Engraver's Mark on New Guinea Huts' Stamps By Jakob Schmitt PNG Calling 284Dec19

[Joe Edwards]

#4932

In reply to “ENGRAVER’S MARK ON NEW GUINEA HUTS’ STAMPS by Jakob Schmitt (Netherlands) in PNG Calling , Issue 284, December 2019 – Page 9.

I am probably the best person to answer the question included. My great-grandfather was Thomas Samuel Harrison II, my grandfather was Ronald Arthur Harrison and I am an active member of ’The Melbourne Papua & New Study Circle. Interestingly it was my reporting to Australia Posts’ Philatelic historian Richard Breckon of T.S. Harrison’s monogram appearing on the NG Huts issue. that lead him to writing a note to about this in Gibbons Stamp Monthly some years ago.

I refer you to Richard Breckon article in GSM and I have added two items I have written on the NG Huts Issue. The first Published in Philately from Australia and the second from a talk I gave to the Society in May 2018.

L. (Joe) Edwards

TS and Ronald Harrison in Australia: 100 Years of Banknote and Stamp Production August 2012
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Richard Breckon looks back at the arrival of TS Harrison and his son in Australia, and the important role thay played in the development of the nation’s stamp printing.

Adding Some Light to the Shade of the New Guinea Huts

In 1921, by an act of the League of Nations, control of the new Mandated Territory of New Guinea was passed to Australia. At this time the previous German Territories of New Guinea and Nauru were still using the then current Australian stamps overprinted ‘N.W. Pacific Islands.’. Thomas Samuel Harrison known by both his family and staff as “T.S” was the then current Australian Note and Stamp Printer and consequently had the task of producing all stamps for the new Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

The limited resources of the Note Printing Branch of the Commonwealth of Australia had remained greatly stretched for years post WW1. Regular printing supplies were still extremely limited while demands for secure printing had never been greater. The Note Printing Branch had in addition to printing stamps and the then current bank notes, the additional tasks of engraving and printing other items including a new range of bank notes, Treasury Bonds, postal notes, duty stamps and even individual cheques for each government department. It is of little surprise that New Guinea had to wait until 1925 to obtain its own dedicated stamps. Post WW1 the Note Printing Branch suffered with a shortage of skilled staff, space, printing plates suitable for large runs, printing presses, paper and a regular supply of the coloured dyes used in the preparation of the printing inks.

T.S. and R.A. Harrison: The Commonwealth Gazette No. 95 9th November, 1925 lists 12 staff members as then employed at the Note and Stamp Printing Branch. The first listed is Harrison T.S., born 16.7.1862 and date of first appointment 1.9.1918 Note and Stamp Printer. The second was Harrison R.A., born 21.3.1891 and date of first appointment 13.4.1920 Engraver and Technical Assistant. In early 1913 this father and son had come to Australia as stamp and note designers and engravers from Ilford in Essex. Both worked here initially under the previous Australian manager J.B.Cooke. Of the N.W. Pacific Islands issues, both had been concerned at the different numbers of watermarks and variation in typefaces. R.A. Harrison (R.A.H.) claimed throughout his life that many of these issues were a result of a wish for philatelic income rather than merely of printing with very limited supplies.

The New Design: Mr E.A. Wisdom, Administrator of the Territory of New Guinea wrote to T.S. on the 2 June 1922 with a proposed design for postage and revenue stamps showing a central King’s Head with palm trees on either side. Separate designs for postage and revenue were requested although the attached design, drawn by a member of his staff, was marked ‘Postage Revenue’. As requested the replacement stamps would be for simplicity, a single design, a single perforation and printed on un-watermarked paper. The request for intaglio-printed rather than the then normal surface-printed stamps would require T.S. himself to engrave the die as no other suitably skilled engraver was employed in Commonwealth Treasury at that time. Under terms of the administered territory the King’s Head would be omitted. R.A.H. then produced the design of the so-called ‘typical New Guinea village’. T.S. over this period remained occupied with administrative duties including a complete reorganisation of his department with its planned move across Melbourne from the King’s Warehouse to Victoria Parade Collingwood. T.S. was now rapidly approaching retirement but he nevertheless managed to engrave both the new Nauru and New Guinea dies in spite of difficulties being limited in time available, and also due to ill health since he now suffered from both arthritis and heart related problems. By 1925 when he engraved this huts issue, he could only walk with the assistance of a stick and was no longer capable of even putting on his own boots. He now spent most of his working life sitting in straight back chairs and moving and leaning forward as little was possible. The work of engraving had now becoming exceedingly difficult. Like many other engravers before him, long hours spent leaning over and engraving in moist and poorly heated workplaces as well as age had now taken toll on his health. The engraving of the N.G. hut was amongst last of the many dies he prepared but may have been the first and only time that he included his regular monogram in a stamp design. (Fig. 1) The TH monogram is seen immediately to the right of the word ‘POSTAGE’. After this issue a further 4 years passed before the first New Guinea revenue stamp (Fig. 2) finally became available in New Guinea.

Plates: T.S. prepared a no value master huts die from which 14 other master dies were prepared. R.A.H. then had the task of engraving the values into each of these subsequent 14 masters. Note however that the 5d value in this series was never issued. Unusually these 14 dies required each value being engraved both numerically and in words. It appears the flat sheet plates were prepared to print 60-on. This consisted of 2 panes of 30, both of 5 rows of six impressions. Both panes had the identical imprint ‘ENGRAVED AND PRINTED AT THE COMMONWEALTH TREASURY, MELBOURNE.’ on all four sides.

Paper: The post war shortage of watermarked paper from London five months previously to the issue of the N.G. hut series, had caused the Note Printing Branch to use local non-gummed, non-watermarked paper for the printing of the Australian George V 1d and 11/2d issues. Not surprisingly non-watermarked, non-gummed paper was chosen for the printing of the N.G. hut issues. Two different formulae for gumming the local paper appear to have been used over this period. The first consisted of a mixture of pure gum Arabic 2 lbs and dextrine (dextrin) 3/4 lb. The second an American formula, was a mixture of 2 parts dextrine, 5 parts water and 1 part acetic acid. This suspension was then heated until dissolved and finally a further 1 part of 90% alcohol was added. As a result there remains the possibility of differences in both paper and gum in these issues.

Dyes: Before WW1 Germany produced almost 90% of the world’s dyes. Even in Britain 80% of all dyes were imported from Germany and of the remaining 20% most of the intermediates used to prepare the British dyes were also imported from Germany. War production saw dye factories rapidly converted from the manufacture of synthetic dyes to war chemicals. Across Europe aromatic nitrogen synthesis previously used to prepare dyes, had been converted to explosives and poisonous gases production using largely the same chemicals and production plants previously producing dyes. By armistice, the German dye industry had collapsed. It was not until 1925 the conglomerate Aktiengesellschaft (Syndicate of Dyestuff Industry Corporation) began to re-establish the dye industry. Fortunately for Australia a useful but very limited supply of dyes could still be obtained locally. Companies and in particular Hardie Trading Pty. Ltd. of Little Collins Street Melbourne supplied The Note and Stamp Printing Branch with the bulk of their synthetic aniline dyes as the sole Australian agents for the manufacturers L.B. Holliday & Co. Ltd of Huddersfield England. With demands of constant colour printings, but variations in papers and inks, R.A.H. spent much of his time experimenting with the varying materials endeavouring to produce a visually constant coloured product. Batches of the printing inks were prepared by The Note and Stamp Printing Branch staff as demand required. An example of these preparations is recorded by R.A.H. in his notebook on April 2, 1928 for the ink to be used for the New Guinea Duty Stamps (Fig. 3). He lists the preparation as Glycerine 3ozs, Water 1oz, Eosine 21/2ozs, Dextrine 4ozs. Like all stamp printing of this period light colours caused considerable printing problems. As inks were lightened with excess whites, some of the inks accumulated in the lines of the engraving plates. As an example the pale blue-green 1/- hut is very commonly seen with poor ink coverage in the value tablet. In September 1927 R.A.H. recorded he had found that he could substitute aluminium hydrate for the usual whites then commonly used. This direct substitution was found to overcome much of this then ongoing problem. Most of these research tasks had to wait until he got home in the evening where his garage became a make shift research laboratory where he worked late into the night.

Of particular interest is the 6d value N.G. hut that was produced in three different shades. These were pale yellow-brown (1925), olive bistre (1927) and pale yellow-bistre (1928). The 1927 printing in the same colour as the 5/- was clearly in error and was first reported by Mr A.A. Rosenblum Editor of The Australian Philatelic Record to The Minister for Home Territories on the 18 February 1927. The smaller number of stamps printed for government service, which were overprinted OS, only appeared in olive bistre and pale yellow-bistre (1931). Any variation in an ingredient almost always produced variations in the final colour. The complex nature of printing dyes may be illustrated by a few examples taken from one of the R.A.H. notebooks.

Chemical

Brown

Mid Brown

Light Red Brown

Red Brown

Golden Brown

Water

Dextrine

Glycerine

Acid Yellow

Acid Magenta Acid Navy Blue

Blue Black

Brilliant Red

Fast Brilliant Red

Leather Yellow

Prussiate of Potash

3 oz

8 oz

8 oz

3 oz

1/8 oz

1/4 oz

2 oz

3 oz

6 oz

6 oz

3 oz

1/8 oz

1/4 oz

2 oz

3 oz

6 oz

6 oz

1 oz

1 oz

1/16 oz

1/2 oz

2 oz

8 oz

12 oz

1 oz

1 oz

1/2 oz

1/2 oz

3 oz

6 oz

8 oz

1/2 oz

1/4 oz

1/4 oz

1 oz

1/2 oz

Note for each individual printing, not only was weighing and dilution of the ingredients required to be accurate, but also the purity of these dyes needed to be consistent. Unfortunately the components themselves varied in availability and also between batches from even a single manufacturer. When more than one manufacturer was involved the problems, would have been further compounded. In particular the 1/2d hut value varies greatly in colour. Colours seen in this issue vary from a deep orange to a pale orange-yellow. Other values showing large colour variation include the 11/2d red and 9d violet. It is not surprising the more the number of printings the greater the possibility of colour variation. The higher values that were sold in very much smaller numbers show little colour variation. For example the total number sold of the £1 airmail was about 4000 and that of the normal £1 value, only about 2500. Even between these two issues however there is an obvious difference in the colour as the airmail overprints required non-perforated sheets and as a result a separate printing was required. In contrast to these numbers printed, the 1d green huts first released in 1925 sold approximately 537,000 while the 11/2d red huts released in 1926 sold over 800,000. Examining otherwise apparently identical 1d green mint stamps under long ultraviolet, makes it possible to see differences in the various printings. Here the former green stamp now appears in at least three colours, dark brown, olive and black brown. A broad study of the apparent colours under the ultraviolet could be particularly interesting but beyond the scope of this article.

The OS Overprinting: The first OS overprinted stamps appeared in 6 April 1925. To prevent profiteering by the philatelic market it was decided these stamps would be made available mint to the public. It is interesting to note the OS overprint did not first appear on the normal Australian issues until 4 May 1931.

Mail Services: All mail and communications in New Guinea during the 1920 and 1930 were limited due to the very small number of roads. In this period roads connected few towns and in addition, landslides (one of which almost took the life of my father, R.A.H.’s son in law in 1943) made road transport unreliable and hazardous. Coastal shipping and foot still carried most mail limiting size and weight of mail items. Within New Guinea itself the Sepik River was the main internal corridor of this period for all private, business and government services. An example of government administrative mail to this area is shown in (Fig. 4). The discovery of gold forced a rapid development in air services. Short landing strips placed on almost impossible angles became the only way in and out of the remote mines. Mail services became increasingly air dependent as mining expanded.

Air Mail Overprints: The request for airmail stamps came from the Administrator at Rabaul in October 1930. He had been aware of the large use of ordinary postage stamps for airmail postage to and from the Morobe, Salamaua and Wau Goldfields. Due to delays at the Stamp Printer the airmail stamps were not available until 8 June 1931. It is thought that the formes used for printing were electrotypes prepared from typeset blocks of 10. It appears probable that 3 blocks of 10 clamped together were then used for the overprinting. Amongst the airmail overprints, many differences can be seen in the aircraft images. Variations in wing strut thickness and length, dots and dashes formed by the propeller rotation and also the aircraft wheels being seen distorted, open and closed are perhaps some of the most obvious differences. The hollow left aircraft wheel is found at plate position 5/4.

Due to the production delay, the issue itself was only of short duration (55days) before largely being replaced by the issue of ‘The Tenth Anniversary of Australian Administration’ with and without airmail overprint on the 2 August 1931. This issue also was of only a short duration with the anniversary issue being replaced with the ‘1921-1931’ removed on the 30 June 1932. Finally, the remaining stock of the huts and anniversary issues held by the postal authorities was destroyed in February 1933. Few covers bearing the huts airmail overprint prior to the issue of the anniversary issue appear to have survived. A cover cancelled on 15 June 1931 (Fig. 5) from Madang to Wau appears to be one of the very few now remaining. The 4d charge is the equivalent of the 2d surface rate plus the Papua and New Guinea internal airmail rate also of 2d. The then 2d local airmail rate remained until the creation of a regular air service from Australia to Papua in 1938 when the internal Australian airmail rate of 3d replaced 2d rate. Clearly local individual stamp supplies lasted for sometime after the anniversary issue release as shown by the registered airmail cover from Wau-Salamaua to England dated 27 October 1931. The 2/- hut cover (Fig. 6) is backdated in Sydney 10 November 1931 and 16 November 1931 in Perth Western Australia. Unfortunately the dated of arrival in Bristol is not shown.

The issue and use of the New Guinea’s first stamps the huts series now marks an important milestone in the development of the now independent Papua New Guinea. The place of the huts series was appropriately honoured by a 25c stamp as part of the last postage issue prior to independence in 1973 (Fig.7).

I am extremely grateful for the valuable information and encouragement of Richard Breckon in the preparation of this manuscript. This document would not have been possible without the research of Geoffrey Kellow. To him I owe many thanks for his great willingness to share his very relevant draft material. Finally to my grandfather and great grandfather who both left me with a love of stamps and their beautiful work.

References

Breckon, R. Personal communications 2008

Breckon, R. Pre-decimal Postal Rates 1992

Franklin, M. Franklin’s Guide to The Stamps of Papua and New Guinea Published by A.H. & A.W. Reed Sydney 1970

Harrison, R.A. Personal notebooks 1914–1938

Kellow, G. Personal communications 2008

Ryan, P. (editor) Encyclopeadia of Papua and New Guinea. Published by Melbourne University Press and University of Papua and New Guinea 1972

Issues with New Guinea Issues.

The civil administration for the Mandated Territory of New Guinea was established on the 9 May 1921. This apparently unimportant external Territory suffered administrative and financial difficulties and no unique postage stamps were issued until nearly four years later. The powerful local Administrator was astute enough the keep on the European funded German Missionaries that supplied education, training and health for much of the coastal population, but little development and few funds followed in early years of this administration.

From correspondence still held for this period, we are able to appreciate the cumbersome overall administration and the relatively low importance placed on this Territory’s requests for postage stamps as with other service requests.

The first new stamp issues for the Territory were to be again shared with Nauru. T. S. Harrison’s current redrawn overprints of North West Pacific Islands were issued in new colours and shades in the period 1921 and 1922. The actual postal rated were set by the Administrator in New Guinea and the rates were not always the same as that of the Commonwealth Government. Canberra directed printing of all government documents as well as including common used items such as Commonwealth Bank cheque books to their printers at the Stamp and Note Printer in Melbourne where working conditions were inadequate at best. Other matters were clearly of higher importance than Territory of New Guinea stamps.

The first New Guinea stamps finally appeared after further delays caused by the then poor communications between the scattered and varied Government Departments and the apparent low priority given to designing, engraving and printing the request. Unlike the Papua lakatois that were printed on quality watermarked stamp paper, the New Guinea issues were printed on locally obtained paper without watermark. The paper used was quite unsuitable. The wet printing with flat plates resulted the stamps of varying size depending on the moisture content of the paper at the time of printing and the moisture content after drying. The stamps’ final dimensions also varied due to the direction of the grain in the paper. The fibre of the paper proved almost impossible to perforate the sheets of 30 stamps successfully. A large proportion of the sheets needed repairing with waste salvage before issuing to the public. It would have been impossible to perforate OS, so in 1925 previously printed sheets taken from stock were overprinted OS as an alternative. It was not for another six years that Papuan and Australian stamp issues were similarly overprinted. The ink used was prepared from the then very limited coloured dye stocks obtainable in Melbourne. Most of the world’s dye production had disappeared due to the First World War and the industry was yet to be re-established in Germany where 80% of these ink dyes had been produced. The available inks used gave poor penetration of the local paper in many instances. This in part was overcome in the later two bird of paradise issues when new stocks of chemical dyes had again become available but it was not until the George V Jubilee issues that we see a quality shiny surfaced paper in use for a New Guinea issue. Perhaps the early New Guinea hut stamps would have been more appealing to stamp collectors on better paper but probably not as interesting today to this particular philatelist. I doubt my perfectionist great grandfather would have agreed with me. On the other hand, after all the difficulties in production, it could be considered fortunate my grand fathers’ hut stamp design was ever issued at all.

The discovery of a huge gold field high up in the mountains changed everything. Air services now carried airmail and trade and the Territory at last became of importance to the Australian Government. There still remained only a few very rough and unreliable roads, one of which very nearly took my own father’s life during a land and road slip in WW2. In the late 1920s, and then through the 1930s, the Territory at last had its own sources of real income. New stamps were issued highlighting New Guinea’s Bololo Gold Fields but unfortunately this new change in fortune was quickly replaced with the horror of a Japanese invasion of this our northernest Territory.

This display centres only on the unique Mandated Territory issues but, unlike my display at the Royal in 2009, I am not again displaying all of these various issues due to limitations of time.

It must be remembered in the early forties New Guinea had numerous postal bodies. RAAF, AIF, RAN, US army corp and Japanese post offices including along side the already existing civil postal services. Although not directly part of this display, I have placed a few of these AIF covers in the display frames in recognition of the importance of the military mail services in this period.

Finally upon Japanese surrender in 1945, Australian stamps were no longer authorised for use. New Guinea stamps remained in short supply as most stamp stock had been returned to Australia during the early war years of WW2. It was not until two years later that both the New Guinea and Australian issues were in legal use in the Territory. Post war no further unique New Guinea stamps were ever again issued, so ended this short and somewhat hectic and rather chaotic stamp-issuing period.

[David Spivack]

#5137

Joe,

This is a wonderful article on the post wartime issues with ink and paper.

The article in the post has lost a lot of the formatting that must have been in the original article.  Is there any way a PDF of the article can be provided?

Thanks!

David

[Author]

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