Canadian Bulk Mail History

Hi, My 95 year old father has asked me if I could try to find out when bulk mail and in particular bulk mail receipts were first issued in Canada. He has some receipts going back to 1899 (dang it was cheap back then - 1 cent per pound!). He is very interested in the origins of when bulk mail started and what date the first receipts were issued.

He tried calling some government archive place but they said it would cost $50 an hour for their historians to research it and he can't afford that.

Does anyone here know the answers to these 2 questions?

Thank you in advance!
Anne :)

Hi Anne

Welcome to the forum.

The answer to your father's question with respect to bulk rates is found in George Arfken's book CANADA'S SMALL QUEEN ERA 1870-1897 on page 144.
"In the January 1894 Official Postal Guide, p. viii, free postage (of newspapers and periodicals) was changed to the 1c per lb. bulk rate, the same as charged U.S. and other foreign papers."

The Postal Guide wording is as follows:
4. British and United States or other foreign newspapers or periodicals
may be reposted to subscribers in Canada at the 1c per lb. rate, payment
to be made according to the weight of the packet containing copies for
each locality addressed, and the necessary postage stamps to be affixed
to each such packet.

It might be reasonable to assume that bulk mail receipts would have been available in January 1894. The earliest date shown in Arfken's book is September 19, 1894 (page 143). The earliest in my collection is July 27, 1894.

I hope this is useful to you and your father.

GJP
4.

One cent in those days was not necessarily cheap if a person made a few cents an hour. I often think how cheap gas was in the 1960s when I first started working, and how $5 would fill my old and much lamented 1956 Chevy 2-door hardtop. However, I then need to stop and think how long it took me to earn that $5 at 50 cents and hour, even after the low income taxes of the time.

Hi GJP,
Thank you so much for that information. My Dad is SO happy to get it and he also asked me to thank you. He says his earliest receipt is from 1895 so he is pretty excited about that. Wish I could properly express how very happy you have made my father by sharing this info. He is a 95 year old veteran and Superman in my eyes so it has made me very happy to see him so happy too! :)

David it is silly but I hadn't really considered how much a penny was actually worth in 1899! You make a very good point! :)

Anne