MASSACHUSETTS BRANCH.
As a means of raising funds for the Italian earthquake relief the Massachusetts Branch, by authority of the Central Committee, issued a special stamp, a cut of which is shown here. The report of Mr. Walter E. Kruesi, the Stamp Secretary of the Branch, contains the following:
“I hope the Central Committee will make a note (in the Bulletin) of the ‘Italian Red Cross stamps’ of Massachusetts, issued with the authority of the National Office. I think this is due to the members of the Red Cross as an explanation of the authority for the issue of these stamps. Between $1,100 and $1,200 worth of these stamps have been sold to date (March 15th) and the funds are still being received. The expenses, as I have stated before, were relatively heavy because we expected a much larger sale and feel that we would have had it if other State Officers had been urged in any measure to assist in the campaign. The receipts have been very largely from people who said that they had been given no other opportunity to subscribe.
“The Massachusetts funds were materially stimulated by the use of stamps and by the advertisement the stamps gave to the general Massachusetts relief fund. I send a cut of the stamp under separate cover, and think many of your members would be glad to have a few as a souvenir. They can also get the posters from us as souvenirs. These are very handsomely executed and have been widely commented on because of their artistic merit. The poster was painted by E. W. Kingsbury. We sell them at ten cents each.”