THE year after next will be America's

Philatelic Year. It will be the turn of our cousins across the Pond to claim the co-operation of the entire philatelic world in the creation of the greatest philatelic exhibition ever held in America, and probably greater than has been held elsewhere.

Progressive in all things America has made enormous strides in philatelic development since the last great international stamp exhibition was held in New York in 1913. The time has come for the United States to take its due place in organized philately to show what American philatelists have been doing, and to gather together in the States the cream of the collections of the world in friendly competition.

America's call will not go unheeded in Great Britain, for philatelists here will be all out to extend the fullest support to the organizers of the forthcoming New York International Philatelic Exhibition. The support that is sought is the participation of every philatelist as an exhibitor and as a visitor to the great show.

I feel confident that, remembering the splendid co-operation of American philatelists in the recent London Exhibition, and in many other of our British philatelic enterprises, the philatelists of this country will rejoice to have the opportunity of sharing in the assured success of the great enterprise America is planning for 1926.

My purpose in thus prominently giving the preliminary announcement of the forthcoming exhibition, is to ensure that all in this country who have good things to show will decide early to participate, and will use the ensuing interval in perfecting and preparing their exhibits

SO that Great Britain will shine with distinction in the American exhibition. Two years, as we found in London, is none too long a period to devote to the making of a great international exhibition success. It is none too long a time to have to nurse and cultivate and study a collection to enter along with the highly-studied collections which have

been growing in numbers and in richness in the United States.

The proposal to hold an exhibition in America in 1926 has been in the air for well over a year, and the original idea was to hold it in Philadelphia in connection with the proposed general exhibition in commemoration of the Sesqui-centenary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I think that the Philadelphians are well-advised, and have been actuated by the most public-spirited good will, in inviting the Collectors' Club of New York, in conjunction with "The Association of Stamp Exhibitions, Incorporated," to transfer the scene of the exhibition from Philadelphia to New York.

The organization under these circumstances is sure of a brilliant and distinguished success. At the call of the Club and the Association are many men of highly-proved ability in business, in commerce, in finance, in science, in art, and in philatelic acumen. The Sub-Committee appointed to consider the preliminary plans for the exhibition has for chairman Mr. Charles J. Phillips, whose great knowledge of stamps and stamp matters, together with his nerve and energy, will be of great value to the organization. Along with him are Mr. Theodore E. Steinway, a trustee and one of the greatest benefactors of the Collectors' Club; Mr. J. Murray Bartels, one of the most experienced experts in the United States; Mr. John Klemann, the genial head of the Nassau Stamp Company, and Mr. Philip H. Ward, one of the most prolific and gifted writers on United States stamps in recent years.

So much for the preliminary announcement. We shall need no prompting to acccord our enthusiastic support to the Exhibition Committee, but let us here in Great Britain take as our guiding principle -or "slogan" is the word during the great Advertising Convention in London just now the two words, "Be prepared."

-Stamp Collectors Fortnightly.