Evening star., 1941-10-19
AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News of the Phaec World Its Interests and Peope-Revew of
the Stamp Press-List of Local Meetings
By James Waldo FaacceH.

WINK, Sunday evening, october II
discussed the development of the
postal system of America in part as
follows:
SIN 1889 the General Court of the
Colony of Massachusetts, passed an
ordinance directing that all letters
received from overseas be left at the
home of one Richard Fairbanks, in
Boston, who in turn was required
to forward them as best he could
to that part of the country for which
they were intended. His compensa-
ton was fixed at l penny per let
ter. While this may be considered
the first post Office in the United
States, 1t was merely local pro-
vincial establishment and had no
connection with any other post.
ut was not until 1891 that there
was undertaken in this country a
definite system of posts connecting
the colonies one with the other.
In that year one Thomas Neale
was given a patent by the crown
authorizing him to establish post
Offices and post roads IN all the
Colonies. This was the beginning
of the national postal service IN this
country. Pursuant to that authorl-
tv Andrew Hamilton, agent Tor
Thomas Neale, organized gen.
eral post office at Philadelphia in
1898. Letters and packets were to
be accepted and transported to all
the Colonies and abroad. Under
this establishment constant posts
were to be maintained between New
York and Philadelphia. AS yet
there were no roads. The first mails
were carried on horseback, and the
schedule required from Friday
morning until Sunday night to make
the trip from Philadelphia to New
York. In ITO a post was IN op-
Grafton between New York and New
port News, Va, via Philadelphia.
Six weeks were consumed IN the
completion of this round trip.
In 1877 Benjamin Franklin be-
came postmaster at Philadelphia.
Franklin labored diligently to pro-
mote the service. He sent post
riders in all directions but not al
vays on a regular schedule, as 1t
frequently became necessary to de-
lay the trips until the volume mailed
for each route was at least great
enough to insure pay for the mes
senger. Notwithstanding the un-
tiring zeal displayed by Franklin,
the service was slow in developing.
In IT'S, when Franklin became
Postmaster General under the Con-
tinental Congress, there were but
% post Offices in the l3 Colonies.
Fourteen of these were in Massa-
chusetts. Even up to the time OF
the establishment of the Republic,
In 1889, the post office had not as
sumed such a place in the lives OF
the people that it was considered
vital to them. Rates were high.
Service was still irregular and con-
fined chiefly to the seaboard towns.
When this Republic was born there
were rs post offices in the entire
United States. The revenues OF the
entire department for the first full
year under the Republic were S37,-
e35. Now there are over 10000 post
offices, and the annual receipts are
over S850,000000.
Despite the fact that the reve-
nueS were never adequate to main
tain the service in those days, our
forefathers in Congress were far
sighted enough to see that 1t would
be to the best interests of the in
fant Republic if post offices and
post roads were provided for on
liberal and comprehensive scale. 1t
was held to be a paramount duty
of free Government such as ours
to provide every reasonable means
for the dissemination of intelli-
gence-not merely for the general
education of the people but more
particularly so that the whole citl-
zenry might be better enlightened
upon all matters involving the eX-
ecutive and legislative branches OF
the Government.
In this day and age, when un-
thinking people complain Of Scent
postage, it might be consollng TO
them to know that when Cyrus
Howard was postmaster, just 100
years ago, it cost 6 cents to send a
letter consisting of a single sheet
of paper 80 miles or less; if the
distance were between 80 and 80
miles the rate for the single sheet
was 10 cents, and so on, and for
each additional sheet the rates were
increased in proportion.
To-day, as a result of our highly
developed postal system, it is posi-
BILE TO send first-class letter from
any place in the United States to
the far-away Philippine Islands,
over 10000 miles of Pacific waters,
at the small cost of 8 cents. This
rate also applies between all the
countries of the Western Hem
isphere, which is a great incentive
toward friendly relations between
the countries of the Americas"
The Standard Catalogue of Air
Post Stamps Tor 194Z Will De pup
lished tomorrow. 1t is issued by
Scott Publications. Inc, and the
American Air Mail Society CO.
operated in the preparation of the
text. The editor explains: Minor
varieties and errors which are listed
are limited to those which
actually occurred during the regular
process of manufacturing and were
not produced by favor, connivance
or other irregularity. Unlisted va
rieties are mentioned, however, as
a protective guidance to the col
lector."
Also scheduled to go on sale to-
morrow is the 1912 edition of the
Scott Specialized Catalogue of the
Stamps of the United States, listing
"a wealth of newly discovered va
rieties and much new information u
The Associated Press reports
sArgentina brought out a vertical
oblong in a dull blue as COM
STAMPS AND COINS.
Coins: Commemorative gold and silver coin.