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to pass an examination before a board of optometry, the appointment of which is provided for in the act. (Approved May 28. 1924.)

LAWS EXTENDED TO HAWAII, Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1925, the provisions of the following acts are extended to the territory of Hawaii: The federal highway act, the federal farm loan act, the act for the promotion of the welfare and hygiene of maternity and infancy, the act for the promotion of vocational education and the act for the Vocational rehabilitation of persons disabled in industry or otherwise and their return to civil employment. (Approved March 10, 1924.)

USE OF PORTRAITS IN TRADE-MARKS. Section 5 of the trade-mark act of 1905 is amended to read as follows: "Provided further, That no portrait of a living individual may be registered as a trade-mark except by the consent of such individual, evidenced by an instrument in writing, nor may the portrait of any deceased president of the United States be registered during the life of his widow, if any, except by the consent of the widow evidenced in such manner." (Approved June 7, 1924.)

INSURANCE OF THIRD-CLASS MAIL.

The section of the act of Aug. 24, 1912, applicable to fourth-class (parcel post) mail, "that the postmaster-general shall make provision by regulation for the indemnification of shippers for shipment injured or lost, by insurance or otherwise, and when desired for the collection on delivery of the postage and price of the article shipped, fixing such charges as may be necessary to pay the cost of such additional service," is extended to cover third-class domestic mail. (Approved June 7, 1924.)

MEMORIAL TO WASHINGTON (D. C.)

SOLDIERS.

A commission composed of Charles A. Baker and others is created to be known as the District of Columbia Memorial commission for the purpose of erecting in Potomac park in the District of Columbía a memorial to those members of the military and naval forces of the United States from the District of Columbia who served their country in the great war. Such memorial shall be of artistic design and suitable for military music. (Approved June 7, 1924.)

CUSTER GAME SANCTUARY ENLARGED. Upon the recommendation of the secretary of agriculture the area designated as the Custer state park game sanctuary under the provisions of the act of June 5, 1920, may by proclamation of the president be enlarged to embrace a total of not to exceed 46,000 acres, and the act of June 5, 1920, shall otherwise apply with equal force to the additional area authorized by this act. (Approved June 7, 1924.)

LOANS TO FARMERS IN DROUGHT AREAS.

The secretary of agriculture is authorized to make advances or loans to farmers in the drought-stricken areas of New Mexico for the purchase of seed and feed for actual farming purposes, but not to exceed in any instance the sum of $6 per acre. The sum of $1,000.000 is appropriated to be immediately available for this purpose. (Approved April 26. 1924.)

ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATIONS.

There is authorized to be appropriated the sum of $33,000 to defray the cost of representation of the United States at the meeting of the inter-American committee on electrical communications to be held in the City of Mexico in 1924. The principal delegates are not to exceed three in number and are to be appointed by the president. (Approved April 28, 1924.)

INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN.

Provision is made for an industrial institution for women above the age of 18 years convicted of offenses against the United States, including women convicted by consular courts and sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year. The management of the institution is to be vested in the attorney-general of the United States. (Approved June 7, 1924.)

CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIANS.

dians born within the territorial limits of the Be it enacted, etc., That all noncitizen InUnited States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided, That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property. (Approved June 2, 1924.)

GERMAN RELIEF MEASURE FAILS.

On March 24, 1924, the house passed a joint resolution to appropriate $10,000,000 for the purchase of food supplies for destitute women and children in Germany by a vote of 240 yeas to 97 nays. The resolution was referred to the senate committee on foreign relations, which failed to take any action in the matter.

OPIUM FOR HEROIN FORBIDDEN.

The act of Feb. 9, 1909, prohibiting the importation and use of opium for other than medicinal purposes is amended by adding the words, "but no opium may be imported or brought in for the purpose of manufacturing heroin." (Approved June 7, 1924.)

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL BUREAU. There is authorized to be appropriated sums not exceeding $2,500 per annum to enable the United States to maintain membership in the international statistical bureau at The Hague, such sums to be expended under the direction of the secretary of state. (Approved April 28, 1924.)

POSTAL SALARY BILL VETO.

which follows:

To the Senate: Herewith is returned, without approval, S. 1898. a bill "Reclassifying salaries of postmasters and employes of the postal service and readjusting their salaries and compensation on an equitable basis and for other purposes."

Among the bills passed by the 68th congress law is given in the president's veto message at its first session was one increasing the salaries of postal employes. It was passed by the senate May 27, 1924, by a vote of 73 yeas to 3 nays and by the house June 2 by a vote of 250 yeas to 14 nays. It was vetoed by President Coolidge on June 7. the last day of the session, when a filibuster in the senate against another measure prevented This bill adds approximately $68.000.000 any attempt to pass it over the veto. Full to the annual expenditures of the government. information as to the purpose of the proposed It makes no provision for raising this

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amount as postal revenue. The money must
come from the pockets of the taxpayers.
the extent that we create further obligations
which must be met from the moneys derived
from taxation, to that extent do we reduce
the possibility of further reduction in taxes.
Before such obligations are created it should
be conclusively shown that they are essential
in the best interests of the nation.

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 I can approve the large increase in expenditure of this kind, except on the plea of urgent necessity. It may be that some adjustments would be justified, but an organized effort by a great body of public employes to secure an 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. These salaries had been adjusted three times since 1918, the last time in 1920. Since then the cost of living has decreased rather than increased.

Rural carriers, $1,849.52, increase of $1,140 since 1907, or 160 per cent.

The average for all salaries of clerks now receiving from $1,140 to $2,040 per annum in the clerical, administrative and fiscal services in all the departments in Washington will be approximately $1,554 on July 1. 1924, under the provisions of the classification act of 1920. it is thus seen that the lowest average of the salaries of the postal employes in the field service is nearly $200 more than the average for employes in the government departments in Washington.

the

At the request of the committee which considered this legislation the postoffice department made a special investigation of range of salaries paid to persons employed in business institutions throughout the country and reported the results. These investigations covered representative cities ranging in population from 2,000 to over 5,000,000. was found that in all cases of employes of a similar character the average salaries paid were much lower than those paid in the postal service.

It

The conditions under which employment is undertaken in the postal service and those under which it is undertaken in business are not altogether alike. The scale of salaries in the postal service should be sufficiently high to attract those who will make it a life work. This cannot be done without providing for a salary high enough to enable the employe to take upon himself the obligations of citi. zenship and his place in society and render satisfactory service to the government. Therescale of wages that is somewhat higher than the scale paid to employes in the business world.

The postal service rendered the public is good. The service conditions under which the employes perform their duties are probably more satisfactory than ever before in the history of the postoffice department. The government has been solicitous of the welfare of postal employes. Their compensation has been the subject of several recent legis-fore it is just to pay to postal employes a lative acts and adjusted to scales of pay as favorable as any in the public service. The act of July 2, 1918, increased the compensation of clerks and carriers in postoffices and railway postal clerks $200 a year, and rural carriers $240 a year. In addition there were increases in compensation to a large number of the supervisory force. The act of Nov. 8. 1919, further increased the compensation of postal employes from $100 to $200 per annum. This was followed by the act of July 5, 1920, which provided further increases in compensation ranging from $200 to $300 for clerks and carriers and railway postal clerks, and $260 for rural carriers. Substantial increases were also provided in the salaries of the supervisory force, ranging from $200 to $600 a year.

The effect of these increases in salary grades over those for the fiscal year 1918 was an increase of $600 to clerks and carriers in postoffices, $500 to railway postal clerks and $600 to rural carriers.

By reason of these increases the government has paid out during the fiscal years from 1919 to 1923 an additional aggregate of $450,000.000 in salaries to postal employes above what would have been paid under the scale in effect before these changes, as follows:

.$33 202 600

68.901.000 110.756.000 114,256.000 123.256.000

During the fiscal year 1919.
During the fiscal year 1920.
During the fiscal year 1921.
During the fiscal year 1922
During the fiscal year 1923.
It is apparent that the government has dealt
generously with this service.

As a result of these readjustments the average salaries for 1003 are:

Postoffice clerks. $1.751, increase of $919 since 1909, or 110 per cent. Postoffice carriers, $1.752.83. increase of $862 since 1907. or 96 per cent.

Railway postal clerks. $2.107. increase of $946 since 1907, or 81 per cent. Railway no tal clerks. Including travel alnce, $2,292, increase of $1,131 since or 97 per cent.

I am informed there is generally no difficulty in maintaining lists of eligibles to fill vacancies. There are certain localities where difficulty exists, these localities being almost without exception large cities and industrial communities affected in the one case by high costs of living due to metropolitan conditions and in the other case by the higher wage scale and living costs. But there are approximately 6,000 eligibles on the civil service list at the present time to fill vacancies in the railwav mail service, and there were 25.000 applicants for the examination held throughout the country by the civil service commission on May 3.

This bill increases the salaries of all postmasters excepting those at offices of the first class. It increases the salaries of supervisory officers in postoffices, postoffice inspectors and the officers of the railway mail service $300 cach, and in some instances more. It increases the salaries of clerks and carriers $300 each and of rural carriers on the average $293 for each carrier on a standard route. These increases apply alike to all classes of postoffices. They ignore the fact that there is a wide difference in the cost of living in the larger cities and industrial centers as compared with the smaller cities and towns. If there is real need for revision of salaries in the postal service, it is to provide a wage differential for those employes serving in postoffices located in the large cities and industrial centers. There is no justification for increasing salaries to apply to all offices when the need for such increases does not apply to a large number of the offices. Aside from this, no provision is made in this bill for raising the money which would be required to meet the additional expenditures which it proposes. Under its provisions we would be required to take an additional amount of approximately $68,000,000 per year from the moneys paid by the taxpayers and pass it on to the employes of the postal service. Certainly the

interests of the people demand that any legis.
lation increasing the cost of the postal serv-
ice should give consideration to the raising of
the moneys necessary to defray the additional
cost.
For the fiscal year 1923 the postal revenues
were $32,000,000 less than the cost of the
service for that year. This deficit had to be
met from the moneys paid by the taxpayers.
We should not add to the amount of the
postal deficit, as is proposed by this bill, but
should attempt as a sound business principle
to have the users of the mails approximately
pay the cost of the service. The law gives
the postmaster-general the power, with the ap-
proval of the interstate commerce commission,
to increase parcel-post rates. Even if the
proposed increase of $68,000,000 contemplated
by this bill was justified, it would not only
be unfair to the users of the parcel post to
recoup the whole amount in that manner, but
it would be wholly impracticable to secure it
from the parcel post business without destroy-sidered.
ing that service. The farmers, who are the
largest users of parcel post, are not in a posi-
tion to contribute a large sum to the postal
employes.

The postoffice department is now engaged

by direction of congress in a cost ascertainment for which half a million dollars was appropriated. This inquiry has been prosecuted with dingence and is nearing completion. When the results of this inquiry are available they will form the basis for an intelligent consideration by the postmaster-general and by congress of all questions relating to the adequacy of postage rates. They will afford a proper basis for consideration of the relation of the cost of the postal service and the revenues derived therefrom. The time has arrived to consider putting the postal service on a sound business basis, 80 far as expenditures and revenues are concerned. It is apparent that the matter of increasing the salaries of postal employes should be considered in connection with the ways and means whereby the postal revenues may be correspondingly increased, not apart therefrom. This report will be available when the congress convenes in December, and this matter can then be constood alone. I should apthe bill relating to camCALVIN COOLIDGE. June 7, 1924.

If that provision prove that part of paign funds. The White House,

BURSUM PENSION BILL VETO.

The senate on April 1, 1924. passed what was generally known as the Bursum pension bill by a vote of 51 to 10. On April 21 it was passed by the house without a record vote. The bill was vetoed by President Coolidge May 3. An attempt was made in the senate May 13 to pass the bill over the veto, but the necessary two-thirds majority was not obtained and the bill failed to pass. The president's veto message follows:

To the Senate: I am returning herewith senate bill 5, "An act granting pensions and increase of pensions to certain soldiers and sailors of the avil and Mexican wars, and to certain widows, former widows, minor children and helpless children of said soldiers and sailors and to widows of the war of 1812, and to certain Indian war veterans and widows and to certain Spanish war soldiers and certain maimed soldiers and for other purposes," without my approval.

For the next fiscal year the effect of this act will be to take an additional $58,000,000 of the moneys paid by the taxpayers of the nation and add it to the pension checks of the veterans of the wars from 1812 to 1902 and their widows and dependents. This is the effect for the first year; but the burden upon the taxpayers will continue for many years to come. While impossible of accurate estimation, the commissioner of pensions states that the proposed addition to the pension roll will total approximately $242,000,000 for the first five years and $415,000,000 for the first ten years.

No conditions exist which justify the imposition of this additional burden upon the taxpayers of the nation. All our pensions were revised and many liberal increases made no longer ago than 1920. Every survivor of the civil war draws $50 per month, and those in need of regular aid and attendance, which already includes 41,000 of them, draw $72 per month. As others come to need this the law already gives it to them. The act also proposes to extend the limits of the war period from April 13, 1865, to Aug. 20, 1866. so that those who enlisted during this year and four months of peace now become eligi

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ble for the same treatment as those who fought through the war. There are other questionable provisions providing for the pensioning of civilians and relating to the pensioning of certain classes of widows.

But the main objection to the whole bill is the unwarranted expenditure of the money of the taxpayers. It proposes to add more than 25 per cent to the cost of the pension roll. It is estimated that it would bring the total pension bill of the country to a point higher than ever before reached, notwithstanding it is now nearly sixty years since the close of the civil war. A generous nation increased its pensions to well over a quarter of a billion annually, and has already bestowed nearly $6,250,000,000 in pensions upon the survivors of that conflict and their dependents. While there has been some decrease in the annual expense, it is now proposed by a horizontal increase to pay all survirors $72 each month, without regard to age, to their physical condition or financial condition. With the other proposals a new high record of cost would be established.

The need for economy in public expenditure at the present time cannot be overestimated. I am for economy. I am against every unnecessary payment of the money of the taxpayers. No public requirement at the present time ranks with the necessity for the reduction of taxation. This result cannot be secured unless those in authority cease to pass laws which increase the permanent cost of government. The burden on the taxpayers must not be increased; it must be decreased. Every proposal for legislation must be con. sidered in the light of this necessity. The cost of commodities is diminishing. Under such conditions the cost of government ought not to be increasing. The welfare of the whole country must be considered. The desire to do justice to pensioners, however great their merit, must be attended by some solicitude to do justice to taxpayers. The advantage of a class cannot be greater than the welfare of the nation. CALVIN COOLIDGE. The White House, May 3, 1924.

OF THE WORLD.

Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
Colossus of Rhodes.

Statue of Jupiter by Phidias.

Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria.

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Total, exclusive of sum payable from post al revenues 3,416,120,478.25 3,008,480,763.94 *This sum includes $105,467,000 for refunding internal revenue taxes erroneously col

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