Evening star., 1933-09-03
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BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
Unconfrmed rumors are current to
the effect that the Post Office Depart
ment has asked the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing to prepare COM
plete new series of regular stamps to be
placed on sale January /.
The values said to be specified are
12c, 1c, 1l2c, &c, Sc, 4c, SC, &c, 7c, &c,
SC, 10c, lie, 12c, 13c, lac, 15c, tic, zoe,
Csc, soc, soc. 81, 50 and SIS, total Of
25 denominations.
At the request of President Roose-
velt it is reported, one design will show
a portrait of Calvin Coolidge.
No official announcement on the sub
ject has been released. A statement
may be issued when Postmaster Gen
eral Farley returns from the West.
No final decision has been reached in
the matter of the proposed l and 2
cent N R. A. stamps.
A request that stamps be issued to
commemorate noted American artists
has been made by the National Com
letter to Postmaster General Farley.
The object of the organizations cam
paign is &c hiring about a greater ap-
probation of the fine arts"
Tie --osciusko commemorative stamp,
to pe issued October 13 for first-day
gale at Chicago, Detroit, Boston and,
1t is hoped, Washington, will be fiat
plate process product. The initial order
Is for 5O,o00,00O.
Referring to the soc stamp to be is
sued for the Graf Zeppelin flight from
Germany to Chicago via Rio de Janeira
and Pernambuco, Mekeels says: With
the machinery of the Post Office De-
partment urging the sending of flight
letters. hundreds of converts to philately
will be obtained. The radio broadcast
ing, newspaper stamp departments and
Post Office Department propaganda in
its news service to the country will.
combined, produce a measure Of pub
licity no other single stamp has ever
received
President Roosevelt. Postmaster Gen.
eral Farley, Secretary of the Interior
1ckes, Third Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral Eilenberger Director of the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing Hall and Su-
perintendent OF Stamps Eidsness have
been elected honorary patrons of the
American Philatelic Society.
NldIly la VIC DCCll ICNClsCo
concerning arrangements for the first
day sale of the Century of Progress
American Philatelic Society imperforate
stamps at Chicago, August 25. There
appears to have been unnecessary con-
fusion at the special philatelic station
at the Medinah Michigan Avenue Club.
Patrons perforce were obliged to ascend
10 floors above the street to make their
purchases, and the elevator service was
altogether inadequate. During the
morning hundreds of men, women and
children waited in line for hours. Only
after long delay were a sufficient num-
ber of windows opened at the City Post
Office. With SO much advance pub
licity, the postal authorities in Chicago
Should have anticipated rush of busl-
ness and made plans commensurate
with the need.
There were difficulties also with re-
spect to cancellations. For example,
Keith Misegades. Washington col
lector, received at $50 am, August 26,
an airmail cover postmarked at Chi
cago at pm, August 25, and 430
am. August 26 Obviously, there was
an irregularity somewhere in the cir
cumStanceS.
Many cancellations were so carelessly
applied as to render the covers thus
1mishandled worthless.
For the second time this year COL
1ectorS have been disappointed by the
Chicago Post Office management. 1t
would seem that an explanation is in
order.
Royal H. Holbrook, a contributor,
writing in Mekeel's for August %, tells
of the first-day sale of the N. R. A.
stamp at Mira, Washington County,
Iowa, August II. The village, he says.
consists of a population of 20 souls, a
general store, vacant depot OF the
Rock Island system, several empty
houses and store buildings, and Men,
monte church" The community was
established back in the 70's and was
named Mira from the given name OF
Mrs W. B. Bell"
when the N. r. A. stamp was about
to be issued" Mr.. Holbrook reports,
Representative Edward E. Eicher of
the first congressional district, born In
this county. was informed of the fact
and secured a date, August II, for
frst-day cancellation.
ON the morning of this day by 6
o'clock the writer had driven SO miles
to be first in line and get the first
sheet of stamps from the two plates,
21153 and 21154. Others present from
over the State included A. J. Jenista OF
the Hawkeye Stamp Co., Cedar Rapids,
and F. A. Spielman, Fairfield.
The Associated Press came from
Davenport and Rock Island with three
carrier pigeons which carried back to
their homes a long news story OF the
event, thus establishing an air mail
special delivery service.
The first stamp was sent to Presl-
dent Roosevelt by Postmaster Eli Yoder,
whose family makes up about one-thlrd
of the population of the community, ana
they were busy for few days in get
ting orders filled for 10000 cancelia-
tions.
THE second stamp was sent to Mrs.
W. w. Wilson, Washington, Iowa. the
daughter of Mrs. Bell, after whom the
town is named The third stamp was
given to Mrs. William McClelland, the
oldest living person in the town.
watermelon was served freely to
all who came to the exercises OF the
morning hour held in honor OF the
event"
The word mira" in its original sig
nificance, means a heady, Intoxicating
beverage, distilled from palm tree
found in Sumatra.
Protests promote protests. Complaint,
against the presumptlve RUSSIAN
Character of the design of the N. R. A.
stamp and against the quality OF the
represented in the issue
have brought indignant reactions from
numerous readers. One writes: II the
attribute of vigorous action. as depicted
in the marching figures, is Russian, the
idea is novel. There are people VINO
have been accustomed to thinking OF
If as classic Greek Another declares
that scythes still are used by hundreds
of farmers in the United States. Still
another insists that 'the artisan
smock is not bit Russian. I was born
in that country. and happen to know
the real article when I see it." AS 1or
the engraving, one correspondent ex,