Page 95 - Chinese International Airmail to 1949

3.3 Uniform Overseas Air Mail Rates in Gold $

Rampant inflation caused a currency revaluation in August 1948. A new currency of Gold Dollars was introduced
with an effective exchange rate of 1 Gold $ = 3,000,000 CNC $. Old adhesives were valid at this exchange rate. The
Post Office quoted rates in the new currency from 6 November 1948. All prices in the table below are in Gold $.
Despite the revaluation, inflation continued and rate changes had to be made rapidly.

Ref Effective Date Days Surf 20g Surf+20g Air / 10g Single Regn Fee
UOR 11 6 Nov 1948 14 0.35 0.20 1 1.35 0.60
UOR 12 20 Nov 1948 22 2 1 00 5 7 3
UOR 13 12 Dec 1948 20 4 2 50 14 18 6
UOR 14 1 Jan 1949 15 10 6 30 40 15
UOR 15 16 Jan 1949 22 20 12 60 80 30
UOR 16 7 Feb 1949 22 80 50 250 330 100
UOR 17 1 Mar 1949 10 300 150 800 1,100 400
UOR 18 11 Mar 1949 10 450 250 1,200 1,650 600
UOR 19 21 Mar 1949 11 800 500 2,300 3,100 1,100
UOR 20 1 Apr 1949 10 1,500 900 4,300 5,800 2,200
UOR 21 11 Apr 1949 6 4,400 2,600 12,600 17,000 6,300
UOR 22 17 Apr 1949 12 11,000 6,400 30,000 41,000 15,000

The routes flown remained as before: mail to the Americas went via FAM 28 from Shanghai, mail to Europe was
carried by BOAC or Air France from Hong Kong, and mail for Australasia went by BOAC/QANTAS via Hong Kong.

3.3.1 Gold $ Rate UOR 11: 6 Nov 1948 to 19 Nov 1948 (14 days).

Surface first 20g $0.35 Air per 10g $1.00 Surface extra 20g $0.20

9 Nov 1948 ‑ Shanghai to New York, USA. No backstamps.
Mixed franking, with a pair of CNC $ 2,000,000 and a pair of Gold $ ½c adhesives.
Applying the 3,000,000:1 exchange rate, each $2,000,000 stamp was worth 67c, hence a pair was worth $1.34 and, when
added to the 2 x ½c, a total of $1.35 has been paid. This was the correct postage for a single rate letter to the USA.
Single rate letter $0.35 + $1.00 = $1.35.