POST OFFICE IN PARADISE - Late Treaty Rates

This page last updated: 31 August 2011

::: MAIL RATES - Late Treaty Rates :::

Summary of Letter Rates, August 30, 1863 to June 30, 1870 - The Late Treaty Period:

United States postage rates changed, effective July 1, 1863. Those rates were first applied to mail from Hawaii on August 30, 1863, after news of the rate change reached Hawaii. Several sub-Periods exist in the Late Treaty Period because of mistakes made by postal authorities in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Honolulu in attempting to apply the 1863 rates. On July 1, 1870, a Postal Convention between Hawaii and the United States took effect and controlled postage rates.

A drop letter rate was introduced in the United States along with the other rate changes of July 1, 1863. Drop letters were defined as letters dropped for recipients at the office where mailed. Prepayment of the drop rate with United States stamps was required. Hawaii mail for San Francisco addressees qualified if prepaid in stamps because they were deposited in the United States mail at San Francisco. Until April 30, 1865, the proper prepaid drop rate was 2¢ plus a 2¢ ship fee for a total charge of 4¢, all to be paid in United States stamps. Prepayment without stamps might also have been tolerated but no such covers have been discovered to date. Collect mail to San Francisco addressees should have been rated at the normal double domestic rate, or 6¢. Surviving collect letters from Hawaii for San Francisco addressees show some were rated at 6¢ due and others at 4¢ due with no apparent pattern. Moreover, prepayment in Hawaiian stamps rather than United States stamps apparently was tolerated

On May 1, 1865, the United States reduced the drop rate to 1¢ in cities (such as San Francisco) without a free carrier delivery. However, Hawaiian letters addressed to San Francisco appear to have been charged 2¢ plus a 2¢ ship fee despite the 1865 reduction. The authority, if any, for that rate has not been found. Finally, there was no drop rate for contract mail. All mail for United States delivery was charged 10¢ per ½ ounce regardless of where it was to be delivered.

August 30, 1863 – July 25, 1864:

Via San Francisco			San Francisco Delivery
	Unpaid	Prepaid	Prepaid or Collect
Hawaii	5¢	5¢	5¢
Ship Fee	-	2¢	2¢
U. S.	6¢	3¢	2¢
Total	11¢	10¢	9¢

August 13, 1864 – September 7, 1864:

Via San Francisco			San Francisco Delivery
	Unpaid	Prepaid	Prepaid or Collect
Hawaii	5¢	5¢	5¢
Ship Fee	-	-	2¢
U. S.	10¢	10¢	2¢
Total	15¢	15¢	9¢

September 13, 1864 – November 10, 1864:

Via San Francisco			San Francisco Delivery
	Unpaid	Prepaid	Prepaid or Collect
Hawaii	5¢	5¢	5¢
Ship Fee	-	2¢	2¢
U. S.	10¢	10¢	2¢
Total	15¢	17¢	9¢

November 11, 1864 – November 23, 1864:

Via San Francisco			San Francisco Delivery
	Unpaid	Prepaid	Prepaid or Collect
Hawaii	5¢	5¢	5¢
Ship Fee	-	-	2¢
U. S.	10¢	10¢	2¢
Total	15¢	15¢	9¢

December 3, 1864 to June 30, 1870 for Letters Carried on Non-Contract Vessels:

Destination	Hawaii postage, per ½ ounce	U.S. ship fee, per letter	U.S. Postage, per ½ ounce	Single letter total	Double letter total
To the U.S., except San Francisco, prepaid	5¢	2¢	3¢	10¢	18¢
To the U.S., except San Francisco, collect	5¢	2¢	6¢	13¢	24¢
To San Francisco, prepaid, until 1 May 1865	5¢	2¢	2¢	9¢	16¢
To San Francisco, collect, until 1 May 1865	5¢	-	4¢	9¢	18¢
To San Francisco, collect, after 1 May 1865	5¢	2¢	2¢	9¢	16¢
To San Francisco, prepaid, after 1 May 1865 and before 1 Oct 1869	5¢	2¢	1¢	8¢	14¢
To San Francisco, prepaid, after 1 Oct 1869	5¢	2¢	2¢	9¢	16¢

September 25, 1867 to June 30, 1870 – The Contract Steamship Rate:

Destination	Hawaii postage, per ½ ounce	U.S. captain's fee, per letter	U.S. Postage, per ½ ounce	Single letter total	Double letter total
To anywhere in the U.S., including San Francisco, prepaid or collect	5¢	-	10¢	15¢	30¢

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