ALFONSO XIII - BABY HEAD stamps of the PHILIPPINES
Details
Gaceta de Manila - 12 July 1888
On the 12 July 1888 the Gaceta de Manila published the Decree of the General Government of the Philippines issued 6 July 1888 and signed by the then Governor Valeriano Weyler.
The decree modified the rates for internal correspondence within the Philippine Islands. The rates of single letter postage and postcards did not change, i.e. 2 4/8 centavos de peso and 2 centavos de peso respectively.
However, other categories experienced a notable reduction in rate and the unit weights were modified. In the case of printed matter, books, medicines and samples, which in the “Regalamento Interior de la Adminstracion General” of 1884 were changed from fractions of 30 grams to fractions of 20 grams. The lower weight being simpler to calculate as a divisor of 100.
The Decree implied that the stamps required for printed matter (now expressed in thousandths of peso, i.e. 1mil, 2mil and 5mil de peso) were not yet in circulation. Appropriate stamps were later released in 1889 and with the new Babyhead issues in 1890.
Extract from Gaceta de Manila, 12 July 1888
Translation
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GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF COMMUNICATIONS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. |
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General Government of the Philippine Islands. Civil Administration. Communications. Manila, 6 July 1888. |
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| In view of the statements made by the General
Directorate of Civil Administration at the proposal of the
General Administration of Communications - the agreement of the
General Administration of Finance and favourable opinion of the
Council of Administration - I come to order the following: |
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| Starting from the date of publication of this
Decree in the official newspaper, postal correspondence for the
interior of the Archipelago will be franked according to the
following rate: |
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| Letters; every 15 grams | 0.02 4/8 pfs. | ||
| Simple postcards | 0.02 pfs | ||
| dito. with paid response | 0.03 pfs | ||
| Printed matter of all kinds franked with postage stamps; every 20 grams | 0.001 pfs | ||
| Samples, medicines and business papers; every 20 grams | 0.01 pfs | ||
| The General Administration of the Treasury will
propose to me what is convenient for the reduction of the stamp
duty, which newspapers currently pay, and will adopt the
necessary measures for the creation and sale of postcards and
stamps for 1, 2 and 5 thousandths and 1 centimo of peso, with
the public being able to use the 1/8 of centimo stamps, which
can be used to frank each weight of 25 grams. |
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| Communicate, publish and inform the Government
of His Majesty. |
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| Weyler. It is a copy, Asensi. | |||
The Decree implied that the stamps required for printed matter (now expressed in thousandths of peso, i.e. 1mil, 2mil and 5mil de peso) were not yet in circulation. Appropriate stamps were later released in 1889 and with the new Babyhead issues in 1890.
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The Registration rate was not mentioned in the Decree but for all the above internal communications remained unchanged at 25c. Stamps which specially covered the rate for samples and medicines at the new rate of 1c per 20grams were not released in 1890, and it was not until 1892 that such specific stamps were issued. |
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Similarly, pre-paid post cards depicting Alfonso XIII were not issued until 1892.
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