Evening star., 1933-07-16
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

Gen. Italo Balbo and his squadron
of planes have reached Chicago. sue
cessfully completing their transatlantic
tourney from Rome. via the Neither
lands Ireland Iceland. Labrador, New
Brunswick and Canada. The phila-
telic significance of their feat already
has been given abundant publicity But
the exact number OF letters carried
has not been announced. If the postal
cargo proves TO have been small, each
individual unit of it will be exceedingly
valuable The COS. Of the special
stamps prepared for the fight was too
high for the average collector. and Il
therefore IS presumed that not many
were sold
The larger importance of the tour
Is that of tho trend it indicates. Squad
ron flying across the ocean now Will be-
come increasingly common. The de-
velopment OF rapid transatlantic postal
communication, therefore, may be eX
pected.
First Assistant Postmaster General
J. C. OMahoney believes that the Post
Office Department will close the present
fiscal year without a deficit This end
he saws, should be possible of accom-
plishment without impairing the stand
ards of service.
The New York Times says: The con-
troversy over whether postmasterslllps
should be included under civil service
or should continue as part of the spoilS
system ard Of the political machines
dates hack many years.
The frs Fece~al Civil Service Com
mission was established in 1871. Under
its prOyiSiCns competitive examine Us
were established for the Post Office De-
rartmcn' and the New York City post
office The commission was discontinued
in 1873 because of lack Of appropria-
tions. and it was 10 years later that
permanent civil service system was es-
tablished
president Arthur classified the en-
ployaS of the Post Office Department in
WASHINGTON and of post Offices having
at least 40 employees by the act Of 1888.
During the great civil service reform
battle in President Cleveland's admins
tration. Cleveland greatly enlarged the
classified system.
Letter carriers post Office clerks and
railway postal clerks were brought into
the classified system early. but post
masters of all classes were kept outside
because Of their Importance to political
machines.
1T was during the Cleveland admin
lSiIdtbJl tlldl IIlsONOlC INOOHCNt4l' tliSil
Civil Service commissioner. drew up the
famous distinction between employees
within and without the classified service
with respect to political activity. This
declared that employees in the classified
service should not take any active part
III political management or in political
campaigns although they retained the
right to vote as they pleased and to eX-
press privately their views on all politi-
cal subjects. This distinction remains
In effect today.
president Harrison. b. executive
order in 1898. extended the Classifca-
ton to all frce-doliycry post Offices
President Taft issued al CXeCutiVe order
in 1910 bringing all assistant post
masters into the competitive class. and
in the same year caused al the fourth
class pOstmasterS north of the Ohio
River and east OF the Mississippi River
to be classified. In 1912 President Taft
extended the latter order to bring in
all fourth-class pOstmasters.
"On March 81. 1917. President Wilson
issued an executive order establishing
competitive examinations for the ap-
pointment of the first, second and third
classes This order required the Civil
Service Commission to certify the top
men in competitive examinations.
an executive order issued by President
Harding so that any one of the three
highest eligibles could be selected.
POSTMASTER General Farley announced
In April that Civil Service examinations
of candidates for postmasterS would be
maintained and that Republican post
masters would be continued until the
end of their terms if they were giving
satisfactory service. He announced that
there would be about 2,400 vacancies
in postnasterships,
There are 47.S72 cities, towns and
villages in the United States. Hawaii.
Alaska and Puerto Rico in which the
Government maintains post Offices. OF
these. 1902 are offices III which the
postmaster has been named by the
President. The others are fourth-class
Offices
Weekly Phi.atelic Gossip. Holton,