Stamps and Postal Service of German New Guinea (1910)

There are many collectors worldwide, who are interested in German Colonies. This article is based on material, originally published in 1910, so the colony only had a few years to exist, before the outbreak of the First World War. It provides a useful historical background to the postal services of German New Guinea.

FOR administrative purposes the Caroline and Marianne Islands are attached to the Government of German New Guinea, but each of these Colonies has its individual postage stamp issues.

The four islands in the North of the Solomon group were ceded to Great Britain in 1899 under the terms of the Samoa Convention.

It was not until four years after the annexation of German New Guinea that a post office was opened at Stephansort in Kaiser Wilhelm’s Land on December 14 th, 1889. Post offices were subsequently established at Herbertshohe and Matupi on New Pommern. In addition, every government station was regarded as a post office and postal duties are performed by the officials in charge, who do not, by the way, receive any additional remuneration for such services, which are included in their regulations.

Inland postage throughout the territory is entirely free, as the majority of the European residents are connected, in one way or another, with the German New Guinea Company, and it is desired to encourage frequent communication between the various stations and settlements.

On correspondence consigned out of the country, however, regular Postal Union rates are charged, German New Guinea, having been a member of the Universal Postal Union, since January 1st, 1888.

The postal system is maintained at a minimum of expense, as all vessels clearing from ports in the Colony are required to convey the outward mails to the next port, at which they are calling, for which service, they do not receive any fee whatever.

At first, ordinary unsurcharged German postage stamps were employed in franking the foreign correspondence of the Colony, which may be recognised only by means of the postmarks of the three chief post offices mentioned above, but in August, 1897, a series of the German Empire overprinted Deutsch Neu Guinea was received at Herbertshohe and placed on sale for postal purposes.

These were in turn replaced, late in the year 1900, by a series in the current German Colonial design, which is still in use (1910) throughout the territory. The new watermarked paper has not yet been used for the stamps of this Colony.