Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-16
AIR SCHOOL DEF|ES
TRADE COMMISSION
Walter Hinton, President,
Refuses to Drop ~. S. A."
in Designation.

Challenging authority of the Federal
Trade Commission to compel the Avi-
alton Institute of u. S. A. Inc. to
change its corporate name. Walter
Hinton. president of the institute, re-
fused today to obey the commissions
order to drop the letters ~. S. A"
from his organizations name.
The refusal means court action will
be taken to enforce the order. The
institute was given so days in which
to comply.
In ruling that ~. S. A." forms an
abbreviation for United States Army
which it said created the erroneous
impression that the institute has some
direct official connection with the Gov
eminent the commission has assumed
the authority of the chief photographer
for the United States. Hinton charged,
The former Navy lieutenant. who once
flew the Atlantic, commended the let
tiers represent United States of
America"
Cites Official Rulings.
"The Government Printing Office
Style Manual. the United States Post
Office Department and the adjutant
general of the War Department have
ruled that the abbreviation u. S. A "
indicates the United States of America,
Hinton said. The War Department
has gone so far as to issue general
order prohibiting officers in the various
services from affixing the letters
u. S. a as part of their signatures a."
Hinton said there is a possibility the
in other countries, assuming as part of
the country in which they are located
The Trade Commissions order
against the institute, which teaches
flying correspondence courses from its
headquarters at Ills Connecticut ave-
nue.. was made public yesterday. 1t
ordered the school to stop using as
part of its trade name the letters,
u. S. A, or other letters, words or
insignia that would indicate affiliation
with the United States Army, Navy or
some other department of the Govern
ment. or that its course is conducted
according to Government require
ments." The order charged the school,
by using ~. S. A was setting up I'M
fair methods of competition.
Hopeful of Court Action.
Whether the District Court of APP
peals Will uphold the Federal Trade
Commission in its latest ruling is doubt
ed in many quarters" Hinton con-
tinued. THE highest tribunal for such
cases, the Supreme Court, has looked
with disfavor on the tendency of the
Federal Trade Commission to assume
jurisdiction beyond the powers allo-
Gated to it by Congress.
I'm previous decisions the Supreme
Court has warned the Trade Commits
sion that the final decision a@ to what
constitutes unfair practice is preroga-
tive of the court and not power
granted to the commission.
Il feel that the Federal Trade Com
mission may have in many instances
issued cease and desist orders in error,
thereby. harming businesses which were
not guilty of unfair or misleading prac-
tees. This latest ruling, which affects
the Aviation Institute of the United
States of America, Inc, appears to be
another one of these instances.
LAS a matter of fact, the Federal
Trade Commission had no evidence be-
fore it and could produce none showing
that any subscriber to the aviation in
stitute's course of training was deceived
into believing that the aviation insti-
tute was a part of or supervised by any
branch of the Federal Government"