Evening star., 1935-04-08
BYRD COVER DATES
STIR PH|LATEL|STS.
Three Different Times of
Cancellation Arouse
New Tempest.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.


Postmaster General James A. Far
ley's well-meant effort to help Ad-
miral Richard E. Byrd finance his
second expedition to the Antarctic
Continent has brought down upon the
postal chief new avalanche of pro-
tests from the stamp collectors Of the
Nation.
The covers which the Post Office
Department invited the philatelic pub
lie to send to Little America have
come back and their recipients are
critical of the cancellations affixed to
them.
According to the terms of the con-
tract, the collectors were to pay SO
cents for each envelope postmarked at
the "southernmost post Office in the
world" and approximately $4,000 pa
irons paid their money with the un-
derstanding that all the postmarks
would be alike-all of the same date,
January 80, 1884.
But the covers now returned show
three different dates of cancellation.
Some are inscribed January 81, 1884,
and some January 80, 1885. The
number actually poStmarked on the
day specified by the Post Office De-
partment-PreSident RooSevelt's birth
day anniversary-were scant frac-
ton of the total sent to Antarctica,
and thus have a scarcity value greater
than the others.
Byrd Stamp Brought Protest.
1t happens, also, that the postal
aspect of the Byrd Expedition never
was popular with collectors. There
was complaint when the special s.
cent Byrd stamp was announced, Sep
tember %, 1888. The Postmaster
General told the press on that occa-
sion that the new issue would be
available exclusively at Little Amer
ica-if collectors wanted it, they
would have to pay the extra cover fee
of half a dollar to get it. Reporters
asking for precedent for such rul-
ing were answered. There isn't any
precedent. We like Dick Byrd, and
We think the stamp collectors of the
United States ought to be willing to
help him"
But philatelists felt that they were
being coerced. They did not relish
paying So cents for 3-cent stamp.
And when the stamp itself appeared
with the words ~. S. Postage" on its
face, they demanded that the issue be
sold in the Philatelic Agency for use
on domestic mail. The disturbance
finally convinced Mr.. Farley, and the
stamp was released by the agency,
October 3, 1898.
Then it began to be rumored that
the covers designated for Antarctica
really were not being sent there.
Hundreds of collectors heard and be-
lieved that a great quantity of them
were being held at Norfolk, Va, or in
Washington. The report probably
was untrue, but it enjoyed wide cur
rency, just the same.
Long delays followed before any
covers were returned to the United
States, and the publicity bureau of
the Post Office Department finally an
nounced that, because of transporta-
tlon difficulties" customers would
have to wait until the expedition itself
came back.
Sailor Cancels Covers,
Meanwhile, DR.. John Oliver La
Gorce, vice president of the National
Geographical Society has been sworn
IN honorary postmaster at Little
America, with the understanding that
the actual work was to be done by
Leroy Clark, secretary to Admiral
Byrd, as assistant postmaster.
Mr.. Farley late last Fall sent
Charles F. Anderson, department
mechanical expert, to the Byrd
expedition headquarters to clean up
the mess" But Mr. Anderson found
most OF the covers canceled-Mr.
Clark had done his best under diff
culties.
The whole affair probably will come
before the American Philatelic So
clety Convention here next August.