Page 192 - Sutcliffe A to Z Collection

?ori:. Antonio Regi.el:ration.

P¥lor to the ea~ly 1900'8 it ..s nor•al for all registered

~il tor oe~tinations oui~ide ih• t~land io ;o ~o ~ha q.P.O. at

Xi~gaton ~here it received th• reeistralion n.od5t.-ps before

o~ward trana.isGiOn. ~o~ever, in the earlr 1900'$ aH exception
~a& mado. in ihe case ol mail lrom Port At>tonio.

'l'n!5 port was then the main e1eporh11~ pol"t .for l:ba b,.;~na

!rsde an~ one ot the large'~ growers was ihe United truit Co~pany

l!.ho onned lllD"¥ e<>tat.e~ in {he area ol the port as well as tl.e
touru.i hotel, the TiichHeld llotel.

~unning regular service& fro• Port Anionic to the U.S.A. the

C~Pa~ also held oi that time the ~ail t~ntract tor delivery io
the u.s.A ., and also owNed a fleet of £ast ships to &nsure such

detiverf and the epee~ tranoporiation oJ tbe bana~'rop.
The Co~pany ana *he coa~erctSl world et tne port objec~ed to

*],c oela.t ot re~ sterad leHeYs go1ng to it;lnQ>ion /or registration

and return - us11all~ a putod ot fivE< d.Jl'S - a£ ei-ther a shit> had
io b4 ~eld b~ck or the ~ail bed to watt for & lattr ehip.

~ho solution was io allow ihe Port Antonio Poet O££ice to

carrr out ~ts own re~:istration so that tf <tppropriote the MDil
Qould 'b~ plsced on board s'hip the sa111e day. T,.,e registration

wa• carried out by a s~n(1t lir>e bandstal\p and four iypes are

shown bdow, two }>airs d tlJ <ii tferent coloured 'lnka.
All the covers ShOwn are United Ft-uit Co. covet.s from Por~

Antonio io the same addreeeoo; all are £T3nked at ~id and hear

Pori Antonio double circle daiers, and the recistration

handetamp.

TI-Je first cover over leaf h;a& a dater ot the ~h :ranuary,

190b, "flE~ISTE'REll" is; in ~:reen/blue. ink in bloc\: fieri£ i-ype.,

57 x 6~•· The reverse be•r~ Boston roct1Vlni ••*•r of ihe

l'th :ranuary, 1906.