Postage: The air fee for airmail letters sent from India to France was 6A for every 14.18gm (˝oz) from February 1930 to September 1939.
The surface postage from India to France was 3A for upto 28.35gm (1oz) weight, the rate in effect from September 1,1921 to December 2,1931.
And the registration fee for foreign mail was 3A from September 1,1921 to March 31,1948.
So, this registered airmail cover must have weighed under 14.18gm (˝oz) to attract 6A air fee+3A surface postage+3A registration fee i.e. total 12A postage.
Postmarks:
1.
Registration Datestamp: The Alwar City
REG. (
REGistration) screwhead type cds (dt. September 19,1930) was introduced in 1910.
This very
type was allotted to selected Head POs and Sub POs issued on specific orders of the PMGs of the respective Circles, here in this case on the order of PMG of Central Circle (HQ Nagpur) which was newly created in April 1909, merging Rajputana Circle [HQ Mount Abu (4/1871 to 11/1891) & Ajmer (11/1891 to 4/1909)] under which Alwar City HPO functioned and Central Provinces Circle [HQ Nagpur (4/1867 to 4/1909)].
This
REG. cds type is illustrated in the
Postal Workshop and Stamp Book (Catalogue) 1923–24 in the "Price List of Stamp and Seals: Class E: Stamps Used in Head and Sub Offices" as Catalog No.5.
2.
Number Slip Name Stamp: This is the Post Office name stamp impressed on the Registration Slip to indicate the office of dispatch.
This name stamp was introduced in 1911 to all HPOs/SPOs, which was also used on Parcel and Value-Payable Number Slips.
Registration Slip: The printed registration number slip (
R40) is Form
R-10 slip, introduced in January 1909 to selected HPOs which were not allotted R-9 slips with pre-printed PO name which were first issued only to large GPOs like Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Yangon and Lahaur.
Airmail Etiquette: The
AIR MAIL etiquette was introduced in 1928, generally found used upto 1933 when a new type was issued.
Registration: The registration facility in India began on October 1,1854 following the Article XXXVIII of Indian Post Office Act 1854 (Act XVII of 1854).
From July 1,1882, all registered letters were begun to be marked with cruciform lines on both obverse and reverse sides in blue pencil to help to distinguish the articles during sorting but here it was not done.
Dispatch Post Office: The Br. Indian Alwar City SPO was established in 1865 under Jaypur Disbursing Office and Jaypur Division of North West Province Circle, located inside the territory of the feudatory state of Alwar which also maintained a parallel state postal service from 1873 to 1902.
The PO came under Bharatpur DO and Rajputana Circle in 1873 and it was upgraded as a Combined Post and Telegraph Office in 1883 before being transferred to newly formed Central Circle in April 1909.
Incidentally, Alwar City PO is recorded as only Alwar in the Lists of Post Offices in the Indian Postal Guides until a separate Alwar HPO was opened on July 1, 1902, the very day Alwar State Post was abolished.
The manuscript annotation
0-7-0 is perhaps the value (7A) of the content.
Posted 01/09/2019 2:07 pm
