The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-06-06
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Tax Reduction Bill Goes to
the President Imrnigra-
ton Measure Signed.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARn

BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD
r Unless the prognosticators of
~ Washington are wrong. the tax
reduction bill will be a. law before this
reaches the reader. The conference
report on the measure was accepted by
the, senate by vote Of go to 8. and
by the house by a vote of 376 to 9.
Backed by these Overwhelming majori-
ties 1t went to the President, and con-
gressional leaders were confident that
Mr.. Coolidge would sign it. First, of
course, he asked the opinion of the
Treasury department, whose experts
analysed the bill. It was said that
Secretary Mellon had at no time ad-
vised the President to veto the meas
ure and that he had come to the con-
clusion that 1t should be signed as
representing an Improvement over the
old law.
OF the six senators who voted
against the conference report. four are
radicals--Brookhart. Frazier. Norris
and johnson of Minnesota. The others
were Ernst Of Kentucky and Moses Of
New Hampshire. who favored the
original Mellon plan. In the house the
nine who voted In the negative were
all Mellon plan supporters and all Re-
publicans. They were: Fem (Conn.).
Tilson Comm. Merritt (Conn.), Mills
IN. ". Wainwright IN. ". McFad-
den (Pa.), Philips (Pa.). Hill (Md.).
and Moores (1nd).
Talk Of a big deficit due to the bo-
nus law and the tax reduction provid-
ed for by the bill faded away. Repre-
sentative Green told the house: "The
actuary of the treasury assured me
that there would be sufficient surplus
for the fiscal year 1924 to pay the Boz
nus twice over. The actuary's figures
also show that the 1925 surplus. with
out including the bonus, which can be
taken, care of out of the previous sur
plus, will be $13S.0O0OO0. The differ
ence between the present bill and the
Mellon plan is only the very slight
sum of $22,0O0,00O. OF which $4,000
600 Is in the individual income and cor
poration taxes and the balance in the
excise taxes. One-half Of the % per
cent reduction comes out Of the fiscal
year 1924. the other half out Of the
fiscal year 1925. The present bill re-
duces taxes $22,O00,O00 more than the
Mellon plan would have DONE"
Later estimates by members Of the
house committee on appropriations in
dicated that the financial status Of the
government with the enactment OF
these two measures would be even
more favorable than had been thought
This Is in part due to the probability
that aggregate appropriations by con.
gress this session for purposes includ-
ed in the original budget recommends.
ton will amount to about $7.0OO'OOC
less than the total recommended by
the budget.
President Coolidge transmitted to
congress a request from the veterans
bureau for an appropriation OF SIT.
81. 1893 to defray the costs of the sol
diers. bonus until July 1. 1925. OF
this total, $1.1ss,50o would be for ad
ministrative expenses. 81
ENATORS BORAH, Fess and VII
- lis cast the only votes in the mega
tive when the, postal salary Increase
bill was passed by the senate. By this
measure, which then went to ths
house, the salaries OF 100000 posta
employees would be increased by al
average Of 5000 each annually. the to
tai being estimated at $50. 100000. This
Is the schedule of salaries provided
for by the bill: saH M
Clerks and carriers. $1.700 to 81
100: special clerks at first and secons
class offices, $1,000 to $1,000; substi
tute and temporary CLERKS, 90 cent
per hour: watchmen, laborers and mes
sengers. s1.45o to $3.50; marine car
riers. S2,4O0
Railway mail service: clerks (sevei
grades). $1,000 to S2,7Oo; supervisor
officials. $500 to $4,000; substitute
clerks, $3.50,
Rural delivery no change IN sara
ries, but allowance Of A cents mile
day for maintenance Of equipment