The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-02-04
POSTAL BANKS
IN AMERICA.
Little Doubt Congress VIII Pass
Measure Now Perfected.
FEATURES OF THE BILL.
The BaIIinger- Pinchot investigating
Committee Working Hard-Bureau
Chiefs Have a Grievance-WiIey's
Method of Telling Fresh Eggs.

Chiefs Have Grievance-Wiley'
Method of Telling Fresh Eggs.
Washington, Feb. There is n
longer much doubt that the postal say
ings bank bill will become a law a
this session of congress. The meas
ure which will probably be taken a
the basis of the act is that now il
| charge of Senator Tom Carter of Mon
! tana, which has finally been perfected
to meet the various objections thus ia
urged. The most serious criticism o
! the original postal bank plan was tina
| the government would get the funds
| and deposit them in a few favoritt
! Wall street banks. This has been OBJ
waited by providing that funds mus
be deposited in the local banks. 1t is
also provided that the postal savings
banks will not accept single deposits
of more than $50 and not more than
5000 from one person. The experience
of countries in which the system is
already In vogue is that the govern
ment banks do not interfere with the
pl ~ dlC mss iloIltullOliSB put iAlhSl
help them. The postal banks get the
people in the habit of depositing their
savings, and, once having formed the
habit, they soon take their money to
the private concerns, where they can
get more interest. One ingenious adj
vocate of the plan in this country says
that the presence of postal savings
banks will discourage the activity of
the Black Hand for the reason that
when savings are kept in old stockings
and fruit jars the Black Handlers find
it out and the stories furnish a lure
to their cupidity, whereas if the
amounts were in the banksHthe whole
matter would be kept secret. How
ever that may be, the postal savings
bank is slated to go through. Presi-
dent Taft told Aldrich that he had to
have it, and as Aldrich did not want
to break with the administration he
gave way.
The BalIinger Hearings.
The Ballinger-Pinchot investigation
IS under way, and during the session
'our meetings will be held each week,
wo on Friday and two on Saturday.
estimony has started the hearings will |
De as long drawn out as an old fash |
oned sermon or as the tariff debate
AS to what the outcome win be no
prophet has the hardihood to predict.
The testimony of L. II. CLAWS present
I'd few new points, and If his evidence
Is typical the case will be little more
than the thrashing over of old straw.
At any rate, it will clear the atmos-
phere and give the country an oppor-
tunity to come to definite conclusion.
MuzzIing the Bureau Chiefs.
No one rule has caused more heart
burnings and irritation than that of
President Taft forbiddng bureau
chiefs or government employees to talk
except through the heads of their de
partments. 1t was under this rule
that Pinchot was dismissed. The or
der has been bitterly resented both by
bureau chiefs and members of con
gress-by bureau chiefs because it was
both a muZZle and a reflection on their |
discretion and by members of congress
because it shut them off from infOrma- |
ion 10 which they thought they had |
l right Little of this talk has appear |
I'd in the press, but it is heard ON the |
luiet about Washington. One or two /
Democratic congressman have voiced !
protest. but beyond these no public
notice has been taken of the matter.
How to Tell Fresh Eggs.
At a hearing on the high prices and
old storage questions held by a spe-
'ial committee of the house, Dr. Har-
,ey w. Wiley, the pure food expert
ecently gave a disquisition on fresh
ggs. Incidentally he disclosed a
method of finding the age of the egg
which may be of service to house
wives. 1t consists in dropping the
gg into salt water. Common table
alt may be used. makingra 10 per
ent solution. If the egg goes to the
'ottom. it is fresh; If it floats sub
merged, it is not quite so fresh; If
art of it protrudes above the water.
has seen better days. This may
e a perfectly good method, but 1
you'd be willing to bet that nine out
ten farmers will continue placing
he egg between the followed hands
nd looking through 1t at the sun.
Evans Out of the Navy.
1t will be sad news to most of the
ountry that Fighting Bob Evans is
nally out Of the navy. Since he quit
be fleet at San Francisco Admiral
vans has been connected with the
eneral board. but was recently de-
lched and for the first time in fifty
ears is out Of active duty in the
avy. He is sixty-four years old and
1tered the Naval academy a half
sntury ago. No naval man was more
lpular In the country and none more
lady for "a fight or a frolic." He
i'll spend his retirement in literary
ork and. among other things, will
rite for the Bluejacket, a publication
lat has long been popular with naval
en- all over the world. Every num- {
II Will have a contribution from the c
sZ1iral. who has always been a great {
Forite with the enlisted men. The {
luejacket was established In 1901 by {
hfoT Va1r,o. FL T1uo--fa ~ fhc ! .