Today in Postal History

This UPU postal card was probably sent from Caracas
although the message is datelined La Guayra.

La Guayra is in the Federal District about 23 miles north of Caracas.
The CDS cancelling the indicia is not legible.

There is a nice bright purple stamp for
TESORERÍA GRAL. DE INSTRUCCIÓN PÚBLICA

This translates as General Treasury for Public Instruction.
Such overprints were used on early postal stationery.
Their use provided extra revenue to help
pay for school building and paying teachers.
Similarly, stamps inscribed  ESCUELAS or
INSTRUCCIÓN also provided revenue for schools.
This tax was created by the decree of June 27, 1870,
under the goverment of Antonio Guzmán Blanco.*

The destination was Strassburg.
En route it passed through New York City
where it received a FOREIGN N.Y. TRANSIT on September 6.
It arrived in Strassburg on September 16.

*Thanks to Williams Castillo for the information about the school revenue issues of Venezuela.
He also is the author of the pages discussing the tax and found the Blanco link..
Further, he suggests that the card may be H&G 5.

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Pastnotes Index - The First 300 and the Next 208
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