NEW HEALTH STAMP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 187, 25 August 1937, Page 8

NEW HEALTH STAMP

Available on October 1 The health stamp as a means of assisting the health camp movement for the benefit of New Zealand children has become thoroughly well established and the Post Office will shortly be issuing its ninth of the annnal series. The designs of the health stamp have always been appropriate to the object and this year's is the fourth which .depicts youth. The new health stamp Will be vertical in shape twice the size of the ordinary postage stamp and will be printed a rich rose. In this respect it resembles the Anzac stamp which commemoratcd the 21st anniversary of the famous T landing at Gallipoli. The new design has the merit of boldness and simplicity for .it is not overloaded with detaii. There is just one figure, that of a bare-headed boy, clad in shorts look* ing out from a mountain top, his right arm stretched over a rock. The light background of clouds fills in almost half of the picture and provides a very striking indication of the .. delicacy possible by means of the intaglio lino engraving process. Close inspection of the new stamp reveals that the bolder features stand out in low relief. At the foot of the panel appears the familiar slogan "ld Postage — Id Health" for the stamp will have a postage value of ld and the remainder will be available for the mainteaance of children selected for treatment at, the various health camps now soundly established and well organized in various parts of the Dominion. Messrs. G. Bull and J. Bcrry, of "Wellington, were the designers and the printing has been done by the note printing branch of the* Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Melbourne. This is the fourth occasion on which youth has been the subject of a New Zealand Health Stamp. In 1931 there was depicted the head and shoulders of a smiling boy wearing an open-fronted shirt. He was the very embodiment of health. Af ter a f ew years of symbolie motives on the\ annually recurring issues the Post Office in 1935 utilized a life study of a little girl framed by a key-hole — "the Key to Health." This proved a popular feat'ure and a similar idea appeared in the following year, a small child being shown framed by a lifebelt — "Safeguard Health." The background was that of an attractivo health camp site. It is intended to place tlie *new health stamp on sale ou October 1 aud it will bei withdrawi% nofc later than Februarj; 28