Putting The Pacific

Your World of Stamps.—XIV.

On The Map

Conducted by KN r recent years, stamp designers have made extensive use of maps to identify the location and landmarks of the issuing country.

This medium of publicity serves to make the area in question more widely-known to the public and stamp collectors. Such stamps have also been popular with Pacific Islands governments, and naturally with a medium the size of a stamp many details are absent.

The recent issue of British Solomon Islands pictorial stamps included two maps amongst the design. The 5d denomination featured a map of the Protectorate, on which eight of the ten major Islands in the group were clearly marked—Choiseul, San Cristoval, New Georgia, Malaita, Guadacanal, Ysabel, Santa Cruz and Rennel, with the Queen’s likeness on the right of the layout.

The chart depicting the voyage of Captain Philip Cartaret, in HMS “Swallow,” figured on the 1/stamp.

In addition to this map, the

Swallow in which Cartaret in 1767 re-discovered the Solomons 200 years after the initial discovery by the Spaniards, and Queen Elizabeth IPs portrait, also appeared on the stamp.

Although it might be expected that maps would be used on Pacific stamps earlier, Fiji was the first to use them on an issue pre pared in 1938. An impression of this group, giving their longitude and latitude position, and inscribed with names of Vanualevu, Taveuni, Vitilevu and Levuka, appeared on the 2£d and 6d values.

When several years later the design was re-issued, an error, initiated in the original format, was corrected. This was the inclusion of the figure “180” on that meridian, previously marked but not identified as such.

The first map of the territory of Western Samoa was portrayed on the lid issue issued in 1939 in connection with the 25th

anniversary of New Zealand administration. Some 21, clearly defined, landmarks of Savai’i and Upolu were represented plus a compass in blue in the top right hand corner.

The 3d issue of 1940 circulated for the Pitcairn Islands adopted an attractive rendering of the Pacific Island region, labelling Fiji, Samoa, Norfolk Island, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand, Easter Island, and, of course, Pitcairn. The late King George Vi’s medallion portrait was shown on the left.

The three Tokelau Islands pictorial issues introduced for the first time during 1948, featured maps as part of the design. The id made use of a general map of the region on the left with an inset on the right of the stamp of the island of Atafu, in badly drawn outline. A village scene was used as the centrepiece of the stamp itself.

Nukunono Island and Fakaofu

[sland appeared on the right of the Id and 2d designs. Village scenes figured to the left of the stamp. However, under a magnifying glass both these latter maps are marred in their repro ductions.

The Cook Islands’ stamps of 1949 featured a number of maps.

Ihe Id issue was devoted to a small map of the Hervey Islands n the centrepiece, with Captain Dock, who came upon the island n 1773, at the left and a bird and Dalm trees on the right.

The 2d issue typified the island if Rarotonga, where in 1823 the Ftev. John Williams of the London Missionary Society, undertook his missionary work. To the left the mission ship, “Messenger of Peace” vas displayed, with the missionary’s ikeness on the right.

The map of Aitutaki, and palm ;rees distinguished a 3d stamp, md a 1/- design illustrated a general cartographic impression of ;he entire Cook Islands, on which he famous London statue of Uaptain James Cook was super imposed.

Thirteen names were inscribed on he map of Niue included on the d stamp from Niue, issued in ,950. And, symbolising the friend hip between Britain and Tonga, he id issue printed for Tonga in 951 likewise carried maps. At the op of the large stamp was an >utline map of Great Britain, with

a map of the Pacific area around the Tongan Islands, in scroll form, taking up the remainder of the picture.

This must surely have been the best cartographic illustration on Pacific Island stamps, annotating centres in the Vavau, Haapai, and Tongatapu Groups, as well as depicting palms on the right and oak leaves near the map of Britain.

Remarkable for the absence of any enlightening details was the

design of the Papua-New Guinea 10/- stamp, introduced in 1952.

The map used was of the two territories, each in a different colour, with portion of Australia’s Cape York Peninsula also included.

Finally, the distinguishing feature of the 5/- issue from Nauru was an outline map of this (or Pleasant) island, on which fourteen divisions were included, with Anibare Bay on the right.

The stamp was one of the 1954 pictorial series.