempt the task it should at least admit the fact rather than make weak excuses.” “Post Office rates for decimal currency have not yet been announced but as the Government policy is that no profit should be made from the change there will be increases in some rates and decreases in others,” said Mr

Franks. He expected considerable confusion to both the public and Post Office staff. Stamps priced in sterling would have to be accepted for postage for some months after the change, he said. While the higher value stamps would convert evenly to decimals all the most commonly used stamps, except 6d. would have no exact equivalent. On the effect on Post Office revenue, Mr Franks said the cost of printing stamps was very small in proportion to their face value. “A figure of 2s 6d per 1000 was quoted a few years ago, but with multicolour printing and price increases it is probably more now, even for common values.” He estimated that philatelic sales of identical decimal currency stamps would probably be 10 per cent of the 1960 figure. Mr Franks said it was estimated there were about 50,000 collectors in New Zealand, yet the country’s largest dealer could not export enough used New Zealand stamps to obtain the imports it had a market for in New Zealand. He said the bulk of used stamps which were exported were collected by the churches and other charitable bodies. It was estimated that the elderly people who checked and sorted the stamps into decimal or sterling values for the churches would have to do far more work for less money and that church groups would lose up to £5OOO annually from the sale of stamps. Mr Franks said the only alternatives, and both had disadvantages, were the issue of an entirely new pictorial set or the use of overprinted stamps as a stop-gap. followed by the set of new designs after a period of three to six months. Nearly every one of the countries which had changed to decimal currency in recent years had either brought out new designs or overprinted existing ones temporarily. The exception was South Africa, which had the same idea as New Zealand, but which changed to a set of new designs three months later.