Evening star., 1936-06-28
ny JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

has been an object of considerable dis
cussion in local philatelic circles dur
ing the past week. The speech, deliv-
cred on June 10. appeared in the Con-
gressional Record for that date.
An unprecedented growth in the
sales of stamps to stamp collectors and
philatelists through the Post Office De-
partment's philatelic agency has been
recorded since Mr.. Farley took office"
Mr.. McKellar said. This has been
due in no small measure to the attrac-
tive commemorative postage stamps
which have been issued under his di-
rection in the past three years. An
other factor which has entered into the
amazing increase in stamp collecting Is
Mr. Farleys policy of holding many
first day stamp sales at various points
throughout the country rather than
conf1ning them to Washington. This
has resulted in thousands of people be-
coming acquainted for the first time
with the educational benefits that ac-
crue from the pursuit OF stamp COL
lecting.
Stamp sales through the philatellc
agency rose from 100000 in 1888 to
$500 900 in 1884 and S2,400,000 in 1888.
The latest reports from the philatellc
agency indicate that there will be
further increase in revenue from this
source for the present fiscal year.
These are but few of the many
improvements and accomplishments OF
the present administration OF tne
postal service"
Collectors, commenting on the Sen
ator's address. said that he had neg
lected to mention that large part OF
the revenue of the phllatehc agency
represented a penalty inflicted upon
the public by the reprinting OF Mr.
Farlev's famous gift sheets, and that
removing first-day sales from wash
ington had had the effect of discourag-
ing many cover enthusiasts.
Mr.. McKellars brother. Clinton, Is
postmaster at Memphis.
An interesting version OF the gl1t-
sheet story. by the way. is told IN Big
Jim Farley: He Gets the Blame by
Alva Johnston in the Saturday Eve
ming Post for June 81. The author
hints at an open secret, suggesting
that the Postmaster General is not
exclusively responsible for all the
"nistakes" charged to his account
President Roosevelt himself, it is i'm
piled. asked for the "mlscreateo
stamps, received them and declined to
return them.
Mr. Johnston sums up to the effect
that the gift stamps are worth $685.
7l7. since that was the amount Whlcn
collectors paid for the reprints.
But the problem still is not solved,
because the reproductions are not
simply could not be-true and accu-
rate copies. The original presentation
sheets remain what they always were,
namely. unique printingS.
Total printing of the TIPEX souve-
mir sheets is announced as 2,859,ooo
blocks.
The first sheet of Arkansas COM
memoratives sold at Little ROCK, June
IS. went to President Roosevelt; the
second sheet to Mr.. Farley. Covers
Cancelled were reported as 376,693, as
against 800 for the initial release
of the Texas stamp. Postmaster c. G.
Kavanaugh courteously corrected er-
rors incident to the rush of business.
Plate numbers for the Arkansas issue
are: 21564 to 21567, inclusive.
Collectors are advised to be on the
lookout for copies of the ordinary 2
cent stamp of current vintage (Scott's
554-A-92) printed on thin experiment
tai paper. They may be found in mix
lures emanating from Portland, Greg,
and vicinity. Third Assistant Post
master Clinton B. Eilenberger says
they we're manufactured and distrib-
uted in the Spring of 1929.
The 1925 duck hunters license stamp
will be removed from sale Tuesday.
Each letter carried by Clipper Ship
planes across the Pacific costs the
Government 81. The st. Louis Post
Dispatch reports that the expense of
flying a pound of airmail over the
ocean from California to Hawaii or the
Philippines is SGT, while the kick
back" to the Post Office Department is
only s26. First-f1ight loads were 2,034
pounds, west-bound, and 1912 pounds,
east-bound Since then the heaviest
load carried west has been 253 pounds,
the hghteSt 62 pounds. For the east
service the figures are: Maximum, 539
pounds; minimum, 155 pounds Total
payment to Pan-American Airways for
the first dozen round-trips, S358,013.
Flights of the Graf Zeppelin Hin
denburg are scheduled for July 8, July
IA, August 9, August 10, September
2l, September 80 and October 9, the
departure point. as usual, being Lake
hurst, N. j. The Post Office Depart
ment announces that there are no ar
rangements for sending philatelic cov-
ers 10 Europe to be returned in the
mails to addresses in this country.
Collectors must have recourse to pri-
Vate facilities.
printing orders for the Oregon Ter
rltory stamp stipulate 75,000 900 COP
les. The commemorative will 90 on
sale at Lewiston, Idaho; Daniel, Wyo.:
Astoria, Greg; Walla Walla, Wash,
and Missoula, Mont, Tuesday. July
IA 1t will be the first regular postage
stamp to show map since the Louisi-
ana Purchase 1o-cent, red brown value
of 1904.
Fred S. Klahn reports the sale of a
Graf Zeppelin cover, Lakehurst to
Germany, dated October %, 1928. at
$50. Also Hindenburg cover, Wash
tngton to Germany via Lakehurst at
S8
There is no accounting for the
whims of stamp collectors" says Rich
ard Mop. Cabeen in the Chicago Trib-
une. THE more unpopular an issue
is, the better property it eventually will
become. The Omaha commemora-
tive set, which is tops among United
States commemorative issues, was
practically unstable during the period
nf iSSI1o hono,Icn ~ tho ofForfc ~ rfo