1d value for Pigeons?

[Revenuer]

Looking for help to identify the usage of the below 1d value. It has been suggested it was used to send boxed homing pigeons for release.

I do have a revenue web site with some Tasmania content: http://www.ozrevenues.com

Dave

[admin]

Dave,
Owen Ingles presented his collection of Railway Parcel Stamps at a TPS meeting earlier this year. I am almost certain he said the 1d was used for pigeons. Sorry I cant be 100% sure but will see if I can verify this.
Pete

[Alex Green]

The 1d. paid the charge for the return of an empty pigeon cage.

Evidently the TGR maintained a service transporting and releasing homing pigeons at specific points along the railway lines.

[John Shepherd]

Like Pete I can recall Owen stating the 1d value was for pigeon cages. I think we should be cautious though in assuming that the 1d value was exclusively for that service in the absence of a published rate schedule from the TGR.

[Revenuer]

1d rate must have been for uses other than pigeons.

I have 2x1d values in different fonts .

These two copies of the 1d appear to be the only survivors to date, unless somebody reading this has a copy?

I should have said from the start Owen Ingles kindly passed on the Pigeon box theory to me.

Any Tasmania viewers up for a visit to archives to sort this out once and for all?

Dave

[Alex Green]

A newspaper piece regarding Homing Pigeons from The Mercury of 28 February 1910:

North Hobart Society.-The above society held a singled out race from Campania on Saturday, for which 14 entries wore received, all starting. The weather, was fine and favourable for homing...The thanks of the society are due to the station master for liberating the birds. The next race will be from Colebrook.

[Alex Green]

The Mercury, Friday 28 september 1917, p.6

Loss of Homing Pigeon

Action Against Railway Department

Burnie, September 27

At the Court of Requests to-day the liability of the Railway Deprtment for overcarrying goods was brought under review. William Billing, a member of the Burnie Homing Society, sought to recover £5 from the Commissioner of Railways because a pigeon consigned from Burnie to Railton had been carried onto Kimberley, and there released. It did not return to the owner's loft, and the plaintiff claimed that this was due to the department's wilful neglect and wilful misconduct.

The defence was that the bird had been carried under low rate conditions, which freed the department from responsibility, and these were agreed to by the plaintiff when consigning the bird

Decision was reserved.

[Revenuer]

As the archives will now be staying put. Any Tasmania viewers up for a visit to archives to sort this out once and for all?

Dave

[bill]

In Tinsley's book, Chapter XII, page 118, it is stated that a
1d parcels stamp was issued for return of an empty pigeon
cage, according to the late A M Leitch.

This still does not explain why a 1d parcels ticket was issued
in 1903. The TGR rate schedule (in another post but still in
this Section) does not provide a 1d rate.

[Revenuer]

There is this graphic i have in my railway file, it may be from Owens exhibit but not sure.

It shows 1d 3d 6d at the base of the form.

rails.jpg (80.5 KiB) Viewed 27794 times

[Revenuer]

New research has finally answered our long awaited question "Was the 1d issued for Returned empty Pigeon boxes"

The answer is NO!! Read all about it here:

http://www.ozrevenues.com/Revenue-Railw ... alogue.htm

Dave

[bill]

Regarding this requisition for the following items
a) Service postage stamps from ½d to 6d (no doubt postage stamps punctured T for official use)
b) Newspaper stamps of denominations ½d to 6d as listed in Craig & Ingles' catalogue.
c) Parcel stamps of values 1d, 3d, 6d (the Parcel Ticket series, no doubt),
what can we say about the date of publication of this requisition form?

We know that the perf T stamps were issued on or soon after 1 November 1902 since the new legislation
sweeping away frank stamps together with other changes came into operation on 1 November 1902. So
the requisition form was presumably published after 1 November 1902 but how much later? The printed
form shows a year '190 ' where the blank list after the 0 is to be filled in by the stationmaster. We must
suppose the item to be printed no later than 1909, probably earlier.

Can we say any more?

From Dave's research, we understand the the 1d was dropped by 1895 so why is it still listed? The 1d is
of great rarity with very few examples recorded.

bill

[Revenuer]

Bill, Just 2 stamps recorded to date as per the graphic above, with one printed in Melbourne.

As for the form, I have only recorded this single form shown to me by Ingles 40 odd years ago.

Dave

[bill]

Yes, the 1d Parcels Ticket is extremely rare with two recorded examples so far.

Yet the requisition form seems to be out of date by providing for a 1d value no
longer in use. The form seems to be newly prepared as of 1d November 1902
since the 7 newspaper stamps and the 8 postage stamps punctured T were not
specified on the requisition form prior to 1 November 1902 as far as we know.
(This is definitely correct for the perf T stamps as frank stamps were already
abolished by the Post and Telegraphs Act 1902 which came into operation on
1 November 1902. Perhaps the newspaper stamps were issued on that date
as well?)

[bill]

Further comment follows.

Service stamps punctured T are known for all values up to 10/- but the railways requisition form
only listed values up to 6d. We should not be surprised if certain other Departments required a
range of higher values, possibly up to 2/6 or even 5/- and 10/-, perhaps for the Treasury. (Take
care with the top values as fakes exist.)

As far as the railways are concerned, we need only consider service stamps up to 6d as listed on
the form. The 1d Parcels stamp was surely obsolete as Elsmore's article in The Courier shows so
its inclusion on the form may be an oversight.

This surviving requisition form does throw more light on the railways stamps of 1902.