The Post Office Department faces two serious problems.  First, much of its physical plant—­post offices and other buildings-is obsolete and inadequate.  Many new buildings and the modernization of present ones are essential if we are to have improved mail service.  The second problem is the Department’s fiscal plight.  It now faces an annual deficit of one-half billion dollars.

Recommendations on postal facilities and on additional postal revenues will be submitted to the Congress.

A final consideration in our program planning is: 

THE RESPONSE TO HUMAN CONCERNS

A fundamental belief shines forth in this Republic.  We believe in the worth and dignity of the individual.  We know that if we are to govern ourselves wisely—­in the tradition of America—­we must have the opportunity to develop our individual capacities to the utmost.

To fulfill the individual’s aspirations in the American way of life, good education is fundamental.  Good education is the outgrowth of good homes, good communities, good churches, and good schools.  Today our schools face pressing problems—­problems which will not yield to swift and easy solutions, or to any single action.  They will yield only to a continuing, active, formed effort by the people toward achieving better schools.

This kind of effort has been spurred by the thousands of conferences held in recent months by half a million citizens and educators in all parts of the country, culminating in the White House Conference on Education.  In that Conference, some two thousand delegates, broadly representative of the nation, studied together the problems of the nation’s schools.

They concluded that the people of the United States must make a greater effort through their local, State, and Federal Governments to improve the education of our youth.  This expression from the people must now be translated into action at all levels of government.

So far as the Federal share of responsibility is concerned, I urge that the Congress move promptly to enact an effective program of Federal assistance to help erase the existing deficit of school classrooms.  Such a program, which should be limited to a five-year period, must operate to increase rather than decrease local and State support of schools and to give the greatest help to the States and localities with the least financial resources.  Federal aid should in no way jeopardize the freedom of local school systems.  There will be presented to the Congress a recommended program of Federal assistance for school construction.

Such a program should be accompanied by action to increase services to the nation’s schools by the Office of Education and by legislation to provide continuation of payments to school districts where Federal activities have impaired the ability of those districts to provide adequate schools.