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Welcome to Rainer's Overland Mail Baghdad Haifa Pages Postal Rates and Overland Mail Surcharges |
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Eastwards bounded rates from Switzerland
Postage Rate
Switzerland - Iraq (surface mail):
Registration
fees:
Surcharge for the use of Overland Mail
This cover dated 15.12.1926 from Zug to Baghdad is franked with a total of 90 Rappen, which would make the rate for a double weight registered cover. However, the cover has the manuscript marking "Par Voie de Terre Haifa-Baghdad". Based on that, the cover is underrated by 40 Rappen which would be the Overland Mai surcharge or the surcharge has been cancelled prior of the dater of posting or the postal clerk was unaware of the surcharge required.. It seems, further research is required. Auszug aus dem Post und Telegraphen -
Amtsblatt No. 51 vom 26. November 1923
English translation: 136. Mail traffic with Mesopotamia (Iraq) According to a notification by the English Postal Authority there exists between Haifa and Baghdad a link by cars, which can be also used from now on for transmission of mail to Mesopotamia. The departure from Haifa takes place each Thursday, in association with the weekly English postal steamer sailing between Marseille and Port Said. The time of transit Geneva to Baghdad is only 9 days, instead of 24 days on the route via Bombay. Considering the significant advantages of this link, the postal exchange office Geneva 1 will, from the month of December onwards, despatch each Friday a mail bag to Baghdad via Haifa. Only ordinary and registered letters and postcards are permitted for transmission by this route; they must bear in the upper left corner the clearly visible inscription "Par Voie de Terre Haifa-Baghdad". In view of the exceedingly high compensation which has to be paid to the Mesopotamian postal authority for the transmission of mail from Haifa to Baghdad, the fee for postal items which the sender requests to be despatched by this route will be double (except the registration and AR fees, which are not increased). Unfranked or insufficiently franked items will be directed to their destination by the usual route via Bombay. Persons posting mail to Mesopotamia should be alerted to this possibility of rapid transmission.
An additional notice is known from the 'L'Union Postal', the monthly reports of the Universal Postal Union for 1924. Further references to 'L'Union Postal' reports for all countries will use the abbreviation L.P. L'Union Posta1 1924, page 184 Since December the 1st (1923) a considerable improvement has been made in the letter post service with Mesopotamia (Iraq) through the introduction of a motor car service between Haifa and Baghdad. There is a departure from Haifa every Thursday in connection with the steamers plying weekly between Marseil1es and Port Said with Indian mai1s. A railway connects Port Said with Haifa. The conveyance from Geneva to Baghdad by this new route takes only nine days instead of 24 days by the Indian route. Only ordinary and registered letter and postcards are accepted and the postage is double the ordinary rates. |
