Evening star., 1944-01-30
Otanps
By James Waldo Faycetf


By James WaIdo Favcef
A stamp in tribute to the Amer
ican and Filipino soldiers who have
perished at the hands OF the bar
barious Japs since the surrender Of
Bataan and Corregidor has been pro-
posed.
Stamps similar to the conquered
nations" series also are being dis
cussed for the lands In the South
Pacific and Asiatic areas now oc-
cupied by the Nipponese.
An editorial on Stamps for the
War;" printed in The Star for We'd
nesday, stressed the Importance Of
appropriate postal adhesives for the
Army, the Navy, the Marine Corps,
nurses In service and war mothers,
including those whose stars have
turned to gold"
OF the Collectors Club Of Washing
ton, Isaac Gregg, head Of the in
formation bureau Of the Post ONCE
Department, discussed airpost de-
velopment as follows: There has
been a tremendous increase in the
use Of both airmail stamps, en-
velopes and adhesive stamps dur
ing the past two years. Airmail
envelopes issued to postmasterS in
the fiscal year 1912 amounted to
33,000,000; in the fiscal year 1943
the issues increased to 207,000, 900.
During the present fiscal year the
issues to postmasters will total well
over 400,000,000 airnail envelopes.
"Airmail stamps also are being
used to an extent never experienced
in post Office history. The figures
for the issuance of airmail stamps
in the fiscal year 1912 were 252, ,000,-
600. This item jumped in the fiscal
year 1943 to 899,000,0 900, and from
figures available at the present time
1t looks as though the issues of air
mail stamps to postmasters during
the fiscal year 1914 will amount to
well over a billion.
"The increase in the use of air.
mail envelopes and stamps is due
largely to the systematic use of these
items by our armed forces. The
department is experiencing no diff
Guilty in supplying the airmail
stamps, but, because of limited man
ufacturing facilities at our envelope
plant, it has been barely possible
to supply the needs of the armed
forces for airmail-stamped enve-
lopes. In fact, just recently 1t was
necessary to restrict the issuance
of airmail envelopes to only those
post offices which supply the armed
forces in foreign theaters of opera
tion. At the present time the entire
output Of 100000 airmail envelopes
per week is being sent to New York
and San Francisco.
"The Post Office Department is
encouraging the use of adhesive
airmail stamps for domestic mail
ings, so that all of the airmail-
stamped envelopes will be available
for use of the boys in the armed
forces When it is realized that our
armed forces are scattered to all
parts of the globe, where envelopes
are not available, I am sure that
those Of us who are left at home
gladly will use adhesive airmail
stamps so that the boys can have
these airmail envelopes. Such places
as the Hawaiian Islands, New
Guinea, the Solomons and Marshall
Islands, Australia and other South
Pacific points are urgently in need
of an ever-increasing supply of air.
mail envelopes, and every effort is
being made to supply their de-
mands."
Curacao stamps which bear So
called "war prisoner" surcharges are
the latest made -order" issues to
arouse the resistance Of collectors.
Secretary Of War Stimson has an
nounced that more than 1920 ,OOO, 900
pieces Of mail have been sent to
American soldiers overseas since
Pearl Harbor.
Albert F. Kunze, president of the
Washington Philatelic Society, has
written this message to members
and friends:
Two decades ago wonderful
galaxy of philatenc material came
INTO existence. It took 10 years for
great number of collectors to
appreciate that they had missed an
opportunity, and then they realized
IL largely due to the prices dealers
had tagged to covers and stamps
that previously had slipped through
the hands of collectors.
To-day similar opportunities exist
The trite question arises whether we
are going to profit by our expert
ences Of World War I. If isolation
ism is to be built up in our philatelic
pursuits, 1t is probable that the
treasures Of tomorrow may slip bv
us unnoticed until the day when
professionals will release current
day covers and stamps which thew
now are wise enough to lay aside.
Philatelic isolationists, which all
collectors have a right to be if thew
SO desire, are those who have limited
their collecting activities to a single
specialization.
These comments are offered in
the hope that they may induce
some collectors to adopt a belated
new year resolution to broaden their
ph1latelic horizons, to reach out to
embrace the unlimited interest that
awaits them in unexplored fields
the world over. Completeness is a
visionary ambition which all too
frequently lulls the timid into miss
ing a realm of enjoyment. While
1 never aspire to gain all of the
money IN the world, that does not
deter me from gaining as much as
l can or from enjoying that which
1 succeed in attaining. So with
stamps-each has its cultural value.
regardless of whether it completes
a set or begins a new one. Every
neglected field in stamp collecting
is a doorway to satisfaction un-
opened"