The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-08
COOLIDGE HITS
 EXTRAVAGANCE
 IN POSTAL VETO
President Urges Compile tion Of Cost Surveys
 In Department

WASHINGTON, June 7.-The pos tai salary increase bill was vetoed by President Coolidge today with the dec laration that government extrava- ganee-saust stop"
 a message objecting to the legislation because it made no provision for rais- 2 ing the approximately $68, ,000, 900 from the postal revenues.
 Approval was given by the president to the provision added to the bill to regulate campaign expenditures and the statement was made that he would approve that section if it stood alone.
 Seeks Full Inquiry <
 Delay in the revision of postal sala- ries conceded to be inevitable in certain cases until the. postoffice department is able to complete its inquiry into cost ascertainment, was advised by the president.
 ''When the results of this inquiry bre available" the President said, 1 @they will form the basis for an intel igent consideration by the postmaster general and by congress of all ques- tions relating to the adequacy, or inad- ! equacy, of postage rates. They will afford a proper basis for consideration of relation of the cost of the postal service and revenues derived there from.
 The time has arrived to consider putting the postal service on sound basis so far as expenditures and rev enues are concerned.
 Tt is apparent that the matter of increasing the salaries of postal em- ployes should be considered in connec- tion with the ways and means whereby the postal revenues may be cores pondingly increasing, not apart there from. This report will be available when the Congress convenes in Decem- Der, and this matter can then be con sidered."
 No Fund Provision
 This bill adds approximately $6S,- 100000 to the annual expenditures of the government MT. Coolidge said. "It makes no provision for raising this amount as postal revenue. The money must come from the pockets of the tax payers to the extent that we create further obligations which must be met from the moneys derived from taxation, to! that extent we reduce the possibil- ity of further reduction in taxes: Be- fore such obligations are created it
  are essential in the best interests of the nation ei
 Government extravagance must stop. The people of the nation are paying all that it is possible for them to pay. I have taken my position in relation to government economy, which I have stated and restated until it is well known. I feel that that position ought to be consistent. I do not see how 1 can, approve the large increase in ex- penditures of this kind, except on the plea of urgent necessity.
 Tt may be that some adjustments would be justified, but an organized eff fort by a great body of public employees to secure indiscriminate increase in compensation should have the most searching scrutiny. The needs of the public, the ability of the people to pay, must have some consideration"
 Recalls Adjustments
 The President called attention - to three adjustments in postal salaries since 1918, and added that since then the cost of living had decreased rather than increased. He submitted figures showing that the lowest average of the salaries of postal employees in the field service is nearly $200 more than the average for employees in the government departments in Washington, and pre- scented the results of a post office de- partment survey which found that "in all cases of employees of similar charac- ter, the average salaries paid by busi- Nness institutions throughout the -coun- try were much lower than those paid in the postal. service"
 Mention was made of the long list of persons awaiting opportunity to obtain employment in the postal service, with the statement that with the exception of large cities and industrial communi- ties, there had been no difficulty ex- perienced in maintaining lists of eligi- bles to fill vacancies.