The people's voice., 1957-08-23

WASHINGTON, ID. C.-l VoCed
against the bill to increase postal
rates by over a half billion dollars
year. but it passed the House any
way. l objected to raising first class
letters from &c to 4c, postal cards
from &c to Sc, and airmail from &c
to 7c. First class mail showed a profit
of $35 million dollars and airmail
showed a profit of $23 million dollars
in fiscal 1856. The new rates are
estimated to bring in another third
of billion dollars from this first
class mail. These added funds will
be used to furnish huge subsidies to
other classes of postal service.
Amendments, which l supported,
to reduce the first class rates and
equalize the rates for second and
third class mail, were defeated. We
did. however, succeed in putting in
an amendment which will limit the
second class mail subsidy received by
any publication to 100000 a year.
If this provision survives the Senate
consideration. it will affect big publ
cations, such as where single maga-
zine now is receiving about $40 mil
lion a year in subsidies of its mail
service.
[ could have supported fair postal
rate bill if it were a part of postal
pay increase legislation, which I
strongly supported and which passed
the House. When we treat the two
separately. l am afraid the President
will take the rate increase and veto
the pay raise.
Hospitals = The President has
signed my bill, HR S053, and it now
becomes Public Law Isl of the 85th
Congress. The measure authorizes
funds available for construction of
Indian health facilities to be used to
assist in the construction of COM
munity hospitals which will serve In
dians and non-Indians. My colleague,
Metcalf, and our Sen
ators Murray and Mansfield, had
active roles in this legislation.
So far, more than $4,000 bills have
been introduced in the House and
Senate. so the passage of a measure
such as this is considered a major
accomplishment. The
new measure can be of special i'm
portance to Wolf Point, Poplar, Har
em and similar communities. Both
and Indian reservations
can cooperate in the construction
If excellent hospitals, rather than
nave duplicating, small, inadequate
facilities.
Banking - Along with other men,
ors of the House Banking and Cur
'ency Committee, have been par
for three weeks in a series
If hearings aimed at legislation to
,verhaul and streamline the nations
,anking laws. Major figures in the
,anking field have appeared before
is, and l participated in the commit
ee questioning. The 16 August issue
f u. S. News and World Report in
luded two pages of testimony in
which | participated.
American Engineer Featured
rticle in the August issue of "Ameri-
an Engineer is one by me in which
explain the value of engineering
raining to members of Congress. AS
chemical engineering graduate of
Gontana State College, class of 1927,
With subsequent graduate work at
california Institute of Technology,
received training which is proving
aluable to me in representing the
eople of Montana in Congress.
There are only few profession
lily trained engineers here. The maga-
inc, published by the National So
iety of Professional Engineers,
tresses the Importance of such people
n legislation concerning roads,
ridges, atomic energy, reclamation,
ollution, water problems and many II
ther fields. Huge sums of money are
pent on these projects said the maga-
inc and "the engineer legislator is !