New-York tribune., 1918-12-20
Lipsner Says That Praeger
Told Him Burleson Had
Stock in Aeroplane Plant
lncompetency Is Charged
Service Placed i'm Hands
of Inexperienced Men,
Captain Writes Committee
Mem York Tribune
WGsilin atom Bureau

tHc o5lOIHCS department. 10 bet d
huge appropriation for the construc
tion of special airplanes for the aerial
mail service probably will be investigat-
ed by the Senate Military Affairs Com
mitee as a result of letter written
to Senator Sherman, of Illinois, by
Captain B. B. Lipsner, who recently re
signed as superintendent of the ser
vice
Senator Sherman put the Lipsner
letter in "The Congressional Record
day and it was referred to the Mil
itary Committee for consideration. The
letter was written before the House
voted to turn War Department air
planes over to Postmaster Burleson
instead of giving him money for new
mechnes.
ut seems to me-" Captain Lipsner
wrote to Senator Sherman, that the
time has come to ask why the costly
army equipment and personnel have
been almost totally disregarded by the
Postmaster General, who has embarked
on an independent course of expert
mentation which seems to threaten a
great waste Of public money.
Accuses Burleson
ain this regard, | wish to state that
] was told by Second Assistant Post
master General Praeger during the
discussion regarding the taking of GER
tam War department equipment that
Postmaster General Burleson was
financially interested in the Glenn
Martin Company of Cleveland. Ohio.
4
facturcs airplanes.
TO substantiate charges that Post
master General Burleson has put mex
perlenced men in charge of the aerial
service, Captain Lipsner called atten-
tlon to some of the appointments. J
H. Corrlden, superintendent of the di-
vision of railway adjustment, man
with no aircraft experience, has been
made supervisor of the mail service, he
said. DR.. l.. 7. Bussler, a clerk who
IS not an engineer, has been made chief
OF the section of maintenance. J. Clark
Egerton, twenty-one years old, chief of
the section on flying, which includes
testing, experiments and control of f1y-
ing, Is the son of the purchasing agent
OF the Postoffice Department, Lipsner
said. Two postal clerks, he declared.
nave been made aerial mail divisional
superintendents.
Fart of Lipsner Letter
Following is the text in part of the
Llpsner letter inserted in the record:
As l have been largely instrumental
IN the organization of this service and
as l have reason to believe that aerial
mail IS threatened with disruption be-
cause of the policies adopted by the
Postmaster General | wish to demand
a Congressional investigation of the
vital issues involved
In my resignation l said: In the
last three weeks since the ending of
the war there have come to my atten-
tlon apparent efforts made by repre-
sentatlves of certain aircraft manufac-
turers and the Manufacturers Aircraft
Association to have the Postoffice De-
partment spend tens of thousands of
collars unnecessarily in constructing
special airplanes made for mail carrv-
ing and having expensive alterations
made on the military airplanes which
the War Department is turning over
tc the Postoffice Department to be
utilized in the aerial mail service.
Appreciating that my duty as a
public servant is to avoid all unneces-
sary expenses and knowing that the
public expects the aerial mail service
TO make every effort to salvage and
T.
planes LETT over from the military air
craft programme | have opposed the
policy OF going into these unnecessary
expenditures. Having in mind also
the dlsapproval expressed by the SEN
ate investigating committee last August
OF the methods of the Manufacturers
Aircraft Association I have sought to
discourage any needless waste
Men Inexperienced, He Says
"Mr. Burleson, in his reply, takes is
sue with these statements and in sup
port thereof l would call your atten-
ton to the following facts:
s.T j. B. Corridor, now superin-
tendent of division of railway
adjustments, has been made supervisor
of the aerial mail. He has had abso-
lutely no aircraft experience.
ss0 Dr. L. T. Busslar, formerly
$500 a year follow,up clerk
IN my office, has been made chief of
section on maintenance. He is not an
engineer.
.s3 j. Clark Edgerton, son of the
purchasing agent of the Post
Office Department and a former avia
ton lieutenant in the army, has been
made chief of section on flying, which
includes testing, experiments and con-
troll of flying. He is only twenty-one
years old.
ss4- For aerial mail divisional su-
perintendents two postal clerks
have been named.
Opposes Big Expeditions
"The apparent reason for the appoint
ment of such an inexperienced staff
is that the expenditures are contem-
Elated which experienced engineers
would refuse to sanction.
"The Second Assistant Postmaster
General has publicly announced that
Congress Will be asked to expend 1885,
oOo.0Oo IN the extension of the aerial
mali. Vhis to come on top of an au-
thor'zed expenditure Of 10000, 900 for
army aviation
1T seems TO me that the time has
come to ask why the costly army
equipment and personnel has been al
most totally disergarded by the Post
master General, who has embarked on
en- independent course of experimental
tlon which seems to threaten great
waste of public money.
In this regard l wish to state that 7
was told by Second Assistant Postmas-
ter Praeger during discussion re-
gardlng the taking of certain War De-
pafement equipment, that the postmas-
ter general was financially interested
in the Glenn Martin Company. Of Cleye-
land, Ohio.
81 have documentar,, ayida,oa 81 z,-