The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1908-12-08

revenues of the government without
return. 1t is poor business to spend
money for inland navigation unless
we get it.
Postal Savings Banks.
/ again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for depos-
iting savings with the security of the
government behind them. The OBJ
ject is to encourage thrift and econ
omy in the weage-earner and person
of moderate means. In fourteen
states the deposits in savings banks
as reported to the comptroller of the
currency amount to 400,
or 9S.4 per cent of the entire jepos-
it's, while in the remaining 80 states
there are only s7O,30S,543, or 1.6
per cent, showing conclusively that
there are many localities in the Unit
ed States where sufficient opportunity
, is not given to the people to deposit
their savings. The result is that
money is kept in hiding and unem-
ployed. 1t is believed that in the
aggregate vast sums of money would
be brought into circulation through
the instrumentality of the postal saw
ings banks. While there are only
i1453 savings banks reporting to the
comptroller there are more than 81,
600 pOst-offices, 10000 of which are
money order offices. Postal savings
banks are now in operation in practi-
cally all the great civilized countries
with the exception of the United
States.
Parcels Post.
In my last annual message | COM
mended the postmaster generals rec
concentration for an extension of the
parcel post on the rural routes. The
Enlistment of local parcel post
ON rural routes would be to the mu-
tual benefit of the farmer and the
country storekeeper, and it is desira-
bit that the routes, serving more than
100000 people, should be utilized
to the fullest practicable extent. An
amendment was proposed in the SEN
ate at the last session, at the sug-
gestion of the postmaster general,
providing that, for the purposes of as
pertaining the practicabiiity OF estab-
fishing special local parcel post sys-
TEN on the rural routes throughout
the United States, the Postmaster
general be authorized and directed to
experiment and report TO the congress
i the result of such experiment by es-
tablishing a special local parcel post
system on rural delivery routes in
not to exceed four counties in the
United States for packages of fourth
class matter originating on rural
route or at the distributing postOftice
for delivery by rural carriers. 1t
would seem only proper that such an
experiment should be tried in order
to demonstrate the practicability of
the proposition, especially as the post
master general estimates that the
revenue derived from the operation
of such a system on all the rural
routes would amount to many million
dollars.
Panama Canal.
The work on the Panama Canal is
being done with a speed, efficiency
and entire devotion to duty, which
make it a model for all work of the
kind No task of such magnitude has
ever before been undertaken by any
nation; and no task of the kind has
ever been better performed. The
men on the Isthmus, from Colonel
Goethals and his fellow commission
ers through the entire list of en-
ployees who are faithfully doing their
duty, have won their right to the I'M
grudging respect and gratitude of the
American people.