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Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa Pages
 

Postal Rates and Overland Mail Surcharges

  

Eastwards bounded rates from Cyprus

 

Postage Rate Cyprus - Iraq (surface mail):

(Date Format dd.mm.yyyy)

From

Untill

Cover up to 20 grams

Cover up to 40 grams

   
   

 

Surcharge for the use of Overland Mail

 

Date of Degree

From

Untill

 
??????31.03.1929not known sofar

01.04.1929

01.04.1929 

20.05.1929

No Fee

21.05.1929

01.06.1929

17.10.1930

3 Piaster per ounce

 

 

Extract from “Cyprus, 1353-1986": History, Postal History & Postage Stamps

by Wilfrid T.F. Castle, Pages 167 & 168.  Chapter XIV - "THE OVERLAND DESERT MAIL

 

The continued absence of an air mail service connecting Cyprus with the cities of the Levant coast and the Persian Gulf was felt less after the establishment of an excellent surface mail route in 1929. In fact it may be doubted, in view of the dilatory and expensive service which later air mail routes were to provide, whether the surface mail was not better handled by the service established in 1929 than at any later time, until the vast improvements of 1949-50.

 

The new service was known as the Desert Route or "Overland Desert Mail" and was achieved by the linking of Cyprus by the ordinary mail steamer with the Beyrouth extension of the overland desert motor service connecting Damascus with Baghdad (Service Transdesertique Syro Iraquien Damas - Bagdad) operated by the Nairn Eastern Transport Company. A label inscribed was required to by affixed to the envelope.

 

 

Postal facilities became available by the Desert Route for letters, postcards, printed papers, commercial papers and samples to and from Cyprus on Saturday, 1st June, 1929. The countries served were Iraq. North­ East Arabia, the Persian Gulf, Persia and North-West India. The transit time between Cyprus and Iraq by the Desert Route was six days as compared with sixteen days by the ordinary sea mail.

 

Letters for transmission from Cyprus to the Near East by the Desert Route were posted in any of the ordinary ways of posting, including Registered Post, but had to bear in the top lefthand corner an adhesive Desert Route label (obtainable free of charge at any Post Office in Cyprus) and Cyprus postage stamps to cover prepayment of postage at the appropriate rate with an additional fee of three piastres per ounce. The special fee was fixed by the Governor (exercising the powers vested in him by the Post Office Law of 1881) in an order dated 21st. May, 1929, and entitled "The Post Office Desert Route Rate of Postage Order, 1929".

 

The first information on thus route however was published in the Official Gazette No. 232, April 1, 1929.

 

OFFICIAL GAZETTE No. 232 - April 1, 1929 

download (PDF Format, 161 KB)

OFFICIAL GAZETTE

NOTICE

Overland Mail Service with Iraq

The Overland Mail Service has recently been reorganised and is now known as the Syro-Iraq Transdesert Service or Service Transdesertique Syro-Iraquien. It functions twice weekly in both directions, namely:

OUTWARD

(1)

Depart Damascus Tuesday at 08.00

 

 

Due Baghdad Wednesday evening

 

(2)

Depart Damascus Friday at 08.00

 

 

Due Baghdad Saturday evening

INWARD

(1)

Depart Baghdad Monday morning

 

 

Due Damascus Tuesday evening

 

(2)

Depart Baghdad Thursday morning

 

 

Due Damascus Friday evening

Mails are convoyed between Damascus and Haifa by rail in both directions. All classes of correspondence, ordinary and registered, as well as ordinary parcels, are permitted to the service. So far as correspondence is concerned, a special fee in respect of the Overland Mail Service is no longer charged and ordinary postage only is payable plus the usual fee for registration when applicable. As regards parcels, revised rates of postage are indicated below. The new service will, for the present, be the normal route for all correspondence (but not parcels) addressed to Iraq, Persia, and India and no special subscription on the covers is necessary. Parcels for transmission by the desert service, must, however, be superscribed i the upper left-hand portion of the cover and the label when one is used, with the words "Syro-Iraq Trans-desert Service Damascus Baghdad" in bold characters and preferably in red ink or red pencil.

Destination

 

1 Kg.

3 Kg.

5 Kg.

10 Kg.

Indian

 

210

365

365

785

Iraq

 

150

300

320

595

Persia

(a)

165

310

310

620

 

(b)

175

320

320

700

 

10th March, 1929

W. Hudson

Postmaster General

 

The route was explained but surcharges were no longer required. This indicate that there must have been an earlier notice where the surcharge was implemented.

 


 

Extract of CYPRUS GAZETTE May 1929, Page 305 
For the Original First Hand Source, here are scans (PDF Format), of the Cyprus Gazette, May 1929.
Numerator Page 302 (Order No. 378)

 

No. 378.

ORDER OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE OFFICER

ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT

IN COUNCIL.— No. 1306.

R. NICHOLSON,

Administering the Government.

In exercise of the powers vested in him by the Post Office Laws, 1881 and 1928, and otherwise, and with the advice of the Executive Council, His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government is pleased to order and it is hereby ordered as follows :—

 

 1. This Order may be cited as the Post Office (Desert Route-Rate of Postage) Order, 1929, and shall come into force on the 1st day of June, 1929.

 

 2. There shall be charged a special fee, payable in addition to ordinary postage, late or registration fees, on any kind of postal packet, that is, letters, postcards, printed papers and commercial papers and samples, intended for transmission by the Desert Route (Service Transdesertique Syro-Iraquien Damas-Bagdad), at the rate of 3cp per ounce or fraction thereof.

                Given under the hand and official seal of the Officer Administering the Government at Nicosia this 21st day of May 1929.

H. MCLAUGHLAN,
Clerk of Council
(M.P. 854/29.)


 

Extract of CYPRUS GAZETTE May 1929, Page 305 
For the Original First Hand Source, here are scans (PDF Format), of the Cyprus Gazette, May 1923.

Numerator Page 305 (Order No. 393)

 

No. 393.

POST OFFICE NOTICE.

1. It is hereby notified for general information that, on and from the 1st of June, 1929, any kind of postal packet may be sent by the Desert Route (Service Transdesertique Syro-Iraquien Damas-Bagdad), that is, letters, postcards, printed papers and commercial papers and samples.

2. A packet intended for transmission by the Desert Route may be posted in any of the ordinary ways of posting. It can be accepted for registration at any Post Office ; but it cannot at present be insured and, besides conforming to the ordinary postal regulations, must:—

(1) bear in the top left-hand corner of the cover a Desert Route label;

(2) be prepaid with a Desert Route fee.

3.—(1) Desert Route labels may be obtained free of charge at any Post Office. (2) The Desert Route fee must be prepaid with Cyprus Postage Stamps in the usual way. Ordinary postage at the rate appropriate to the class of packet concerned must be prepaid in addition. Any packet which is not fully prepaid with the Desert Route fee will not be sent by this service.

4. The latest times of posting postal packets intended for transmission by the Desert Route can be ascertained by enquiry at any Post Office.

5. The transit time by the Desert Route between Cyprus and Iraq is 6 days as compared with 19 days by the ordinary sea route.

6. Particulars of countries served and the fee payable are given hereunder.

Country of Destination Fee
Arabia-North-East (Persian Guld 3cp per
ounce or
fraction
thereof.
India-North-West
Iraq
Persia
   

 

GENERAL POST OFFICE L. J. E. DENCH,
NICOSISA Postmaster-General
9th May, 1929 (M.P. 854/29.)

 


 

Very few Overland Mail covers from Cyprus are reported, most of them have some philatelic appearance, in any case, they are rare and only 7 are currently reported.

 

 

The sea link in this chain of rapid communication was by S.S. Bilbeis and S.S. Belkas; from Larnaca to Beyrouth and from Beyrouth to Famagusta, Letters arriving usually bore the Sea Post Office backstamps. On and from 17th October. 1930, the supplementary fee of 3 piastres per ounce, payable on packets intended for transmission by the Overland Desert Mail, was abolished, correspondence being forwarded on prepayment of the ordinary rates of postage only.