Dec. 8, 2007, 12:00 a.m.— D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Democrat,  made a formal request to D.C. Postmaster Yverne P. Moore this week to restore the Washington, D.C. postmark on mail originating in the nation’s capital.

      Norton, a member of the Subcommittee eon Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia said she had “no notice of the disappearance of the postmark of the capital of the United States.  I do not believe that England or France would allow London or Paris to disappear as postmarks recognized worldwide.”

      She said while the postmark may be of diminishing significance for some cities, the postmark for the capital of the United States is more than a matter of local pride.  “The postmark identifies the capital of the United States of America and the District of Columbia. Its dual hometown and official significance, which dates back to the founding of our country, argues strongly for preserving the postmark,” Norton said.

      As a member of the subcommittee, Norton said she is keenly aware of justifiable pressures on the Postal Service for efficiency in today's hyper-competitive and technological climate. Moreover, she understands that incoming mail can no longer be processed at the Joseph P. Curseen Jr. and Thomas L. Morris Jr. Center (formerly the Brentwood Post Office) because of the tragic anthrax terrorist event and deaths that affected D.C. neighborhoods and official mail to the capital and other government agencies.

 But Norton, who participated in hearings to assure prompt delivery here several years ago, told Postmaster Moore she believes sorting out mail for some D.C. postmark requests is more inefficient than fully utilizing the D.C. postmark machines.

      “Requests by some members of Congress and residents to use the Washington, DC postmark indicate the importance it carries," Norton said. She said "residents and others should not be put to the inconvenience of requesting a D.C. postmark, and that the Postal Service should not be burdened with the inefficiency of picking through individual requests or otherwise sorting some mail to assure the D.C. postmark."

      Norton said it would be more efficient and best for all concerned to keep our mail together as Washington, D.C. mail. “Considering that millions of pieces of mail from D.C. are processed, accurately marking where they originated in the case of the capital makes sense.”

      She assumed, and the Postmaster confirmed, that the mail is consolidated from various points in the city and is sent in bulk together to the Gaithersburg and Capitol Heights centers. Norton said the D.C. machines previously used for the D.C. postmark are being used upon request, so she doesn’t think any significant additional investment would be needed to restore the capital's postmark.