NEW POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1705, 17 March 1882, Page 2

NEW POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS.

It has been decided to begin the corm ing financial year, which commences on the Ist prox.j with an entirely new set of adhesive stamps, to be used both fat postage and revenue purposes. It was some time ago arranged to make the penny postage stamps available for" receipts, and vice Versa. It is found desirable 1 , however, to introduce a fresh system ot stamps with the new finaucial year, and dies for these have just been completed. The new stamps will be respectively penny, twopenco, threepence, fourpence, sixpence, eightpence, and a shilling. The designs are very neat and well executed. The main feature is, of course, the head of the Quren, sui'rounded by border, varying in shape and design according to the amount of the stamp. For instance, in the penny stamp the royal head is placed within an elliptical border, bearing the words setting forth the value of the stamp. In the twopenny and eightpenny stamps the borders are hexagonal and in the threepenny, fourpenny, and shilling stampsall are circular, but varied in treatment. In the sixpenny stamp the border is square. The colors are to be totally different from those of stamps at present in use, viz.—the penny will he crimson, the twopence mauve, threes pence yellow, fourpence green, sixpence brown, eightpence red, shilling Indian red. These stamps and no others will be bstled after the 31st ult, Until that date old stamps will be used so far as they will go. All the old penny postage stamps have been issued, and now penny receipts are being given out. It is expected that these will last to the end of the month, but if not, a few more will be struck off with the old dies, as it is not intended to introduce new ones until the Ist prox. The new stamps will be usable for all inland revenue purposes, exceptiug beer duty, for which the specially-prepared stamp must io all cases be employed. One rule, however will be enforced, namely, that when duty has to be represented by adhesive stamps it will be imperative to use the stamps whose value most nearly approaches the amount of the duty pay* able. For instnnce, if the duty is 10s one 10s stamp must be used, and not ten stamps of a shilling each. Two fives may be accepted in certain cases, but as a rule the highest value of stamp must be used. The object ot this rule is to prevent any repetition of frauds such as were detected in Wellington last year. I find that the stamp revenue has come in wonderfully well. The Treasurer's estimate for the whole year was £150,000, but no less than £157,152 having already been received for only eleven months the total for the year will be fully £20,000 above the estimate— Wellington Correspondent of Chmtcburch Preaa