St. Paul daily globe., 1892-10-30
STA NfPS, NEW AND OLD.
The Present Two-Center Is Very
Popular. but Is Purposely Nom
Washable

The Present Two-Center Is Very
Popular, but Is Purposely Nom
! Washable.
| Cincinnati Times-Star.
Third Assistant Postmaster General
| Hazen has returned to Washington after
unique vacation trip to the coast Of
Maine and Nova Scotia, while his fam
| lily remained at Atlantic City, He re-
turns to his desk in the department.
Drowned and healthy, and with pleas
| ant remembranceS of his little family
reunion. During his absence the Amer
ican Bank Note company. which has
the contract for making the postal
stamps, has been working Oh
the designs for the Colum-
, out on the Ist of January and to
continue i'll use during the year. in honor
of the anniversary of Columbus dis
covery of America. These designs are
only suggestive, and Gen. HaZen has
yet to lay them before the postmaster
general. There is not much time to
spare if the plates are to be prepared
and the new issue made ready by Jan.
l. One of the designs will be head of
Columbus. Another will be the land
ing of Columbus, from the well-known
American painting representing Colum-
bus standing on the shore of America.
sword in one hand and banner In the
other.
The same picture was used in the de-
sign for the iifteen-cent stamp of the
issue of 1869. These stamps were
printed in two colors and the scene was
set in the center OF a square. with
wide border surrounding it. 1t may be
that the department will have to make
| the Columbian stamps square to allow
room for the elaborate DESIGNS with
which it is proposed to decorate them.
In the stamps of 1859 much of the de-
sign was sacrificed because it was I'M
possible to crowd so many figures into
so small space as was allowed on the
stamp sur face.
asked Mr.. Hazen if the department
would return to the present two-cent
stamp at the end of the year or go back
beyond that to the venetian red stamp
which was so popular few years ago.
"We will probably. 90 back to the
stamp now in use," said Mr. Hazen. II
think that this issue has been very pop
ular. We have seen very few criticisms
OF it. There is all advantage iii the
color now used which we do not talk
about very much because it might sug-
will not bear washing. OF course there
is not much danger that any one will
commit great fraud in this direction,
because any one who washed stamps in
quantity would be detected trying to
dispose of them. But it is just as we'll
to be provided against it; and these
stamps will not bear washing. Now,
the old red was pretty fast color. So
was the old green, which was so unpop-
ular"
suggested that perhaps the introduce
ton OF one-cent postage would make
new popular stamp necessary. Tho
postal revenues now almost meet the
expenses, and according to the theory
OF Mr.. Wanamaker that the postal rev.
enueS are a trust fund. and to be eX-
pended only in the postal service, one
cent postage would seem to be threat
ening.
1--WE can always find good use for the
postal revenue improving the service
without reducing the rate of POSTAGE
said Mr.. HaZen. "The present rate is
the same as the English penny post
rate, and ii you reckon distances our
rates are much lower than those in
England"
Speaking of the number of stamps
that would be used in excess OF the
usual consumption when the new issue
is made, Mr.. Hazen said: ''You will find
that there will be a rush of advertising
as soon as the new stamps come out.
There always is when new issue of
stamps is made. Merchants wait to get
the first batch of stamps and use them
i'll sending out circulars, because they
attract attention. The department rev.
enue will be increased by this quite a
little when the new stamps are issued"