A change in the rates of postage, effective on 1st July, 1931, to three cents for the first ounce or fraction of an ounce, on letters for Canada, the British Empire, the United States, and certain other countries, necessitated the provision of a 13-cent stamp. This rate covered both postage and registration on letters weighing not more than one ounce. The Department considered that such a stamp would be useful to large mailing concerns and to the public in general. The 12-cent pictorial stamp of the 1930 issue had been intended for this purpose, but the change in postage rates destroyed much of its usefulness.
View of the Citadel at Quebec. This scene shows the fortress from the St. Lawrence River; Dufferin Terrace appears on the right, the Lower Town at the foot of the cliff, and Cape Diamond at the left. The scene recalls an era when a continuous stream of adventurers and pioneers traveled past the great fortress in search of new homes and opportunities in the New World.