Evening star., 1939-10-10
Huge Bus Fleet
transports Visiting
Postmasters
:. 5000 Delegates Visit
Places Of Interest
After Farley Talk

Places Of Interest
AFTER Farley Talk
The biggest fleet of buses ever
naebilised here this afternoon was
transporting thousands of postmas-
ters to places OF interest in and near
Washington. -,
Earlier, almost 5000 delegates and
guests at the seth annual convention
Of the National Association of Post
masters gave Postmaster General
James A. Farley a rousing recep-
tien when he mounted the speakers
Platform at Constitution Hall to bid
the visitors welcome to the Capital.
big JIM Farley, who probably
knew at least half his listeners by
tQelr first names, said he wished to
entend a. hearty welcome to the
0stmasters from every State in
TIE Union, including Maine and
Vermont. He said that even the
Wather man was cooperating in
givlng the visitors warm" recep-
ton.
&s
f" Introduced by Burke.
.Mr. Farley was introduced by
Postmaster Vincent C. Burke of
Washington. Responses to the well
coming addresses were made by
Hostmasters Rufus jackson of St,
Louis, Mo-, and Laura B. Blackburn
OF, Versailles, KY. George w. Pur-
ce!l, president of the association,
delivered his annual report,
THE visitors this afternoon were
making tour in Capital Transit
%. buses Of Mount Vernon, Lin
com Memorial and Arlington Ma
tfonal Cemetery.
.Mr. Burke has set up an efficient
post office for the postmasters at
tnelr headquarters in the May
fpwer Hotel. The visitors are given
12-hour service. There is a gen.
etal delivery window and facilities
TOR registering and insuring mail.
/. "Air Minded" Group.
The clerks in charge said this
convention is "air minded" to a sur
ptising degree. Most of the. stamps
purchased are for air mail. they
said. The post Office is situated at
the end of lobby lined with ex-
hibits put on by every large air mail
contractor in the country. Free
stationary is being handed out to
stimulate the interest of the officials,
Attending the convention is a
bearded hill billy band" from
Arkansas and a number of Texans
dressed in cart-wheel hats, fancy
vests and riding breeches. One
Westerner stalked about the con-
vention with As strapped on his
hip. He helped usher and kept the
entrances at Constitution Hall clear
with orders which on one seemed
disposed to disobey.
The air transport. companies have
brought number of modern air
planes to Washington Airport to
take the postmasters on flights
about the city. The first flights will
be made tonight, and continued
through tomorrow and Thursday.
A high light of tomorrows program
will be an address by President
Roosevelt from the South Portico
of the White House.
Mrs. Roosevelt will entertain the
ladies attending the convention at
q tea, it was announced.
The convention is the biggest ever
held here, with the exception of the
Shrine meeting several years ago.
While in Washington, the post
masters will learn something about
the manufacture of the stamps they
sell. Trips of inspection to the Bu-
reau of Engraving and Printing are
being organized.
At 2:30 o'clock Thursday the
postmasters will witness a demon
stration of the airmail pickup now
IN operation in some mountain Sec
tions Of West Virginia and Pennsyl-
vania. An autogyro will pick up
mail pouches from the roof of the
post Office in Philadelphia and de-
liver them on the Mall.
Banquet to Be Large.
The closing banquet Thursday
night will be too large for the main
ballroom at the Mayflower Hotel
and other hotels have made ar
rangements to accommodate the
Overflow"
At noon today the postmasters
were served a luncheon in the
huge cafeteria in the south build
Ing OF the Interior Department. The
some $500 employees who usually get
their midday meals there. we're noti-
fed the cafeteria would be closed
to them for the day.
AS special treat for the visitors,
the cascade fountains in Meridian
Hill Park will be Illuminated at
night. Frank T. Gartside, acting
superintendent of National Capital
Parks, said the fountains at the Re-
f1ecting Pool at Lincoln Memorial
would be on display today.