The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-04
WEEKS TOLD TO PRODUCE HISRECORDS Wheeler Summons Secre- tary Of War In Air
 Fraud Case OFFICIAL DISMISSED ON EVE OF INQUIRY Adviser Warned To Stay Away From Daugh-
 erty Committee JAPANESE FIRM
 WAS REPAID-LANE Reports Are Confiscated, He Says, When He Was Turned
 From Office
OFFICIAL DISMISSED
 ON EVE OF INQUIRY
JAPANESE FIRM
 WAS REPAID-LANE

WASHINGTON, April 3.-The Senate Daugherty committee turned its inquiry today upon the war department and concluded a three-hour session by summoning Secretary Weeks to appear before it tomorrow with specified documents relating to departmental handling of war fraud cases.
 The committee had listened before it's summons was issued, to the story of Thomas F. Lane, a legal advisor to the army air service, who said he had been ordered a day or two ago ''to stay away from the committee" and then had been dismissed from the serv- ices.
 Papers Were seized
 Lane said also that papers bearing upon his inquiry into war contracts which he regarded as his own, were seized by Capt. W. F. Volandt assist ant chief of the army air service, who issued the "stay away" order.
 Captain Volandt, who was at once summoned before the committee, dur ing sharp interrogation by Senator Wheeler, the committee prosecutor, and other members, said he regarded Lanes papers as part of the official depart mental files. He had turned them oyer to Secretary Weeks, he said. and the latter had sought an opinion as to their status from the judge advocate general.
 Senator Wheeler, in the terse exam ination of Captain Nolandt. charged that the dismissal of Lane and the sequestration of his papers was ''in- tended to cover up the war depart ment's handling of air fraud cases. This Volandt sharply denied.
 The papers, Lane declared, were mainly copies of recommendations he made as to procedure the government should take against war contractors.
 Explains "Stay Away" Order
 His orders to Lane to "stay away from the committee" Volandt said, was because the air service wished to rush claims against the Standard Aircraft company and the Willis Overland com pany that they might be sent to the department for further action. Although no in possession of records Lane described his own investigations and recommendations touching on the Standard company, the Lincoln Motor corporation and the American Bosch Magneto company which had war con- tracts.
 From the Standard company, con trolled by Mitsui & Co.,, New York subsidiary of Japanese banking firm, he said, the government should have ob- tained repayment of about $2,20O.- 900. From the American Bosch Magneto company he had recommended repayment of $450000, and from the Lincoln corporation he fixed the sum of $9,S90,0O0.
 No Action Instituted
 A compromise was made by the de- pertinent of justice in the Lincoln Motors case, he said, over the formal protest of the war department for $1 800, 900 after the company had gone into receivership. From the others, he added, nothing had been obtained and against them no action had been in- stituted.
 All the government claims arose from reinvestigations of war contract settle. ments, Lane explained. His story of the Bosch Magnetic case went further than the detail of the war contracts.
 The concern, German-owned, was seized during hte war by the alien prop. erty custodian and put into the hands of trustees, who took some contracts to furnish the air service spark plugs. In 1919 the property was sold by the gov. (cOntInusd on Page Two, Column FIvs)