The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-08

operation than any similar system
abroad. Arrangements have been per
fected so that savings banks will be
opened in some cities and towns on
the LIST of January, and there will be a
gradual extension Of the benefits of
the plan to the rest Of the country"
ut is gratifying" says the president,
that the reduction in the postal
deficit has been accomplished without
any curtailment Of postal facilities.
On the contrary, the service has been
greatly extended during the year in
all its branches"
Second-cIass Mail.
"In my last annual message / in
vited the attention of congress to the
inadequacy of the postal rate imposed
upon s~econd-class mail matter in so
far as that includes magazines, and
showed by figures prepared by experts
Of the postofice department that the
government was rendering a service
to the magazines, costing many mil
lions in excess of the compensation
paid. An answer was attempted to
this by the representatives Of the
magazines, and a reply was filed to
this answer by the postof1ce depart
ment. The utter %inadequacy of the
answer, considered in the light of the
reply of the postofice department, I
think must must appeal to any fair
minded person. Whether the answer
was all that could be said in behalf of
the magazines is another question. I
agree that the question is one of fact;
but l insist that if the fact is as the
experts of the postoffice department
show, that we are furnishing to the
owners Of magazines a service worth
millions more than they pay for it,
then Justice requires that the rate
should be increased. The increase in
the receipts Of the department result
ing from this change may be devoted
to increasing the usefulness of the de-
partment in establishing a parcels
post and in reducing the cost of first
class postage to n cent. It has been
said by the postmaster general that a
fair adjustment might be made under
which the advertising part of the
magazine should be charged for at 9
different and higher rate from that Of
the reading matter. This would re
lieve many useful magazines that are
not circulated at a profit, and would
not shut them out from the use of the
mails by a prohibitory rate.
with respect to the parcels post, ]
respectfully recommend its adoption
on all rural delivery routes, and that
IL pounds-the international limit-be
made the limit Of carriage in such
post"
Abolish Navy Yards.
The president calls attention to Ger
tain reforms urged by the secretary O
the navy which he recommends fol
adoption, and continues:
"The estimates of the navy depart
| ment are $4,000 900 less than the ap
, preparations for the same purpose las
} year, and included in this is the build
ing program Of the same amount a
that submitted for your consideration
: last year 1t is merely carrying GU
: the plan of building two battleships
year, with a few needed auxiliary yes
sells. earnestly hope that this pre-
, gram will be adopted.
"The secretary of the navy ha
given personal examination to ever,
navy yard, and has studied the use
Of the navy yards with reference t
the necessities of our fleet. With
fleet considerably less than half tn
size of that of the British navy, W
have shipyards more than double tn
number, and there are several of thes
. %shipyards extensively equipped wit
modern machinery, which, after inves
tigation the secretary of the navy be
. lieves to be entirely useless for nav
. purposes. He asks authority to abar
3 don certain of them and to move thei
machinery to other places, where
Q can be made of USE"
"The complete success of our cou1
try in arctic exploration should not rt
main unnoticed. The unparallele
achievement Of Peary in reaching tn
north pole, April 6, 1909, approved b
critical examination of the most e.
, pert scientists, has added to the dir
tinction Of our navy, to which he be
longs, and reflects credit upon hi
country. I recommend fitting recogn
ton by congress of the great achieve
ment of Robert Edwin Peary."
Conservation.
1.-THE subject of the conservation Q
I the public domain has commanded tn
I attention Of the people within the las
} two or three years.
, "There is no need for radical re
form in the methods of disposing O
what are really agricultural lands. TIL,
present laws have worked well. Til,
enlarged homestead law has encou1
aged the successful farming of land
in the semi-arid regions.
Nothing can be more important ii
the matter of conservation than tn
treatment Of our forest lands. 1t wa
probably the ruthless destruction O.
forests in the older states that frs
called attention to the necessity for
halt in the waste Of u esources.
Tin the present forest reserves there
are lands which are not properly for