1949 Newfoundland

The Dominion of Newfoundland joined Canada on March 31, 1949, following a referendum held the previous year.  To mark the historic occasion, Canada Post Office issued a 4c commemorative stamp featuring the "Matthew", the ship sailed by John Cabot when he discovered Newfoundland in 1497. It is interesting to note that the stamp makes no reference to Newfoundland joining Canada. Perhaps this was done so as not to upset the 48% of Newfoundlanders who voted to maintain dominion status under a responsible government. Since 1934, Newfoundland had been governed by an unelected "Commission of Government" appointed by the British government.

 The stamp design was based on a model of the "Matthew" which had been built by Ernest Maunder of St. John's in 1947 at the request of the Newfoundland Historical Society.

National Archives of Canada
Photograph of Ernest Maunder's model of the "Matthew"

According to W.L. Aiken in his 1957 Topics article dealing with the Newfoundland stamp, the model used by the stamp designer Herman Herbert Schwartz was a photograph of Mr. Maunder's ship taken on his lawn with "the wind billowing out the sails".

National Archives of Canada
Outdoor photograph of Ernest Maunder's model of the "Matthew" after rigging

National Archives of Canada
Essay

National Archives of Canada
Photograph of Die Proof

First Day Covers

 

 A "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" cancellation was used at St. John's. This was the first time such a cancellation was produced by Canada Post Office for a first day.

John Labatt

Usages

Domestic

Toronto to Wheatley, April 5, 1949
4 cents forward letter rate

Riding Mountain National Park,Wasagaming, Man., to Port Arthur, May 26,  1949
4 cents forward letter rate

Toronto to Hamilton, July 15, 1949
4 cents forward letter rate

Grand Bank, Nfld., to London, May 1, 1949
7 cents domestic air mail letter rate
3 cent excise stamp not valid for postage
Shortpaid 3 cents and taxed 6 cents
London 6 cents meter tape, May 14, 1949

\Geraldton to Port Arthur, April 19, 1949
4 cents letter rate + 10 cents registration fee

United States

St. John's Nfld. to Cleveland, October 8, 1949
4 cents letter rate + 10 cents registration fee

International

Trois Rivieres to Perpignan, France, May 9, 1949
4 cents preferential surface letter rate to France

Montreal A.M.F. to Orleans, France, April 8, 1949
15 cents one-quarter ounce air mail letter rate to Europe

1948 Responsible Government

Prior to 1848, the legislative branch of government (House of Assembly) in Canada was elected, but the executive branch (Executive Council), later cabinet, was appointed by the British Governor and was responsible to him and not the Assembly. The powers of the British Governors were greatly reduced with the granting of "Responsible Government" in 1848.

Collections Canada provides the following explanation of Responsible Government:

Responsible Government meant that the Executive Council had to obtain and maintain the support of a majority of members of the House of Assembly in order to be able to govern the province. The Executive Council would be governed by the leader of the political party that held an elected majority in the Legislative Assembly. That same leader would also appoint the members of the Executive Council. The governor would therefore be forced to accept these "ministers", and if the majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly voted against them, they would have to resign. The governor would also be obliged to ratify laws concerning the internal affairs of the colony once these laws had been passed to the Legislative Assembly.

Following the 1848 Canadian election, Governor General Lord Elgin asked Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin to form a coalition government and appoint their own cabinet.

Governor General Lord Elgin

Baldwin-Lafontaine

Canada Post issued a 4 cent stamp on October 1, 1948, to commemorate the centenary of responsible government.


From the National Archives of Canada

First Day Covers

 

Usages

Domestic

Montreal to Tillsonburg, November 19, 1948
4 cents forward letter rate

Montreal to Tillsonburg, November 19, 1948
4 cents forward letter rate

Ottawa to Roblin, Man., December 10, 1948
4 cents forward letter rate + 10 cents registration fee

Toronto to London, October 25, 1948
4 cents forward letter rate + 10 cents Special Delivery fee

International

Surface Letter

Kitchener to Copehnagen Denmark, December 11, 1948
5 cents UPU surface letter rate

Toronto to Zurich, Switzerland, December 4, 1948
5 cents UPU surface letter rate
Shortpaid 1 cent-Canadian Tax 6 gold centimes-Swiss charge 20 centimes

Air Mail Letter

Blue River, B.C., to Lithuania Displaced Persons Camp, Kempsten, Germany, December 5, 1948
15 cents one-quarter ounce letter rate to Europe

Quebec to Isleworth, England, April 11, 1949
15 cents one-quarter ounce letter rate to Europe