The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-13
GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES,

Governmental activities appear on
every hand, and we shall doubtless have
more and more OF them as the years
go by. Most of these activities have
been beneficial in way, but it must
be confessed that at times business has
been sadly interfered with The postal
savings bank is an instance Of the lat
ter, IN which the people are invited to
Government for safety. which is clear
y an encroachment upon the banking
business Of the country. One object OF
the postal savings banks is to get the
boarded money into circulation, and
some instances are given where this
purpose is effected; but for the most
part there is no allurement in any kind
of bank to the person who wishes to
have his money where he can put his
fingers upon it and gloat over it at any
times he wishes. 1t is his Joy to tumble
that money, and TO realize that he has
ii, and that Ii is his own. But, since
II is the avowed purpose Of the postal
savings banks to draw out boarded
money, and since that boarded money
often amounts 10 a good deal, where
is the sense in limiting the deposits
from any one person 10 800 a month?
Those who are real hoarders Of money
often have hundreds and even thou
sands of dollars that should be depos-
tied. But the way to get at this is to
take it all, if possible, not to limit the
amount to 500. Here the postal saw.
lngs law defeats its own purpose, and
dissuades the one who has more than
500 from depositing it, because sue,
cessive wrenches of this kind are a
good deal like cutting a dogs tail off
by degrees, an inch or so one month.
and another inch another month. and
so on. The way TO encourage those who
hoard money TO deposit that money in
the savings bank is to give them an
opportunity to deposit it all at once
and be done with it. Ii they won Z do
1t that way, they won do it at all
Another proposition is for the estah-
hshment OF a parcels post service. and
the argument for this is very strong,
In view of the fact that the govern.
ment is already engaged by information
al postal agreement TO carry parcels
received from the mails of foreign
countries. The question is very res
sonably asked why, if the government
is going 10 carry parcels for foreign
postal services. does it not carry mar.
GELS In its own home service? The
question is unanswerable; and vet
there is no question but that the carry.
ing Of parcels by post will greatly in
lure the business of country stores, and
eventually also that of the express COM
panles, Postmaster General Hitchcock
Will ask Congress at its assembling for
the establishment of parcels post
service on the rural mail routes. This
would give immediate advantage to the
central postofi;ces. whence the rural
mail delivery radiates. The country
stores on the routes of those rural do
liveries would suffer in their business
on account of it. And vet il is q com.
ing extension of the postal service.
There can be but little doubt of this:
and when IL is established in the rural
routes there can be no argument which
Will prevent its establishment every
where IN the postal service And then
the mail order business will rule su-
preme, and mail order houses in the
big central postoffices will receive
tremendous impetus in their business.
The economic activities Of the gov
eminent have uudoubt btedly come 10
stay; but there is no question of the
fact that their Inauguration and opera
ton VIII make tremendous changes in
the methods Of doing business all
through the United States.