Evening star., 1924-12-10
RAISES IN POSTAGE
PROPOSED TO MEET
HIGHER PAY SCALE
Senator Sterling Having Bill
Drafted to Provide Addi-
tionaI Revenue.
n0W DOUBT PASSAGE
OVER COOLIDGE's VETO
Opposition to Such Course Growing
Daily. Congressional Lead
crs Report.
ny q. GOULD LINCOLN.

HI g. GOULD LINCOLN.
The Post Office Department. at the
T quest of Senator Sterling of South
I'akota. chairman of the Senate post
",iicc committee, is drafting a bill to
Increase and adjust various postal
rates 50 as to provide a major por
ton. if not all, OF the SOS, S,00O,0O re-
'uired to meet the increased salaries
1"r postal employees requested in the
pay bill vetoed by President Coolidge
and now awaiting action in the Sem
80.
It is the purpose of Senator Ster-
ling to introduce the proposed bill
G"alinE with postal rates as soon as
ii has been completed. He will seek
action on it at the present session.
With the Presidents rigid economy
program strongly indorsed by the
country in the recent election. in the
opinion of Senator Sterling, it would
be- unwise to pass the pay bill over
the Presidents veto. He feels that
the proper way to handle increases
for postal employees is to meet the
Increases through changes in the
postal rates.
Opposition Is Growing.
Although only three Senators voted
against the postal pay bill when it
laSSed the Senate at the last session
of Congress-Senator Sterling was
on" Of those who supported the
m"asure-the opposition to passing
the measure over the Presidents
veto is growing stronger daily. SO
strong has it become, it is admitted
today, even bs those who are seek
1n@ to pass the measure, that the
necessary two-thirds vote for such
action may not be forthcoming.
There is a possibility that unless
the proponents of the measure per
NIT it to be recommitted to the post
office committee, with the understand
ing that it shall be dealt with ia
Norahly later, as proposed by Senator
Sterling, tactics will be adopted by
some of the Senators which will pre-
vent any action on it until March
next. y filibuster by even a small
number of Senators is effective in
a short session.
OF course, If the advocates of the
bill become convinced they cannot
pass it over the Presidents veto, il
would be to their interest to send the
bill back to committee. For if a vote
were taken and the bill failed to
pass over the veto, it would be dead
IT would be far more difficult to
reSurreCt the measure then than If il
were now sent back to the committee
with the understanding that action
would be taken later in the session
May BE Referred Back.
Efforts are being made to reach an
aGreement 2 with the proponents of the
bill whereby it shall he referred back
I" the committee. instead of having
n sl4r,Nt-
message. These negotiations are
progressing and it may he they will
hc crowned with success.
congress is being criticised in some
quarters because it declined to wait
until the postal commission should
make its report on the ascertainmept
"t cost of the various services per-
formed by the postal service, before
going ahead with the postal paw bill.
The commission has now reported
and shows that exclusive of the first
class mail service and the postal saw
ingS service. the other services are
losing money. In round numbers, the
total net loss To the Government on
postal service is $39,50O,0OO
The first-class mail service brings
in about $S0,000.O0O more than it
costs, according to the commissions
report, and the postal savings sery-
ice about $4,7O0.0GO more than it
costs. The big losses to the Govern
mcnt come in the Second-class mail
service, third and fourth classes, for
etsn service, registry, etc. In the
second class mail service, for exam
ple, the loss amounts to more than
S7f,000,000, third-cl more than
sl6,000,O00, fourth class more than
$6,oOO,00O, and registry more than
s10,O00,0O0.
Fair Increases Planned.
The purpose of Senator Sterling is
10 bring in "A bill which will so re-
duce the losses on these various
kinds of mail services that il will
he possible to meet the increases
proposed in the pay for postal en-
ployes.
In the opinion Of the Senator it
might be possible to reduce the rates
an first-class mail, in the adjustment
"t rates. since that service makes
so much over and above the cost But
j. is considered doubtful that the
Post Office Department would approve
Fuch reduction. The department is
striving always to cut the deficit and
10 eliminate 1t. Therefore, proposals
to reduce the rates on the service
which Is making the big excess over
expenditures are not likely to be
smiled upon. Senator Sterling has
sought to have the postage on sdrop''
jetters-letters that are delivered in
the same city in which thew are
mailed-reduced to l cent, instead Of
= cents. But this has been opposed.
senator Sterling believes that IT
VIII be possible to draft a bill that
viii be fair to the users of the va
aious services which will make it
possible to raise practically all of
7he money needed to pay the in
creases to the postal employees.
Edge Is Reassured.
Senator Edge of New jersey. who
llas had charge of the postal pay
bill to some extent on the floor and
who has been seeking to have it
passed over the Presidents veto, to-
Gay during the session of the Senate
found that opponents of the measure
were seeking to have the Isle of Pines
treaty made the unfinished business
Of the Senate after the disposal of
the Muscle Shoals bill.
He questioned Senator Borah, chair
man of the foreign relations commit
Tee and strong opponent of the pay
bill in its present form, and ascertain 4
cd that motion to go INTO legisla-
i've session could be made at any
time during the consideration of the
isle OF Pines treaty. and so did not
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