Postal Pay and Rates

The Senate is preparing to obey its own mandate that on Jan. 6 it shall act on the President's veto of the bill which increases the salaries of postal employes. The cost of the proposed pay increases will be between 60 and 70 million dollars a year. The President vetoed it for reasons of economy, saying that it must be accompanied by a measure for raising the extra money.

To serve this purpose, a bill known as the Sterling Bill has been prepared. It calls for an increase of postal rates on nearly all classes of mail except first class. A large part of the raise is to be attached to the rates on second class mail--newspapers and magazines--since this class of mail, according to the Post Office Department, has been causing an annual deficit of $74,000,000.

During the holidays, hearings were held on this bill by a joint sub-com- mittee of the Senate and House Post Office Committees. The publishers in force attacked it with a great fanfare of protest; they said it was ruinous, they said second class mail had been wrongly accused of causing a deficit. Postmaster General New declared that the bill was fair and absolutely necessary if postal pay was to be increased.

For political reasons, the Republicans are anxious to avoid having the President's veto overridden, because of the bad impression it would create. It was reported that there will be enough votes marshalled against the measure to prevent its being passed over the veto (two-thirds vote necessary to over-ride). The existence of the Sterling Bill, combining the pay raise with a rate raise will enable some Senators who are pledged to the former to vote against the pay bill alone, on the grounds that they prefer the Sterling Bill.

But the possibility of the Sterling Bill's being passed is another matter. No politician wants to incur the terrible wrath of the press, a wrath already rising at the suggestion that second class mail rates be somewhat increased. The wrath of this or that great city daily may be endured; but to provoke the almost universal enmity of the press, both urban and rustic, would be all but suicidal. The press wieldeth a mighty club. Congress may not lightly tread heavily upon its toes.