Prexie International Parcel Post To Austria 1946

This is a parcel package paper from Lansing, Iowa to Vienna, Austria. It arrived in Vienna on August 8, 1946.
It's franked with Prexie stamps for a total of $1.87. The yellow label indicates a weight of 11lbs. That makes (1.87/11) = 17c per lb.
The pacakge was censored by Austrian censor and opened by Austrian customs. It was "zollfrei" meaning no tax had to be paid.
The yellow label (form 2922) indicates that, in case the package was undeliverable, it could be delivered to "Relief of City". A practice seen more just after WWII.

In Tony's book there are no rates for international parcel post. Who can be of help figuring out the rate and rate period?

We have all of Tony Wawrukiewicz's notes on both surface and air parcel post rates on Stamp Smarter.

You can view or download these compilations here...

https://stampsmarter.org/learning/H...yWRates.html

I hope this helps.

MikeL

Thanks Mike!

On Stampsmarter I found the corresponding parcel post rate in the 1946 Austria chart. It states 14c per lb for a maximum of 11 lbs starting July 1946. So total postage should have been 11x 14c is $1.54. My cover has $1.87. Still a mystery.

I have an (undated) small package label sent from Pennsylvania to an unknown country in Europe franked with $1.54 Prexies. The label states 10 lbs and 4 oz. So total postage is 11x 14c = $1.54 (see enclosed pictures frontside and backside).
The maximum weight for American gift parcels was 11lbs in 1946. With maximum franking of $1.54.
The franking of $1.87 on the other package wrapper remains a question.

Hi Wout,

one solved, one to go!

there are some very knowledgeable brains here

Dutchie:

I am not a rate expert, but I notice at the bottom of the Austria Rate page, there is a section for a "Transit Charge" (whatever that is), which in 1946 shows to be 33 cents when the parcel is over 7 1/2 lbs but under 11 1/2 lbs.

This is the same as your missing postage amount?

It might be worth to go back the searchable Postal Bulletin for this time period and see how Transit Charge" is defined and see if this represents your other 33 cents.

Edited to correct spelling.

Yes transit and surcharges apply and the rate for 11 lb is shown on your package. I am having difficulty getting images I want. More soon.
EDIT:
My images are from the postal guide. Just wait folks.

The images below are from the July 1946 USPOD Postal Guide Part II:

Note the transit charges (which include at times surcharges) note at the beginning of International Parcel Post.

Now the guide lists each country individually and as such here is Austria.



Transit Charges and surcharges we not new in 1946. Rather they started shortly after WWI. In the early days calculating such was a bit of a problem as all infomation was note in one place. Later it was neatly combined within the individual International Parcel Post country listing.

It is what it says it is, a transit charge. A fee is collected by the postal service of a country through which as parcel travels in route to its destination. The amount and any surcharges is set by that country with UPU approval. For UPU International Parcel Post, the basic parcel post postage is collected in the country of acceptance and kept. The country of delivery is only entitled to a Parcel Delivery fee to be collected from the addressee upon delivery.For delivery in the USA the fee collected was 5 cents beginning in 1888 and lasting many decades without change, the longest stable fee I am aware of in USPOD history.

So the sending country and the delivery country get paid but after the war the transit countries through the parcel traveled wanted compensation for teir work give the post war state of some economies.

Prior to Tony's passing I was working with him on these transit fees in the early days after WWI.

Dutchie, there was a simple reason for that, the international parcel post rates rates were quite detailed and to voluminous to include in the book. The July 1946 USPOD PG has 302 page devoted to the topic for all countries to which parcel post could be sent.

Now should you find a nice international Air Parcel Post Item, those rates were equally complex as well as unlike parcel post rapidly changing and not included by author's discretion.

No, but the maximum weight to the countries to which many gift parcel were mail was 11 pound. Countries, and there were many, which allowed parcel post over 11 pound could receive heavier packages. Even the contents allowed in a relieve parcel varied by country as well as the frequency of mailing relief parcels for example, one package per week from the same sender to the same addressee.

Interestingly parcel of 11lbs or less were allow to Japan, 2with strict limits of what "relief materials" constituted yet normal mail service the from the USA was restricted to just post or postal cards.



[q} With maximum franking of $1.54[/q]
Wrong as shown by your first example.

United States did not sign the UPU parcel treaty but as a UPU member they may use the transit fees that were stated in the UPU parcel treaty. Most US parcel fees during this period to countires with an ocean harbour was 14c/pound. For a country like Austria the rates were higher as the parcel had to pass a third country. The weight groups in the UPU parcel treaty was 0-1, 1-5, 5-10 and 10-20 (sometimes 10-15 and 15-20)kilograms, which was translated to 0-2, 2-11. 11-22 and 22-44 lbs so it is therefore you can see these weight groups for the transit fees. The parcel fees in the UPU treaty were divided between all countries involved in the transport.

As a part of the Marshall Plan there was a discount for parcels to some European countries a few years after the war. Tony W had in his collection two interesting items which were sent to Berlin and Trieste paid at the discount rate. However this had not been accepted so postage due had been charged from sender as the Soviet and Yugoslav parts of Berlin and Trieste did not have this discount

This is as far as I can see not correct. The UPU parcel treaty was originally introduced 1881 mainly on suggestions from Germany. They suggested a maximum weight of 5 kilograms and that all countries should receive 50 goldcentimes each. This could not be accepted by several countries so the result was a maximum weight of 3 kilogrammes, a transit fee of 50 centimes, but also a terminal fee in addition for some countries for parcel sent or received but not the transit ones. Denmark, Germany and Switzerland did not charge terminal fees but Sweden and Italy did for example. The maximum weight and fees were of course changed over the years. The fee for a parcel from Sweden to Switzerland via Denmark was then totally Swedish terminal fee 75 ctm+Swedish normal fee 50 ctm+Danish transit fee 50 ctm+German transit fee 50 ctm+Swiss Normal fee 50 ctm=Totally 275 ctm converted to Swedish öre at the 1ctm=0.72 öre=198öre and the countries involved received their part

Thanks gentlemen for some great information! I learned a lot.
"Mystery" is solved now.
Dutchie

I am not sure why you keep this up. The mail matter in question went from the USA to Austria and as such only the rules that matter are the ones affecting such an item.

For you to stand there and disagree is fine, but you are flat functionally wrong and disagreeing with the actual printed, disseminated and used rules for calculating the postage for this item as required in the USA location of mailing. Why must you disagree?

And yes the USA began participating in UPU Parcels Post in 1888 with the first agreement being with Mexico. I post pictures of that documentation but believe such is pointless when you have shown you already disagree wit prior document USPOD rules and regulations.