Tas Railway Parcel rates 1917

[Peter Allan]

I have not seen a list of rates for Tas Railways parcells before. Graeme Vertigan, well-known ephemera collector has located this item, 1917, which sets out the parcel rates at the time of the first Garret issue. Does anyone have any further such information? Sorry, no mention of pigeons here. If anyone wants a hard copy, send me your snail mail address for a photocopy. I may format the rates so as to be more clearly read and post on the TPs web site in due course.

Railway-parcel-rates-Tas_1917.jpg (152.49 KiB) Viewed 9877 times

Railway-parcel-rates-Tas_1917-cover.jpg (407.39 KiB) Viewed 9877 times

[Revenuer]

Peter, nice find!

Interestingly there is a 4d stamp issued but no 4d parcel rate.

Also the parcel rates go to 2/6d for 112lb but there is no 2/6d stamp issued.

Dave

[bill]

The table shown by Peter Allan indicates that the displayed parcel rates were valid for all railway
lines except the Mt Dundas-Zeehan and N.E. Dundas lines. Is it possible that different rates were
prescribed for the Mt Dundas-Zeehan and N.E. Dundas lines? If so, a 4d parcels stamp might find
some use. However, we have not seen the table of rates for Mt Dundas-Zeehan and N.E. Dundas.

Any thoughts?

[John Hardinge]

Peter, nice find!

Interestingly there is a 4d stamp issued but no 4d parcel rate.

Also the parcel rates go to 2/6d for 112lb but there is no 2/6d stamp issued.

Dave

Dave, in Hobart and Launceston parcels could be delivered for 1d extra. By far the most common parcel was at the 3d rate, hence the 4d stamp I reckon.

[bill]

John,

Is there some documentation for this report of a 1d delivery charge in Hobart and Launceston?
A possible source is "Manual of Rates and Regulations for Passenger, Parcels, and Goods Traffic"
(various editions) or is there a different source worth consulting for this information? It seems
that this Manual just cited might be very rare but it's worth asking all the same.

This report is very interesting.

Bill

[John Hardinge]

John,

Is there some documentation for this report of a 1d delivery charge in Hobart and Launceston?
A possible source is "Manual of Rates and Regulations for Passenger, Parcels, and Goods Traffic"
(various editions) or is there a different source worth consulting for this information? It seems
that this Manual just cited might be very rare but it's worth asking all the same.

This report is very interesting.

Bill

There is no specific document no, but I seem to remember something Owen Ingles said, as well as the fact that this is mentioned in Trove

[John Hardinge]

"RAILWAY PARCEL RATES. i
It has been alleged that in some
towns on the Tasmanian Government
railway is parcels are delivered from
the station to the addresses free,
whilst in Launceston a charge of from
one penny upwards is made. Inquiry
is being made from the authorities by
the L.T.A."

This from the Daily Telegraph in 1910.

[bill]

This is amazing. John, thank you so much.

The Daily Telegraph is the newspaper to check. Date was Wednesday, 27 July 1910, page 4.
This is well before the Garratt series of parcel stamps made their first appearance in 1917.

We might well suppose that Hobart also applied the 1d charge as levied in Launceston. This
is something new we learn every day, even in philately.

[John Hardinge]

I would imagine it was only a Hobart and Launceston thing, but it is likely that in some country towns, "informal" arrangements were probably made. No luck in finding any rates for the West Coast lines, sorry. However, it is pertinent to point out that fares on the NE Dundas tramway remained at 3d per mile and was therefore substantially more expensive than other lines. Hence, it is likely that the parcels costs would have been measurably dearer,a s well.

[admin]

If you look at the comment from Dave Elsmore under the first post in this topic, he observes there was no 4d rate in 1917 but there was a 4d stamp.
This lends more weight to the idea that there was a 1d delivery charge perhaps if 3d was a common rate. There were a number of 3d rates and a 3d stamp on issue. However what about other rates plus 1d delivery?

Pete

[admin]

I came across this short article by Greg Johnston dates 2013. It does not answer Bill's question but does provide some useful information on parcel rates and also the name of the state Railway at different times.
I do not know the author but he seems to know his stuff.

Tasmanian Government Railways Parcel and Newspaper Stamps.pdf

(295.76 KiB) Downloaded 72 times

[John Hardinge]

If you look at the comment from Dave Elsmore under the first post in this topic, he observes there was no 4d rate in 1917 but there was a 4d stamp.
This lends more weight to the idea that there was a 1d delivery charge perhaps if 3d was a common rate. There were a number of 3d rates and a 3d stamp on issue. However what about other rates plus 1d delivery?

Pete

Pete, I would imagine from a 1/- rate plus local delivery 9d plus the 4d.