The New Stamps
SIR,—As an amateur philatelist, may I reply to the points raised by Mr. Arnold Palmer in his letter ? The Universal Postal Union ordained that certain colours be used for the stamps for the three basic forms of mail, viz., green for printed matter, red for inland letters and post- cards for abroad, and blue for overseas letters. Many countries, in particular France,, 'have had many increases in their postal tariffs, and in such cases corresponding changes in the colours of stamps have been brought about. In order to avoid confusion and cheating, the shades of the stamps may be modified, viz., a red stamp may change from one shade of red to another when the postage on an inland letter is increased. In addition there are normally several intermediate values to which colours must be assigned. Further, a stamp for one particular denomina- tion of mail will be rendered obsolete when the rates are increased, but it may become available for another. These factors, then, would 'account for the multiplicity of colours noted by Mr. Palmer. The vast majority of countries religiously respect these colour regulations, and it is only recently that. the P.M.G. has deigned to conform to theni.— Faith ful ly yours,
C. G. PEARSON.
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