The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-17

lowed by the White Plains Battle
stamp in the same year, the Green
Mountain Boys of Vermont and the
Burgoyne Surrender in 1927, Wash
ington at Valley Forge, and Molly
Pitcher in 1928 and the George Rog-
ers Clark and the General Sullivan
stamps in 1929.
During 1890 other events of the
Revolution probably will be commem-
Grated and a movement has already
been started for special series to
celebrate the tercentenary of the
Massachusetts Bay colony founding.
Two special stamps, honoring great
Americans, have appeared in the last
three years. In 1927 Lindbergh's epic
flight across the Atlantic was hon.
ored in a special air-mail stamp and
during the past year Thomas Edison
was honored with stamp commem-
Grating the fiftieth anniversary of the
invention Of the incandescent lamp. In
connection with the latter two, many
persons wondered why portraits OF
Lindbergh and Edison did not appear
on the stamps which bore the mes
sage of their fame. The reason was
that the law of the land prohibits the
use Of the portrait Of living Amer
lean on the postage stamps of our
country. (And for similar reason
this article is not illustrated with re-
productions of any American stamp.
1t is "agin the law" to illustrate
United States stamps, the same as
United States currency or coinsD So
the Lindbergh stamp showed his IA
nous plane, the Spirit of st. Louis,
and the Edison Light Golden Jubilee
stamp showed picture Of the first
incandescent light.
Another interesting fact about the
Lindbergh stamp is that 100000
of this issue were printed Virtually
all Of them have been bought up, CIV
ing Uncle Sam a net profit of $1,000
600, post office officials estimate.
Since only a few of the stamps have
been used, the officials estimate that
at least 100000 of them will be re-
tanned as souvenirs. The fact that
these stamps contain an error will
make them more valuable In later
years, it is predicted. The error is
that Newfoundland is shown as sew.
eral islands instead of large piece
of land fringed with indentations.
About 10,OO0,OO0,000 postage stamps
are printed for our Post Office de-
partment each year by the bureau of
engraving and printing at Washing
ton. Dies are made and stamps are
printed in sheets Of 400 each. After
being printed and dried the sheets
are taken to the cumming machines.
Each machine is surmounted by a
tank from which carefully regulated
stream of special gum is fed into
pan, at one end of which it comes
into contact with an adjustable re-
v6lving roller. After being gummed
the sheets pass into tunnel where
the temperature is kept at 100 de-
grees. This tunnel is u feet long and
the stamps take a minute and half
to traverse it. When they reach the
other end they are dry and ready for
the perforating machines. 1t is esti-
mated that the department sells some
thing like 14,OOO,OO0,00O postage
stamps Gall denominations), 1,250,OO
600 postal cards and 2,75O,O0O,OOO
stamped envelopes each year.
Although the postage stamp is a
comparatively recent innovation In
usage by mankind, the idea of postal
service conducted by the government
for the carrying and distributing Of
the written messages between its peo-
pie goes back to ancient times. The
first postal systems" were in Baby
lonia, Egypt and China, but they were
little more than mere courier services
to keep the kings and emperors and
government officials in communication
with their subordinates, according to
a recent bulletin Of the National Geo
graphic society, which traces the
development of the postal system as
follows:
Some of these systems. such as that
u
were elaborate. Posts or stations
were established at intervals along the
highways, and at them horses were
kept in readiness. Interference with
the kings messengers was on pain
of death. The idea that they might
carry messages or objects for private
citizens would have been considered
not only preposterous, but reasonable
as we'll These early Persian couriers
rriad bricks for the MESA Res Ver0
Impressions baked into clay.
On into the Middle Ages the idea
extended that a country's postal serv-
ice was "the kings post" for govern
mental use only. Such a service was
maintained by Charlemagne and by
lesser rulers.
The first instance in relatively mod
ern times in which the public was ad-
mitted to the use of the royal post
was in France In 1881. under Louis
XII
States had its roots directly In the
British system. The latter grew up
by degrees from the royal courier
service, as on the continent During
most of the Seventeenth century the
postal privilege was Harmed out" but
in 1855 the service was taken over and
operated by the government. The sys-
tenn was extended to the American col.
onies, but owing to the great stretches
of wilderness 1t was for a long time
slow and primitive. Benjamin Frank
lin was postmaster general toward the
end Of the colonial period and first
admitted newspapers to the post. After
the break with Great Britain, Frank.
lin was made first postmaster genera
of the independent American system.