Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-05-10
The Once Over


Complaints are being heard from all over the coun-
try that the government Is not using enough muciiage
ON its postage stamps. Uncle Sam will not admit he
is skimping on the "stickum." but the fact remains
that stamps do not stick as they used TO.
That the glue was cut during the Coolidge admin
I~istratson as an economy measure has been limited a.
but Calvin denies he cid anything to lower the pro-
duction costs OF two-cent stamps. He kept the postage
stamps I'D to the standard Of his predecessors In
quality and workmanship. he insists, and II the ones
the people are getting today are inferior It isn't ms
fault.
Mr.. Hoover's postmaster general is investigating,
but doesn't think a~nything's wrong. He Is inclined %
Think that the complaints are coming from people VINO
got hold Of some stale stamps.
Opinions on the situation follow:
President Hoover-I guarantee the American peo-
pie plenty of glue on postage stamps as long as J am
in office. The country is under heavy expense, but
Il certainly can afford mucilage enough for all.
Ex-President Coolidge-No glue was thinned at my
orders. All stamps sold under my administration
we're worth every cent a man paid for them. and there
was no attempt made to increase the margin Of profit
in ones and twos.
vice President curtis-The stamps taste as good to
me as they ever did.
Secretary Mellon-I know OF no reduction In the
quality OF postage stamps. yet IL Is only fair 10 point
out that at present prices there Is no money In them
Everything has gone up. Paper costs more, paste costs
more-end labor costs more. Good postage stamp edge
cutters and scallopers get so per cent higher wages
than they used to and a master glue-dauber gets 80
per cent more with the five-day week. Then. too. We
have to pay our stamp statesmen twice what they used
to get. It's all pretty discouraging.
Elmer TwitchelI-AI I know is that whereas I used
to have to boil an envelope ten minutes to get a stamp
off I now have to soak it in glue ten minutes to put a
stamp on. I have had two-cent stamps tested BY a
chemist lately and he reported that instead OF glue
on the back OF them the government was using a
mixture of Vienna roll polish. duck soup and tan shoe
polish. | think the stamps are all right II the post
office would give you thumb tacks with them.
AMERICANA
Q-why are those men running 50 fast; are they
track athletes7
A-No. they're an assistant district attorney. two
and a sheriff.
Q-Are they chasing somebody
A-No: a murder suspect is being photographed by
the newspapers and they are afraid they won't get
into the picture.
Reporters have phone In stories from an airplane
in midair. but sustained flights being somewhat lin
tied. the big question Is what will happen when an
aerial scribe gets instructions from a hard-hoiled ed
itor to go up after that story and don't come down
until you get it?"
FASHION NOTE
Elmer Twitchell says he wonders If the styles will
ever change 50 that a woman will look like q woman
once more.
Amos @ Pipp spent yesterday at the Waldorf-As-
toria auction trying to buy, as a souvenir. q floor lamp
against which he cut open his head the night he was
thrown out for asking for a So room with bath.