Evening star., 1928-12-04

its best balance for many years But
| there is need for further Improvement,
the President said, for the farmer gen.
orally.
Discussing the surplus crop problem,
the President recommended establish
ment of a Federal farm board to aid
the farmers solve this pi oblem. While
| he approved of a revolving fund to
! help the board and the farmers III
the commencement OF their work, he
announced his opposition to the Gov
ernment's going into price fixing or
granting of subsidies. He said:
The Government should aid in pro-
noting orderly marketing and in ham
ding SurpluSeS clearly due to weather
and seasonal conditions AS beginning
there should be created a Federal farm
board consisting of able and experienced
men empowered to advise producers
associations in establishing central
agencies or stabilization corporations to
handle SurpluSeS. to seek more eco
nomical means of merchandising and
to aid the producer in securing returns
according to the quality of his product.
A revolving loan fund should be pro-
vided for the necessary financing until
these agencies shall have developed
means of financing their operations
through regularly constituted credit in
stitutions. Such bill should carry au-
thority for raising the money. by loans
or otherwise. necessary to meet the eX-
penses, as the Treasury has no suprplus."
Prohibition Observance Obligatory.
With regard to prohibition and pro-
hibition enforcement, the President said
in part:
The country has duly adopted the
eighteenth amendment. Those who OBJ
ject to it have the right to advocate
its modification or repeal. Meantime, it
is binding upon the National and State
governments and all our inhabitants.
The Federal enforcement bureau is
making every effort to prevent viola
tions, especially through smuggling,
manufacture and transportation, and
to prosecute generally all violations for
which 1t can secure evidence. 1t is
bound to continue this policy. Under
the terms of the Constitution. however,
the obligation is equally on the States
to exercise the power which they have
through the executive, legislative, judi
cial and police branches of their gov
ernments in behalf of enforcement. The
Federal Government is doing and will
continue to do all it can in this direc-
ton and is entitled to the active CO.
operation of the States"
Aviation Advance Gratifying.
President Coolidge described the ad-
vance made in civil and commercial
aviation, declaring it was most gratify-
ing Demands for motors and planes
lNar f0xr flA iV1If 1cfS
young men and young women have ap-
piled for Federal air pilots licenses,
and more than 80 per cent of them
during the last year.
Our national airway SYSTEM" said
the President, extends $4,000 miles in
length, and has $500 miles lighted for
night flying. Three quarters of our
people are now served by these routes.
1t is noteworthy that this development
has taken place without governmental
subsidies"
The President discussed. too, the
strides made by the air mail, and it's
extension to cover Key West, Fla. Cuba
and Santo Domingo to San Juan, Porto
Rico, where it will connect with an
other route to Trinidad He said there
would be another route to the Panama
Canal Zone, where connection will be
made with still another route across the
northern coast Of South America to
Paramaribo.
River and harbor improvements are
proceeding with vigor, the President
said. He warned against Congress max
ing further commitments at this time
however, until some of the projects
already authorized, including the Missis-
Sippi flood relief, have been cared for.
He declared himself in sympathy with
a bill for the control of the flood waters
OF the Colorado River, generally known
as the Boulder Dam bill, but he said
that report of the engineers appointed
to study the project indicated there
should be some changes in the proposed
legislation, and pointed out that the
engineers prefer the Black Canyon site.
Reviews Civil Service Work.
The President called attention to
what has been done in recent years to
improve and more adequately pay the |
classified civil service. He said:
The most marked change made in
the civil service of the Government in
the past eight years relates to the in
crease in salaries The Board of Ac-
tuaries on the retirement act shows by
its report that July l, 1921, the average
salary of the 330,047 employees subject
10 the acC was 81 I,3Uf, while on June 80,
1927, the average salary of the corre-
spending 405,263 was $l,969. This was
an increase in six years of nearly So
per cent. On top of this was the gen.
erous increase made at the last session
of the Congress generally applicable to
Federal employees, and another bill in
creasing the pay in certain branches of
the postal service beyond the large in
crease which was made three years ago.
This raised the average level from
81 1863 to $2,092, making an increase in
seven years of over SO per cent While
it is well known that in the upper
brackets the pay in the Federal service
is much smaller than in private en-
in the lower brackets, rang
ing well up over $4,000, it is much
higher. 1t is higher not only in actual
money paid, but in privileges granted,
a vacation of 80 actual working DAYS.
or weeks each year, with additional
time running in some departments as
high as 80 days for sick leave and the
generous provisions of the retirement
act. No other body of public servants