Getting articles proof read prior to printing!

[Revenuer]

I have had an email query with a couple of photos attached sent to me wanting information on Platypus dates of issue. I have attached a couple of pictures highlighting my below.

I am unaware of the Magazine this paper was printed in or the author but reading the lines they quote from an article that i know was prepared in 2015 so this work has come out within the last 4 years. Yes i'm a bit slow.

1st picture highlights the date of 1 January 1903 followed in brackets by (not previously recorded) when this has clearly been previously recorded more than 15yrs ago. Both Francis Kiddle and myself working on our Tasmania revenue exhibits together clearly show a recorded issue date of issue of 1 January 1903. Frustrating that this is now in print claimed by another.

2nd picture strangely states simply "Early 1905" so obviously the writer does not know when it was issued but again has clearly been recorded as 2 January 1905 for the last 15yrs.

Both these dates are recorded in my on line exhibit and free Tasmania Revenue catalogue.

So clearly who ever wrote this did not do their homework very well, yet 'claim' original research.

Poor show in my book. These writers need to lift their game. Of course it is possible the writer may claim to never have seen or know about ozrevenues.com

If you are reading this and are aware of the full article and where it is in print could you please let me know, thank you.

For Dave 1.png (432.1 KiB) Viewed 17845 times

For Dave 2.png (551.56 KiB) Viewed 17845 times

[bill]

Dear Dave (aka Revenuer)

I wrote that article for 'Philately from Australia", which officially appeared June 2019
but was posted out to members a couple of days before June began.

I used my own knowledge and references, of which I have quite a few. I read Brian's
article in detail. While I query certain things he said, there are a lot of good points
in what he said. Trove is a good research tool for locating old information that was
often overlooked by philatelists. Ross Ewington impressed on me that Trove is very
handy to know about!

Below I refer to your online display. Francis Kiddle's display is off-line so I am not in
a position to say much about it, except to say that I saw it a few years ago and that
it was very good.

We consider the 2d Platypus of 1903. I am well aware that the legislation imposing
stamp duty of receipts on sums of at least £2 came into force on 1 January. We may
hope that an efficient government administration would make sure that new stamps,
especially a new 2d was placed on sale as of 1 January 1903. We know that for the
5d surcharge of 1918 on the 10/- Dragon, there may have been a delay in placing a
new 5d stamp on sale by the beginning of 1918 to pay increased duties. I took the
opportunity to check your online Tasmanian revenue display on your website. Your
display has an example dated 30.1.1903, which is the earliest date recorded. How
do you know that the 2d really was issued on 1 January 1903?? Official issue dates
were seldom recorded, especially for revenue stamps. We would like to think that
the issue date is 1 January 1903 but we would like to be sure. Brian's work shows
that it is almost certainly correct. Having legislation is one thing; implementing it
effectively in time is another thing.

By the way, my article in The Courier, No. 35, notes that new legislation came into
force on 1 January 1903; see page 31. One could use a pair of 1d stamps for lack of
a 2d stamp but the authorities obviously tried to get the 2d stamps on sale in time.
I would be glad to see an official date of issue if one still exists.

(I have just recalled what I read in Basset Hull about the 1880 Dragon printings. It
took a few days to print new supplies of these high values. Meanwhile, people had
to plaster documents with lots of low value Platypus stamps. That's in Basset Hull.
At least it shows that new issues don't always appear when they're really needed.)

We move on to the 4d surcharge of 1905. I discussed this in the context of how the
authorities managed to keep up a supply of duty stamps of required denominations.
Your earliest recorded date is 14.2.1905 which is well after the date when the new
legislation brought in a 4d duty plus other changes to rates of duty. I covered that
aspect on page 31 and said the new legislation came into force on 2 January 1905
but did not see the need to repeat that in 2019.

We would hope that the new 4d stamps were issued on 2 January 1905 but we can't
be certain without some evidence, either from official advice saying the stamps are
now ready or from a lucky find of a first day of use. I didn't intend to discuss the 4d
in detail - and I didn't. I covered the known archival aspects in The Courier, No. 35
on pages 31-32 of the same article. All we can be reasonably sure of is that the 4d
was probably issued very early January 1905. (The 2nd day was a Monday as I have
just checked.) Again, we have no official date of issue but I would be glad to see
an official statement if one still exists.

In general, surviving archival records are reasonable for late November 1900 to late
1901 but some gaps were found. For 1902, records are seriously incomplete and for
1903, records are mostly missing (perhaps culled long ago) with only a few items in
a Treasury register book but a few gems exist for later years including the 4d on 3d
that you bring up plus even later issues like 1/- on 3d (by which time the numerals
were in general use from 1d to £1). I've looked in archives. Staff were helpful but
made it clear that many records were missing.

Since Francis's display is off-line, I cannot be sure whether he ever had a 2d Platypus
dated 1.1.1903 or not. Such a date would be marvellous if it has survived. The case
of the 4d is similar. Did Francis ever have a 4d used on 2.1.1905?

Has your correspondent done the research thoroughly? It is one thing to ask the right
questions but let's make sure. I have written quite a bit on these stamps and I know
the story is still incomplete. It's challenging to dig out the information and to work
out the most accurate story.

Bill