The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-15
Boer Stamps gy, ),
Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia Inquirer.
What the Beers are doing for stamps is
a question that every English philatelist
would like to be able to answer. 1t has
been stated again and. again that the
stock OF stamps at Pretoria Is depleted
almost to the vanishing point, and it may
well be the case that something of the
same sort has happened at Bloemfontein
In these circumstances great interest at
taches to the news that a large consign-
ment of stamps destined for the Trans
Vaal has been detained at Cape Town
Whether the same fate would have be-
fallen them at Delagoa bay is question
The Beers have captured a lot of che
Natal stamps from Newcastle and are
surcharging them with all manner OF
values, the most extensive being the I'd,
which is surcharged with a typewriter
"Halve Penny" This latter Is written
over the face of the queen.
Everything points to a stamp famine
among the Beers and dealers say that. an
issue of PROFESSIONALS printed at Pretoria.
is one of the probabilities of the near fu-
ture.
A correspondent with Gen. Gatacre' s
force in Cape Colony states that pocket
book, recently taken from the body of a
Transvaaler killed by British outposts,
was found to contain an almost complete
set of the current South African Repub-
lie stamps in mint unused condition. The
Under of the stamps happened to be an
enthusiastic philatelist, and 1t is thought
that perhaps the dead Boer was also phil
atelically inclined.
The whole strength of the British army
postofice corps has been called into requi-
sition- in the present war, and three Of
ficers and one hundred men are now in
South Africa for military postal duties.
The corps is composed of men who are
members of the postoffice volunteer corps
who are experienced in some of the va
rious duties required of postofflce officials.
On volunteering to join, the army re-
serve they are medically examined, and
if found physically qualified, are duly en-
listed in the orthodox manner.
1t may briefly be said that the duty
Of the corps is to establish and maintain
postal communication between the base
and the several detached portions of the
army in the field. Thus, at the base of
each column there will be what is practi-
cally head postoff1ce, while field or sub
ordinate offices are established with ali
the different divisions of the column. All
incoming correspondence will be received
at the respective. head offices, and there
sorted and conveyed to the various sub or
field offices. where the letters will be
handed over to the orderlies of the regi-
ments and corps, no postmen being en-
ployed. In like maner the outgoing cor
respondence will be collected at the field
offices and thence transmitted to the head
offices, whence it will de dispatched to
the places of destination
At all the postoff1ces stamps. registered
letters covers postcards, ETC., are sold
and postal orders are issued and paid.
The issuing of postal orders is found to
be a great convenience to the soldiers,
who like to transmit their money home as
soon as it is received. Parcel post bust
ness is also conducted, and 1t falls to the
duty of the postmaster to keep all the
records and accounts in connection with
the various branches Of the postoffice
business IN the orthodox manner. On the
transaction of this business all the nee
essary appliances are, Of course, en-
ployed, and among other articles in use,
Ingenious collapsible sorting tables have
been designed for the purpose.