New-York tribune., 1910-01-15
IFrom The Tribune Bureau. !

[From The Tribune Bureau.l
Washington, Jan. 14--The public eye
has been so largely filled with the more or
less sensational phases of the Ballinser-
Pinchot controversy, the insurgent I'M
broglio In the House and the anti-organi-
cation movement in the Senate that 1t is
probably not generally realized that Con-
gress is diligently engaged on the highly
important If less interesting work Of franz
ing the great annual supply bills which
are to provide funds for the coming fiscal
year. President Taft and the members of
his Cabinet have done their full share
toward obtaining that economy Of appro-
prtations which has been declared one of
the chief aims of this administration, but
the sincerity of the two houses of Con-
gress in carrying out this policy Is still
open to question. The directions in which
efficient work in the promotion of this
purpose may be performed are numerous
but the willingness of Congress to apply
the knife TO a number of its pet extraya-
gances is problematical
The cost of transporting the mails by
railways, steamship lines and star routes
exceeds $4,000, 900. 1t has been charged
in some quarters that the rates paid by
the government are excessive and have not
undergone that reduction which has taken
place in the charges made for similar ser
vice to private shippers. From time to
time there has been some effort on the
part of committees of Congress TO deter
mine the justice of the rates charged the
government, but without conclusive or sat-
isfactory results. In the Interstate Com
merce Commission the government has at
it's disposal an experienced and efficient
agency with which to determine the rea-
sonabieness of charges for transportation
and 1t is doubtless a safe assertion that
were Congress to confide to this commits
sion the task of ascertaining the justice
of the rates now charged and prescribing
what shall constitute just and reasonable
compensation for the service rendered, 1t
would not only command the approval of
the public, but would materially contrib
ute to the reduction of the annual postal
deficiency.
The proposition made by George Won l..
Meyer when he was Postmaster General
for considerable extension of the parcels
post system on rural mail routes has been
shown, in so far as such things can be
demonstrated on paper, to afford an effec-
tive and proper means of greatly curtail-
ing. If not eliminating, that share of the
postal deficit resulting from the extension
of rural free delivery. Opposition to the
proposition comes from two sources-the
express companies. who fear dimunition
of their profits, and local merchants. who
are apprehensive of the incursion of the
mail order houses. Powerful as may be
the influence of the express companies,
consideration of their fears by Congress is
not easy to defend. The apprehension of
local merchants is so groundless, in view
of the system of differentials proposed by
Mr.. Meyer, that it seems certain it could
be completely dissipated by campaign of
education, which would prove to them that
they. and not the mail order houses, would
be the gamers by the proposed extension
of the parcels post-an extension which