series, we read in another copy of the London newspaper:

"Paris, Aug. 2.-None of the designs for the new postage stamps which were

Does this foreshadow a special airplane stamp by Cuba?

But Maybe His Mind Was Heavy!

satisfying the examiners, so that new competitions will be opened. Competitors are left full freedom in their choice of subjects, but they are told at the same time to endeavor to depict in their designs “the heroic effort of France during the War and her historic rôle in the world."

The designs must be submitted during next January at the latest, which means the series is to be a 1921 product.

The Air and Stamps

BRITISH philatelists, through their

stamp journals, have long advocated in vain that Great Britain issue special airpost adhesives, following the examples of many other nations, including even Esthonia and Czecho-Slovakia, infants in postal affairs as compared with the country which circulated the penny black. But the British post office authorities have, for reasons of their own, declined to grant the philatelic demand.

This situation is mentioned now in connection with announcement by the Department of Commerce at Washington that information has been received from Berlin to the effect that aero companies in Germany, Denmark, Holland and Great Britain have virtually reached an agreement for establishing regular air service which would tap Hamburg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and London. Inasmuch as mail-carrying would be an important feature of this development, issuing of airpost labels by Denmark, Holland and Great Britain would not be surprising. Germany, as collectors are aware, has already circulated a set.

Other advices to Washington are that Bolivia is planning an airmail route and may issue a special adhesive.

Meanwhile, it is announced that Postmaster General Burleson has signed a contract providing for seaplane mail service between Key West and Havana.

mails us a clipping from a New York newspaper. Not that it has any

direct bearing on philately, but it mentions stamps, and we summarize its contents herewith because we can't afford to let this department get dry and dusty, and maybe this particular paragraph will bring a real smile. So

The text of the clipping tells of an office clerk who, scratching his cheek, uses three two-cent postage stamps instead of court plaster. Presently he entered the office of "the old man," who upon seeing the stamps is quoted as exclaiming:

"Look here, Tom, you are carrying too much postage for second-class matter."

"Supported Entirely by Volun

tary Contributions"

UNDER the above caption, Derek In

gram, editor of Stamp Collecting, a British philatelic weekly, sends to Scott's a screed which we think is worth quoting in full for the reason that it expresses precisely just how we feel on this question of obtaining interesting and informative articles for you to read.

"When you see that caption over a hospital or a charity institution," Mr. Ingram writes, "you realize that noble work is being done inside-work that may not directly promote your own individual welfare, but which is undoubtedly essential to the well-being of humanity in general. Therefore, you raise your hat and empty your pocket in honor and support of the worthy cause.

"As a stamp collector you are not asked to dole out dollars for philatelic operations apart from your own, nor need you bare your head when you pass a dealer's store. But you are at least expected to lift your pen and help the philatelic press. And this is where we come to the point.

Some Publicity

HE Times of the same date devotes

THE

nearly a full column to postage stamp happenings and we hope that this newspaper's attitude toward philately will prove to be a circulation builder. We read in this article that Czech artists at Prague have designed a new series for Czech-Slovakia; that Roumania is circulating "a series of victory commemorative stamps"; that Greece is putting forth a set of occupation labels which are Bulgaria's current adhesives overprinted Thrace Occidentale; that Palestine is distributing its "first distinctive issue," with inscriptions in both English and Hebrew, to replace the Egyptian Expeditionary Force set; and that Mozambique is surcharging its present stamps with new values, owing to increases in postal rates. And a halfcolumn relates to Poland's adhesives.

Questions and Answers By John N. Luff

NOTE.-A glance through the texts in this department from month to month will enable you to comprehend the sort of queries which are constantly being received by Scott's. From those which have reached us in recent weeks, some which have replies of popular interest are answered herewith.

W. H.:-Kindly tell me why the Pigeongram stamps from New Zealand are not listed in the Scott catalogue. The stamps are triangular, with inscription "Auckland-Great Barrier Island.

Pigeon-Gram." I have the 6 pence blue and 1 shilling red, both cancelled and uncancelled.

We do not list the stamps you describe because they are a private output and our catalogue is restricted to government issues of stamps. So far as we can recall the history of these pigeongram stamps or find reference to them at this time, the story is about as follows: Great Barrier Island lies off the coast of New Zealand, some sixty miles from Auckland. At the time the stamps were issued it had no cable connection with the mainland and only an irregular and infrequent mail service by steamer. In 1896 the Great Barrier Pigeongram Agency established a service of carrier pigeons to convey messages between the island and Auckland. This Agency got along very well without stamps for about three years, but in 1899 the stamps you describe were issued. The messages were written on tissue paper and folded small. The stamps were supposed to be necessary to seal the letters and show that the fee for transportation had been

Packet

85 DIFFERENT NEW EUROPE FOR $1.00

Including Bavaria, Czecho-Slovakia, Poland, Roumania, Schleswig, etc.

needed for either purpose.

A small rectangular stamp, showing a pigeon with a letter in its bill, was on the market before the triangular stamps. It is said to have been the output of a rival company which, according to a statement in the Australian Philatelst, Vol. V, page 135, had no means of sending mesages by pigeons, would not sell

unused stamps, and apparently confined its activities as a pigeon post to the sale of cancelled stamps. We believe the government subsequently suppressed the pigeongram service, on the ground that it was illegal for an individual or firm to carry letters between places where a government postal service existed.

E. R. L.:-Please tell me how to distinguish the reprints, type II and type III of the Samoa "Express" stamp, 3 pence of 1877-80.

Our answer will apply to all values of the 1877-80 issue, including the three In our catalogue we describe pence. three types of these stamps. There are no reprints of types I and II, but only of type III. All original 3, 6, 9p. 1, 2 and 5sh. stamps of type III have one or two imperforate edges. Any stamp of these values of type III that is perforated on all four sides may be set down as a reprint. This rule does not apply to the 1p. and 2p. stamps, as there are a few originals of those values in type III perforated all around.

All reprints of this issue have a dot of color at the lower edge of the panel containing the word "SAMOA," directly beneath the middle point of the "M." This dot is not found on any originals except the 2p. and 9p. The 2p. can only be distinguished by comparison with known originals and reprints. The 9p. originals may be known by having a very rough, blind perforation 12, which is not found on any reprint. The Samoa Express stamps, both originals and reprints, were lithographed and show many small flaws and transfer varieties by which the stamps may be located in the sheets, if one is so fortunate as to have access to a collection containing sheets.

A. H. T.:-Why is it that some cancelled stamps of Hawaii have gum on the back unused?

The stamps to which you refer were probably cancelled "to order," that is to say, they were cancelled in sheets or quantities without having been affixed

to letters. We regret to say that this sort of thing has been done in Hawaii on more than one occasion. Mr. C. F. Richards records several such transactions in his Hawaiian handbook. In 1887 the Postmaster General agreed to sell to a Mr. A. N. Ridgely cancelled stamps to the number of 200,000 for $2,000, or one cent each, and actually delivered 4,500 stamps, face value $5,465, for $45. The rest of the contract was not carried out. About the same time stamps of $1,465 face value were sold to a post office clerk for $25 and another lot, face value $543, was sold to another clerk for $10. All these stamps were cancelled before delivery and were doubtless in sheets and with their full gum. Mr. Richards also states that "about 1893, the clerks in the post office cancelled to order, with name cancellation, on a large scale, stamps handed them for that purpose."

we

Prizes for Boy Scouts

In the "Scouts' Jamboree Number" of Stamp Collecting, dated July 31st, 1920, find an excellent article entitled "Philatelic Scouts.-Prizes for exhibits." We thought this was an excellent idea when we originally presented it in SCOTT'S MONTHLY JOURNAL for April, under the title "Organization—and Some Prizes." Of course, we are pleased that our conception should meet the approval of our contemporary, which he indicates by copying much of our article verbatim. But-pardon a suggestion. One of the things we try to teach the Boy Scout is honorable conduct. And one way to set him a good example is to be punctilious in using quotation marks and giving credit to the person or publication quoted.

NEXT MONTH

will appear an article by DEREK INGRAM, editor of Stamp Collecting discussing stamp publicity and suggesting an international philatelic press conference.