Evening star., 1934-05-27

JiiC WuclhAlStOu fA1lotChS ooSACty 3oi
the organization.
is not too late to bring out a stamp
in tribute to Gen. Lafayette.
In conclusion, he said: LET us
glance down the corridor of years
What do We see? I suggest that the
vision of the new era, which surely
is dawning, includes larger phila-
telic public than ever before, better
organized and more closely knit phila-
telicN societies, stronger and more
intelligent philatelic press, more COM
prehensive and scientific treatment of
philatelic news in the regular press,
a more efficient philatelic agency and
better advised philatelic policy on
the part of the Post ONCE Depart
ment, improved methods of manu-
facture in the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, fewer but more inter-
esting issues of stamps, and a more
general and sympathetic fellowship
of all parties for the promotion of
those values which experience sug-
gests are the more effective and
durable.
"All this cannot happen by acci-
dent. It will come only through the
enterprise, the devotion. the CO.
operation and the enthusiasm of COL
lectors in general. 1t will be their
spirit which will quicken the new era
of philately into life"
James Waldo Fawcett also ad-
dressed the gathering and, with Mr..
y; &.I
ship in the society and presented
with the Maryland Tercentenary
medal.
Philip G. Straus, president, was
chairman. Among others present
were William H. Beck, vice president;
John S. Rowan. secretary; Herbert o.
Sauer. treasurer; DR.. Howard H. War;
ner, DR.. Albin H. Warth, Capt.
Thomas Phillips. John c. Dorsch,
Howard c. Beck, Richard H. Thomp-
son and Perry Fuller.
The dinner was held at the Lord
Baltimore Hotel.
Speaking from Station WMAL
Thursday, Senator Joseph c. O'Mahoney
of Wyoming discussed "The Service
1QdC CeueuLS Tie OLuOu
ITO degree that is not commonly
understood" he said, "the postal
service enters into the daily life of
every inhabitant of the country.
Without it, neither the social nor
the business life of modern America
would be possible. 1t has been pri-
mary factor In the growth Of the
Nation, because it has always been
and, regardless of telegraph, tele-
phone and radio, still continues to
be, the most efficient means of COM
mercial. industrial and educational
intercourse. No other governmental
function, State or Federal, has made
any contribution comparable to that
of the postal service In Transforming
the United States from a federation
of separate sovereignties into an eco
nomic and social whole.
From the earliest days. 1t was the
policy of the Congress to encourage
intercommunication among the wide
" scattered communities Of the
several States. A controversy has
on the one hand, who argued that
the best possible facilities should be
provided regardless Of cost, and those,
on the other, who held that the postal
revenues should ever be the measure
of the extent and quality of the
service. The exponents of both points
of view always agreed, however. in
the belief that the service should be
expanded and that the cost to the
patrons should be kept down. All
agreed that the Government should
provide an efficient, speedy and all
embracing means of spreading intel
ligence. To make this possible rates
have been uniformly kept low. spe-
cial consideration has been given to
communications which could be called
educational in their nature, and large
sums have been expended to provide
the means of communication where
none existed, witness the compare
lively high rates that were paid for
stage coach transportation when the
country was being settled.
I'm the early days, the Congress
paid comparatively little attention to
the power the Constitution gave 1t to
establish post roads as well as post
offices. Indeed, it was not until
President Wilson signed the first
Federal highway bill in 1915 that
the real development Of post roads
began. In the II years which have
since elapsed, considerably over a
billion dollars have been expended by
the Federal Government alone In the
construction of constantly spreading
network of highways from one end
of the country to the other. State
lines have vanished and good roads
have made intercommunication
easier than ever before. Curiously
enough, as the post roads improved
and extended, the number of post
offices actually declined. Last year
there were 47,600 post Offices In the
United States as compared with
$500 in 1916. Thirty years ago.
before the days of the automobile
and the State road. there were more
than 10000 post Offices in the coun-
try. but the service has been steadily
increasing. The revenues IN 1915
were only $3l2.000.000 as compared
with the peak of $705 ,000, 600 IN l93o
and the depression revenues OF $587,-
| 600 900 for the year ended last June
"In 1916, the Post Once Depart
ment spent approximately 1000, ,000
to provide rural delivery service
From 1925 to 1882, the expenditure
exceeded $l03, ,000, 900 annually. Since
its establishment in 1897, the delivery
of mail on rural routes has cost the
Government in excess Of two billion
dollars, but it has brought the mosi
isolated hamlets and the most distant
farms into close communication VIII
the largest metropolitan centers IL
the country"
Senator OMahoney then outlined
the history of the rural mail service
and gave an analysis Of the relation
between great centers of manufactur-
| ing and commerce and the country
market for commodities Of different
kinds. The cost of postal service. ne
explained, exceeds receipts IN many
communities, but the service as 9
whole justifies its existence In terms
of dollars and cents as in other ways
In closing, he declared: int
postal service is your service. 1t Il
L t,,o earvira that reyrnepts the IIY1f0n