Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-09-26
PRESIDENT PLACES
CORNER STONE AT
POST OFFICE RITES
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Continued From First Page.)
| Gus factor in uniting the Colonies
against oppression was chiefly due to
Franklin's sagacity and political shrewd-
ness, as well as to his genius for organ
ization and administration.
by resolution of the Continental
Congress, adopted July rs. IT'S. Frank
lin became the first American Postmas-
ter General, independent of the British
government. AS the founder and first
head of the modern postal establish
ment, his name will be inscribed on the
west facade Of the building which we
are now erecting"
In outlining the expansion of the pos
| tai service up to the present and en-
phasizing its effect as factor in the
| upbuilding of the country, Brown re-
called that 1t had been one of the prin-
ciipal Observation-Disclosures in furthering the
| development of transportation facilities.
| Just as today the Government is ex-
| tending its aid through the postal serv-
ice to the air transport industry as 1t
| struggles to establish itself as an inte-
grail part of the Nations transportation
system" he said, 80 the Post Office
Department of 80 years ago, through
the medium of railroad mail contracts,
gave support to the struggling railroads
as they undertook to extend their lines
and their service to our furthermoSt
frontiers. Without the mails our early
stage lines and our early railroads could
rot have existed. Without these facili-
ties for communication and transpor-
tation our country could have been col
onized and developed but slowly, If
at ALL"
The Postmaster General also laid
emphasis on the unitarian value Of the
new structure. declaring that it will per-
tivities. some of which have been forced
into the City Post Office, because Of
lack of space. It also will. he said,
greatly enhance the comfort of our
personnel, lessen our operating costs,
increase the efficiency Of our bureaus
and divisions and add greatly to the
convenience of ~, public, members of
Congress asd otllG otlsiSls having bust
ness with the department
Smoot Praises Project.
In the same vein, Senator Smoot
spoke of the new building as part of
! the great program now under way here.
saying that mot only will it provide
facilities which have long been urgently
, needed for the proper conduct of BUSH
| ness at the seat of Government, but it
! will contribute magnificently to the
! beauty and dignity of the Nations Capt.
tai"
Recalling the development of the
Capital visioned by Washington and
L'Enfant, Senator Smoot said: 1T is es-
pecialy appropriate, therefore, we
dedicate this magnificent new building
for the Post Office Department as
part of q comprehensive plan to provide
49, (NHry-
eminent services at the National Capt.
tai, that we should gratefully acknowl-
edge that in a most literal sense we
are simply carrying out program
which was laid out for us at the be-
ginning of our history by our revered
first President"
Sketches History.
Senator Smoot also sketched the his
tory of the department in Washington.
The Post Office Department" he
said, was among the few agencies Of
| the Government which were established
| by the First Congress when it met in
| New York City following Washington's
| Inauguration.
In the year 1900 the department
was brought to the District of Colum-
bia. along with the rest of the Gov
eminent and located in a building
rented for It's use at the corner Of
! Ninth and E streets, but few steps
| from where We now stand.
In 1910 the Government purchased
building on street between Sew
enth and Eighth for the use of the
General and City Post Ofiices and the
Patent Office, where the Post Office
Department was housed until the con-
struction of the building which it now
occupies. in 1899.
In the 80 years which have elapsed
since the construction of the present
building the postal business of the
country has increased from 500 600 900
to approximately $700,000.000 year
and the number of employees in the
from $50 to more than $500. The de-
partment has long since outgrown its
present building"
Commemorative of the ceremony to-
day, an Scent airmail stamp and
stamped envelope went on sale
here this morning; after O'Clock,
a special cachet is being Affixed to
mail along with the new postmark
for the Benjamin Franklin Station.
, which became the designation Of the
Pennsylvania avenue station at that
hour. The cachet depicts the two ex-
tremes in postal transportation-horse
and plane
The Post Office Department closed
at pm. to allow the staff to
participate in the ceremonies, which
also drew postal representatives from
throughout the country. Included