Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

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admin
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Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

#1 Post by admin » Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:46 pm

This item appeared on Ebay recently.
I'ts fairly self explanatory if you read the instructions on the back. By buying 1d stamps and fixing them to the form, people were able to save 1/-. A form with 12 stamps could be presented at the Post Office Savings Bank anywhere in Tasmania where the 1/- could be deposited in their account, or a new account started.
I imagine this process was designed to encourage savings and make it as easy as possible for people to save.
I see that the Act establishing a Post Office Savings Bank was drafted in 1865 with effect from 1 Jan 1869, and that regulations under the Act could be developed. I cannot see any reference to the regulations (which might shed some light on the form) in Orchard after a quick scan.
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on it and whether or not other examples have been see?
Savings-Bank-Form-1d-sideface.jpg
Savings-Bank-Form-1d-sideface.jpg (728.5 KiB) Viewed 6153 times

Ross Ewington
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Re: Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

#2 Post by Ross Ewington » Tue Jul 12, 2011 11:29 am

It just goes to show that there's still some 'real discoveries' to be made!

When I saw this item on eBay (I was the underbidder, sorry Pete ...it cost you $6 extra) I thought
it may have had something to do with a government initiative to increase personal savings during the
1890s depression in Tasmania.

Thanks to Bill finding a relevant Act of Parliament from 1895 (which hopefully he will post in this topic at some stage),
I was able to narrow down a search for contemporary information about the form (and its reason for being) in The Mercury
using TROVE.

In under 5 minutes I hit the jackpot (click on the image once to open it out in full for easier reading)
This report was published in The Mercury on Friday, July 26th 1895
posb form info.jpg
posb form info.jpg (146.92 KiB) Viewed 6120 times
It appears that my theory is well-supported by this contemporary report.

Jeffharris
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Re: Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

#3 Post by Jeffharris » Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:31 pm

This Post Office Savings Bank form reminds me of a scheme that was introduced some 30 years ago, whereby unused postage stamps could be affixed to a card that could be used to pay telephone accounts. The card was issued by post offices, but I cannot remember if this was before the PMG Dept. was split into Telecom and Aust. Post on the 1st. July 1975. Of course, the scheme was open to abuse by those who soaked uncancelled stamps off envelopes and then glued them onto the payment card. After Aust Post and Telecom became aware of this, the whole payment system was scrapped.

bill
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Re: Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

#4 Post by bill » Mon Jul 18, 2011 2:36 pm

This is the text of the Post Office Amendment Act 1895, enacted on
7 October 1895. Section 4 refers to the use of stamps in Post Office
Savings Bank deposit forms. Section 5 refers to the use of stamps
on telegrams.

There was a notice in the Gazette in December 1895 to say that as
from 1 January 1896 telegrams were to be paid with stamps. There
is an article on stamped telegrams in P from A circa 2002-2003.

There should be a notice in the Gazette regarding the use of stamps
in Post Office Savings Bank forms. The date of that notice should be
around December 1895 (entirely separate from that for telegrams as
it would probably be under an earlier Act relating to the Savings Bank).

Thus, there is still a little doubt as to whether the use of stamps on
Savings Bank Bank forms began on 1 January 1896 but it is a very
plausible hypothesis.
posb act 1.jpg
posb act 1.jpg (403.45 KiB) Viewed 6078 times

bill
Posts: 266
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Re: Post Office Savings Bank form - 1d red sidefaces

#5 Post by bill » Sat Feb 18, 2017 10:47 am

A look at Postal Guide No. 11 (January 1896) confirms that people could make
deposits to the Post Office Savings Bank could do so by affixing penny stamps
to a form available from any Money Order Office. It's at the top of page 64 in
that document.

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