Evening star., 1945-03-04
Stamps
By James Waldo Falccen.

By James Waldo Fa.cceff.
A Marine Corps officer, back from
several years Of service overseas,
seems to have brought to an apex the
demand for the reprinting Of the SC
Korean stamp-and Of all other
issues released since Pearl Harbor!
His letter, turned over to Post
master General Frank G. Walker
for consideration, is an eloquent
plea for square deal for his "bud-
dies" still fighting in Europe and in
the Southwest Pacific. It argues
that soldiers, sailors and Marines
who have been out Of the United
States since 194l want the flag
stamps and the various commence
ratives which were produced and
distributed while they were absent
and that they do not wish to have
to buy them from spectators at
fancy prices!
The civilian public, the Marine
officer contends, may have had a
fair chance to acquire all of the
recent stamps it needed, but nobody
can say that service personnel have
had the same opportunity. In order
to equalize the matter, he calls for
new editions Of all adhesives of the
past three years.
A precedent for such an accommo-
dation on the part of the Post
Office Department admittedly exists.
The SC Susan B. Anthony stamp
has been sent to press on 10 diff
ferent occasions. Otherwise it would
have disappeared from the Philatelic
Agency sales list long since. The
department has kept it alive arbi-
trarily and, until the fact Leaked
out" few weeks ago, secretly. No
official announcement of the reprint
ings ever was authorized. The 10
successive COB lots" of the Anthony
stamp simply were ordered from the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
as they were required.
What the Marine officer now ap-
peals for is the same treatment of
the flag series and other wartime
issues. He speaks in the name Of
his comrades, many Of whom, as he
points out, never have seen any of
the adhesives brought out and sold
out while they have been away from
their own country. Readers who
believe that all the war period
stamps should be printed again are
invited to write to Postmaster Gen.
eral Walker. Those who are op-
posed, Of course, also may address
him.
A Post Office Department press
release says that 100000 copies of
the Korean stamp were sold through
the Philateic Agency and that 10,-
$4,000 copies were sold in the
field. But these figures will not
survive critical examination. The
total number Of stamps manufac-
tured allegedly was 100000. Not
all of the 15,00e, 900, however, were
sold. At least $50 copies were sent
to Bern in Switzerland for distri-
button to the nations holding mem
bership in the Universal Postal
Union and an undetermined lot
of damaged, off-center copies were
sent to the Redemption Section of
Post Office Department for credit
and then to be destroyed. The
same observation applies to all
other stamps of the flag series. 1t
follows that all the figures an
nounced by the Department are ap-
proximations only. They should
not be accepted as either definitive
or final.
The radio industry is asking for
a stamp to match those produced for
the railroad. maritime, printing and
other industries. Walter Evans, vice
president of the Westinghouse Elec-
tric and Manufacturing Co., East
Pittsburgh, Pa, has written Post
master General Walker as follows:
November 2, 1945, will mark the
25th anniversary of radio broadcast
ing.
Because of the phenomenal
growth of radio during the brief
span of Is years, because it has
pointed the way for superb radio
communications and for near-mir-
acles of radar in the present war,
and especially because of the happy
changes'it has brought in the lives
OF all men, great and small, we feel
that this anniversary deserves more
than passing attention.
"Of like opinion and joining in a
year-long observance of the anni-
versary, already under way, are the
National Association of Broadcast
ers, representing radio stations, and
the Radio Manufacturers Associa-
ton, representing receiver builders,
"Out OF our collective thinking
has come the opinion that fitting
tribute to radio on this wartime an
niversary might be issuance Of a
commemorative stamp similar to
those which have honored tele-
graphic communications and the
motion picture industry.
1--WE would appreciate an oppor-
tunity to present our views and pro-
pose such stamp"
The investigation of the Philippine
Philatelic Agency is proceeding, and
full statement of the case against
the exploitation of collectors by the
printing, reprinting and over
printing of unwanted stamps will
be filed shortly with Secretary of
the Interior Harold L. Ickes.
| Mrs. Maud Roach Warren, wife OF
Philip Simms Warren, former treas
urer of the Washington Philatelic
Society and former vice president of
the American Philatelic Society, died
on Wednesday, February 81, after a
long illness. She never had been a
collector, but was well known in
stamp circles as a hostess and as her
husbands companion at conventions
and congresses.
The Collectors Club of Washing