Adhesive GIRO stamps were created
for use in the Philippines by the Royal Order of October 28, 1878. These
stamps were created to replace the stamped paper for DOCUMENTOS DE GIRO
(Documents for the Circulation of Money) which had been in use since 1837.
The Royal Order of July 17, 1836, required Documentos de Giro to be written
upon a special form of stamped paper which was issued and sold by the Government
for that purpose. Four classes of documents were made subject to this stamp
tax:
| 1: Bills of exchange; |
| 2: Warrants payable to order; |
| 3: Promissory notes; and |
| 4: Letters of credit for a fixed
amount |
The Royal Order of October 28, 1878,
abolished the stamped paper for these documents and provided that the stamp
rtax should be paid by affixing adhesive GIRO stamps to the documents.
[69]
The same Royal Order, was published
in a decree of the Governor-General, dated December 9, 1878. The pertinent
portions of the decree are as follows:
5. In substitution
for the DOCUMENTOS DE GIRO (stamped paper for bills of exchange and
promissory notes) whose use in these Islands the Royal Order
of the 17th of July of 1836 established, making the law of the 26th
of May 1833 extensive to the same, relative to said particular
loose (adhesive) stamps are created, which will be labeled for DOCUMENTOS
DE GIRO of the following classes and prices: |
| 1. To
draw a DOCUMENTO DE GIRO for P250.00 or less |
20c.
de peso |
| 2. P250.05
to P625.00 |
40c |
| 3. P625.05
to P1,250.00 |
75c |
| 4. P1,250.05
to P2,500.00 |
1.50 peso |
| 5. P2,500.05
to P3,750.00 |
2.25 |
| 6. P3,750.05
to P5,000.00 |
3.00 |
| 7. P5,000.05
to P6,250.00 |
3.75 |
| 8. P6,250.05
to P7,500.00 |
4.50 |
| 9. P7,500.05
to P8,750.00 |
5.25 |
| 10. P8,750.05
to P10,000.00 |
6.00 |
| 11. P10,000.05
to P11,250.00 |
6.75 |
| 12. P11,250.05
and above |
7.50 |
6. The
stamps for Documentos de Giro will express the prices and the
quantity which can be drawn, with them. |
7. He who
signs a Documentos de Giro has the obligation of putting the
corresponding stamp on the same, on which the date
and signature (rubrica) will be repeated.
The merchants who use a private seal (timbre) may stamp
it instead of the signature on the mentioned stamp. When
he who signs the document has failed to cancel the stamp in
the manner indicated, that lack may be repaired by the
drawee (tomador), or by any of the endorsers, putting the date
on which the cancellation takes place by which he will avoid his responsibility
and it will be exacted only from the previous endorsers
and the drawer. |
8. On Documentos
de Giro preceding from foreign countries, the first
endorser in this Archipelago or, in case of his failure,
the person who presents them for payment must put the loose (adhesive)
stamp of which the preceding paragraphs treat. |
9. There
will be excepted from the use of GIRO stamps, those (documents) which
are made in the name and service of the State and
which the dependencies of the Treasury verify (verifican) for
benefit of the public. |
10. When
because of the loss of a bill of exchange,
or for any other cause, a second, or more, is issued
with reference to the prior, the person who solicits
the issue of the new document will
furnish the stamp. The stamp of the copies
will be furnished by the persons who demand the
same. |
11. The
stamps for DOCUMENTOS DE GIRO will be
put on the same face of the paper in which the signature
of the drawer is found,
In a place where it does not impede
the reading of what is written. - |
Likewise,
his Majesty has deigned to order;
3, That
until the loose (adhesive) stamps for Documentos
de Giro are received in that Archipelago, the stamped
paper (efectos) which exist created on them or a specimen
of those which the State sells, cancelled with a notation
signed by the drawer, granter, etc…., in which
is indicated the date and principal, circumstances
of the document for which
it serves to pay the tax, is attached
to those which the merchants employ"……..[70]
Manila,
December 9, 1878.
The
Governor-General
Milones |
The tariff provided
by Article 5 of the decree above
quoted is the exact peso-equivalent of the
tariff established by the Royal Order of
July 17, 1836, except in the case of Classes 1
and 2. The exact peso-equivalent for Class
1 would be P0.1875 and for Class 2 would be P0.375. The denominations
of these two classes of stamps were evidently fixed
at P0.20 and P0.40, respectively, In order to
avoid fractional values.
The date of issue of
the adhesive Giro stamps created by the decree of October
28, 1878, is given by For bin as 1880, and as January
1880 by postage Stamps of the Philippines by
Bartels, Foster and Palmer. This is probably
correct, as there was usually an interval of at
least a year between the date of each Royal
Decree and the actual issue of the
stamps created thereby. The writer has been unable, however,
to verify the actual date of issue. |
