Evening star., 1935-01-27
BY JAMES WALDO FAwCETT.

BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
Differences between stamp collectors
and the Post Office Department ad-
ministration apparently are approach
ing a climax.
Representative Charles D. Millard
of New York has announced that he
will propose congressional investlga-
ton to determine whether or not
Postmaster General James A. Farley
and other department executives have
distributed half a million dollars
worth" of imperforate sheets OF re-
cent stamps to friends.
The matter has been agitated for
many months, and scores of philatelic
societies have registered protest
against the policy of "favoritiSm"
whereby "a select few" collectors and
some non-collectors have been able to
obtain rare varieties of National Parks,
Mothers day, Byrd and other New
Deal issues.
Mr.. Millard's action follows the
adoption of the following resolution
by the Westchester County Chapter
IS, American Philatelic Society:
whereas this organization, at its
meeting on July 80, 1884, passed a
resolution requesting the officers
of the American Philatelic Society
to call to the attention of the
Post Office Department that the policy
Of issuing imperforate presentation
sheets of stamps would cause con-
fusion and be detrimental to the best
interests of American philately, and
whereas this practice has continued
to the further detriment of collectors
of United States stamps and some OF
these imperforate stamps already have
been offered for sale and there is
nothing to prevent any or all OF them
being offered at some future time; be
it resolved that we demand that the
Post Office Department recall and de-
liver to the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing for destruction all such ir-
regular and contraband productions,
and be it further resolved that copy
of this resolution be forwarded to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a
fellow w-member of the American
Philatelic Society, with the request
that he personally intervene in this
matter in the interests of collectors
in general and for the preservation
of the credit of philately in the
United States"
The demand for the recovery and
destruction of the outlaw rarities was
indorsed at informal meetings held
in Washington Wednesday and Thurs
day and attended by representatives
of both local and out-of-town phil
atelic groups At the same gatherings
it was decided to appeal to the edi-
tors of SCOTS Standard Stamp Cata-
logue to refuse to list the made-to-
order specimens and to dealers Or
ganizations to close the market to
them.
Meanwhile, reports from New York
were received to the effect that a
sheet of 200 Mothers day stamps,
autographed by Mr. Farley, had been
offered for sale at $4,000.
The Postmaster Generals explana-
ton has been that the special sheets
have been paid for" at face value.
but the collectors retort is that, even
so, only ''favorites" could acquire
them. They never were made avail
able to the general public, and now,
since their status as irregular print
ings has been established, are not
wanted on any terms.
At his press conference Thursday,
Mr.. Farley, in reply to direct ques-
tion, said the projected presidential
are opposed, was "in the hands of
President Roosevelt" and that the
Post Office Department would do
nothing further in the matter until
the Chief Executive had expressed
his wishes. This was taken to mean
that if the set is authorized in the
face of universal protest Mr.. Roosevelt
will be responsible. The Postmaster
General, it was indicated, has put
the whole problem up to "the boss"
Rumors that an imperforate sheet
of the 2-cent Parks stamp had been
authorized for a stamp exhibition at
st. Petersburg, Fla, have been denied.
National officers of the Ladies of
the Grand Army of the Republic viii
visit the White House Tuesday or
Wednesday to appeal for the Memorial
day stamp.
r. v. Seaman, principal, Central
High School, GilbertSville, N. Y, Is
asking for a stamp to commemorate
the tercentenary Of the establishment
of free secondary schools In America.
The New York Sun passionately
defends its contention that the Parks
stamps are commemorative. It quotes
Prescott H. Thorpe and Mrs. Hugh
Clarke as authorities and cites Mr..
Farley's slip Of the tongue at the
first-printing ceremony as evidence.
But there is no getting around the
fact that they commemorate nothing
and that those who sponsored the
drive for them and who were re-
sponsible for their appearance insist
that they were merely an advertising
stunt.
The editors of SCOTS Catalogue ar
bitrarily may list them as commemo-
rative, but collectors will decide for
themselves.
George 3. Sloane, official expert,
American Philatelic Society, reports
new counterfeit of the scent Hawaii
overprint, SCOTS SAB, "far more dam
gerous than those which first appeared
about two years ago"
Wednesday evenings meeting of
the washington Philatelic Society
was a history-making event. It set
q new standard for philatelic enter
tainment in the Capital Albert F.
Lichtenstein of New York, collector
whose stamps are said to be worth
$4,000, 900, was the principal speaker.
He exhibited his cantonal and rayon
specimens of Switzerland, rarities of
of a value unusual even in Wash
tngton.
Eugene Klein of Philadelphia, in
ternational secretary, the American
Philatelic Society; Max Johl, presi-
dent, westchester County Chapter IS.
American Philatelic Society, and
many other leaders in the stamp col