Queensland Postal Services in the 19th Century

At the turn of the century the chief topic of conversation was the soon-to-be achieved Federation of the Australian states, a move that would bring sweeping administrative changes, not the least in the amalgamation of the country’s postal services into one unit.

Amongst the heads of the various state postal administrations there was intense jockeying for positions of power in the new Federal postal set-up.

One measure which the various state postal chiefs used to push their own parochial barrows was the production of elaborate Christmas and New Year Greeting souvenirs. These promoted the achievements of the states concerned and, of course had prominently featured photographs the top brass. These souvenirs, produced at the expense of the state taxpayers, were widely distributed throughout Australia and overseas, but they are now quite scarce.

Queensland Mounted Mailman

Typical of these pieces of postal vanity was that issued by the Officers of the Post and Telegraph Department of Queensland for Christmas and New Year 1899-1900. With an ornate cover printed in black and gold, and featuring on the front the Hon. J. G. Drake, Queensland Postmaster General, the brochure had twelve pages inside, printed on art paper. Page one was devoted entirely to listing the names and titles of the ten top men in the Queensland Post and Telegraph department (all no doubt in the hope that they would be “noticed” in the Federal sphere).

Post & Telegraph Office, Thursday Island

Queensland Train Post Office, Northern Line

Another page listed the statistics of the Department and showed some very interesting figures comparing 1870 and 1898, indicating the extent of the development of Queensland generally in the last three decades of the 19th Century.

The rest of the publication was given over to photographs of postal activities of the department – mainly in the outback areas. Included was an interesting photo of the Post and Telegraph office on Thursday Island.

Reprinted here are the 1870-1889 statistics and a round-up of photos from the brochure:

STATISTICS OF THE DEPARTMENT

Queensland Established as a Colony: 10th December, 1859.
Population In 1870 – 115,567; 1898 – 498,523.
Telegraphs Established: 1861.
Money Order System Established: 1862.
Telephone System Established: October. 1880.
Post Cards and Postal Notes Established: November, 1880.
Australasian Colonies joined Universal Postal Union: 1st October, 1891.
Parcel Post Established: 14th January. 1892.

REVENUE	1870	1898
– Post Office	£20,580	£182,206
– Telegraph	£11,774	£88,727
EXPENDITURE
– Post Office	£49,557
– Telegraph	£17,121	£313,770
– Telegraph Construction (Loan) to 31st Dec, 1898		£912,174
NUMBER OF OFFICES
– Post Offices	115	411
– Receiving Offices	18	755
– Telegraph and Telephone	43	422
NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED		2,220
LETTERS POSTED AND RECEIVED	1,662,677	19,723,905
NEWSPAPERS POSTED AND RECEIVED	1,295,499	11,647,822
PACKETS POSTED AND RECEIVED	42,341	5,130,733
PARCELS POSTED AND RECEIVED		238,240
MONEY ORDER TRANSACTIONS
– Number of Order, Issued and Paid	19,923	218,010
– Amount	£85,295	£835,980
POSTAL NOTE TRANSACTIONS
– Number of Notes Sold and Paid		481,069
– Amount		£183,359
MAIL ROUTES BY LAND
– Extent in Miles	9,725	32,127
– Miles Travelled	1,229,442	5,913,861
TELEGRAPH MESSAGES
– Number Transmitted and Received	89,368	1,334,846
– Value of Ordinary Messages Transmitted	£11,774	£82,945
– Value OHMS	£5,424	£12,765
TELEGRAPH LINES
– Miles of Line	2,132	10,088
– Miles of Wire	3,221	18,565
TELEPHONES
– Number of Exchanges		9
– Number of Subscribers and Government Telephones		1,481
– Revenue		£8,895