Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-09-17
Postmaster General Favors Post
al Banks and Parcels
Post.
LATTER VIGOROUSLY OPPOSED
Express Companies aud Country store
Keepers Are Arraycd Agaiust
Tic Proposal

h'lNNAAi correspondence
Washington. y c.. Sept ii-Post
master General Hitchcock will make q
strong presentation to Congress at IN,
coming session IN favor OF the estat
lishment OF postal savings banks. Mr.
Hitchcock has collated. during his tern
Of office. all available Information a,
TO the operation Of the postal savings
banks in foreign countries and these
data without exception. are substan
tal arguments in favor Of the polics
OF governmental banks. While tn
people of the United states are UNI
uuestionably the grea test bank deposit.
crs in tho world. there are still hum
dreds u thousands Of American citi.
zens who, il is believed. will welcome
a policy which win enable them to de-
post their savings with the guarantee
Of the government behind them. there
by increasing the total bank holdings
and at the same time adding 10 Ire
available cash In the treasury II /.
believed, too, that postal savings banks
will check the desire among timid poo-
pie. To withdraw their FUNDS from de-
positories whenever business conditions
become "panlcy" not only from the
government repositories but from ma
tional and state institutions as wen II
is well known fact that more than
half the bank runs" are caused by the
timid small depOsitors who. becoming
frightened over rumors OF insecurity,
hasten TO the banks and by their num-
bers create scare which rapidly
spreads. n these small depositors can
feel certain that their funds are safe
when I'm the care Of the federal gov
eminent, they win have no occasion to-
start a panic" and as consequence
fewer runs and their following fail
ures will result.
PRESIDENT FAvoRs PLAN.
John Wanamaker, when postma ster
general, was the first cabinet officer 10
make a serious effort 10 induce Com
gress to authorize the esta blishment Of
postal savings banks. But at that time
his chief. President Harrison, did not
show any enthusiasm for the plan. on
the other hand il is understood that
President Taft is In hearty accord with
the plans Of the postmaster general
and viii back him up to the limit Of
his power President Taft has shown
that his power OF persuasion Is very
effective upon Congress. so that Mr.
HitchcOck's program is likely TO be
adopted before the close Of the Sixty
first Congress
which will probably be advocated by
Mr. Hitchcock Is not SO likely 20 meet
with congressional Endorsement. This Is
the parcels post The people Of the Unit
cd States are today in the most Pc
culiar. position in regard to the trans
portation Of merchandise through the
mails. While II Is possible 10 send 4
l2-pound package from San Francisco
to London. Berlin or Paris, by mail for
A a. - n
York or Omaha would not be received.
and even if il should be accepted the
postage would be S192 The present
postal laws limit the weight Of "A pack
age Of merchandise 10 four pounds and
the postage rate is Is cents per pound
on domestic matter as compared with
IL cents per pound on packages ads
dressed 10 any country with which the
United States has parcels post treaty.
ACTIVE IN OPPOSITION.
The chief opposition TO the enact
ment of a more liberal parcels post law
has come from the express companies
and those organizations are still very
active In their opposition. But in re-
cent years they have won 70 their sup
port a very powerful and widespread
following The country storekeepers
have become alarmed at the growing
business Of the email order" houses.
Those enormous concerns have the
farms and the villages in every rural
community flooded with their cata-
logues, and are constantly drumming
trade through the medium OF millions
OF circulars sent through the mails.
Because Of the enormous proportions
10 which their business has grown they
are enabled to undersell the country
storekeeper in every line OF trade. The
small merchants are compelled To give
credit to their customers while the mail
order people sell only for cash I'm adj
vance. Naturally the country mer-
chant opposes any legislation which
promises to increase the facilities OF
his powerful city rival and within the
past two or three years he has Joined
with the express companies In fight
against the proposed parcels post law.
The most active among small store
keepers are located In Oklahoma,
Kansas and Nebraska. and Il Is under
stood that an organization has been
perfected among them with a view 10
sending committees 10 Washington 20
plead with the committees Of the senate
and the house and 10 protest against
change in the postal laws which they
fear viii result in the annihilatign ~
their business
OllLOoh MI hitltt T.
The prospects for an easy passage.
through the house. OF q bill 10 give
the American people the same facilities
for the transmission Of merchandise
through the mails between Omaha ana
Buffalo which are now available be-
tween Milwaukee and Berlin are
therefore not SO bright as are the pros
poets for the establishment of postal
savings banks.
The revival OF interest IN polar af-
fairs Is perhaps responsible, IN a meas
ure al least for the widespread I'M
tcrest manifested IN the EFFORTS being
made 20 bring about an International
agreement whereby the game on tha
island OF Sptzbergen may be pre-
served from complete annihilatiun A.
present that most northern Of the H.
lands visited by globe trotters ana
summer tourists generally appears 40
be under the direct control and super
vision OF no particular nation aud the
is that the game laws ape
plicable 10 European countries are not
regarded as In erect in Sptzbergcn.
While the principal game consists OF
the usual birds found M far northern
ATTITUDES there are many species Of
mammals and Il appears that tourists
have recently acquired the habit of
deNoting their brief stay on the island
20 an indiscrimlnate slaughter NJ
everything which caa run or ny to be-
sighted. The natural consequence Is
that an species OF game are likely a.
be eNterminaied unless something Is
done 10 prevent the annlhlation. With
this end la view Secy. Knox has been