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9 Apr 26 – German Exchange Control 1918-1925
by Dr Robin Pizer
April 9 @ 13:00 – 17:00
Following the Armistice on 11.11.1918, the Council of the People’s Representatives revoked military censorship. In its place they authorised the examination of postal items to and from Germany for tax purposes and economic reasons. Some existing postal supervision offices (Postüberwachungsstelle – PÜ) and postal examination offices (Postprüfungsstelle – PP) of the wartime censorship were retained but were placed under the control of the Ministry of Finance. This was authorised in the Reichsgesetzblatt (Government Law Gazette) on page 1324 as decree number 6543 and was dated 15 November 1918.
Contents
- Introduction
- Important Dates, Map & Numbering System
- Transition from Wartime Censorship
- Examination Counter for the Public
- Postal Supervision Office
- Contents Forms
- Statistical Form and Export Form
- Import of Postage Stamps Forbidden
- Return to Sender due to Flight of Capital Laws
- Import and Export Licences
- Sent or Taken to Customs
- Sent for Confiscation
- Parcels Inspected by the Exchange Control
- Internal Mail Inspected by Error
- Transit Mail Inspected by Error
- Spot Checks from December 1923 to 1925
- Mail to or from less common places around the world.
Provisional exchange control sealing label, used at Berlin W8 PÜ No.1, 20 to 26 July 1921, when official printed labels ran out.
Wording translates to: “1
Opened on the grounds of the law of 15 November 1918 (Government Law Gazette page 1324).”
The office at Stettin was closed in 1919 but clearly re-opened later. This letter was posted at Stettin on 27.6.23 to Helsinki 1.7.23.The label bears the number 5. Does this mean Stettin became Office 5 ? Duisburg was originally office 5 but closed in 1920 and no covers are lnown from it. The extra sentence translates to “The Exchange Control results in the interest of tax and for economic reasons.”
