Evening star., 1932-03-27

IOr lCS great mdneuV6TS, WHICH III
first air division and subsequent
front of many miles. The maneu
dollar parade"
Records show that the Air Corp:
actually saved money through those
maneuvers and, in addition, gave its
combat pilots training which they
never could have obtained in years oi
training at their home stations.
Fuel consumption during. the ma
neuvers actually was less than for q
similar period spent in routine train
ing at home fields. The air division
established a magnificent safety record
during the operations, more than s.
100000 miles having been flown with
out single fatality, and with far less
damage to equipment than could have
been expected in normal training oper-
ations for the same length of time.
The Air Corps conducted the maneu-
vers without spending a single cent
more than its normal training appro-
priation. The training afforded the
combat squadrons, however. was in
valuable and impossible to duplicate by
any other method.
The anticipated abandonment of the
Spring maneuvers may be considered
in some small degree due to the carp
ings of misinformed critics. At the
same time, however, the increased
training which will be made possible at
home stations will enable the squadrons
to work out some of the details OF
changes in tactics suggested by expert
enceS in the past three maneuvers. The
home training also will permit the
working in Of many new types Of planes,
some Of which are on service test
status at various stations.
~,
maneuvers, has been at a decided dis
advantage. They have been held
under-or rather Immediately above
the noses Of the citizenry and have
therefore attractd an entirely dtpro-
portionate amount of attention. The
giant Navy maneuverS just concluded,
held in the distant Pacific waters, un-
doubtedly escaped a vast amount of
criticism Of the sort leveled at the Air
Corps just because they were far from
home and so escaped concentrated pub
lie attention. They were conducted
however, on a far vaster scale than the
Air Corps exercises, involving not only
the combined Atlantic and Pacific
fleets, but all carrier planes and many
Of the patrol planes Of the feet.
"X" Equals e. L. Cord.
In algebra TX" popularity is used to
designate the unknown quantity. The
countrys air transport people appar-
emily are perfectly willing that ''X'
also should stand for Errett L. Cord.
He is the unknown quantity in the air
transport problem of today. The ques-
tion as to just what Cord is going to
do created as much interest at the
House airmail investigation during the
past week as did the airing Of the seri-
GUS accusations made there against the
Post Office Department.
The actions of Cord, in the opinion
of Representative James L. Mead of
New York, leading the investigation,
have startling significance" No one
at the hearings, however, seemed to
know just what Cord was up to and
every one left pleasantly mystifed.
Cord has become the stormy petrol of
American air transportation, in addition
to being the Mr.. X' OF the industry
His troubles with his pilots which led
to the first large labor dispute in the
history of aviation. brought him Ma
tion-wide and rather unravorable pub
licity. The pilots all were locked out
and strike e-breakers have been taken on
to ny Cords Century Air Line planes,
operating out of Chicago.
The Cord-pilot controversy came up
In the midst of furry in the halls of
Congress over Cords proposal to carry
all the country,s airmail for half the
price now paid by the Post Once De-
partment. Cords proposal, which, In
the words OF Representative Mead, "elec-
trtfied" the legislators, was first laid be-
fore the House Appropriations Com
mittee.
Labor Row Was Harmful.
The Postmaster General, Cords rep
resentative told the committee, could
not or would not consider the Cord pro-
posal. Cords offer unquestionably
would have carried tremendous weight
at the Capitol had it not been for the
unfortunate controversy with his pilots,
which has turned quite O number OF
members OF Congress against him.
Cord and a group OF officers of his
airline came to Washington on March l
to appear before the house Committee
on Post Offices and Post Roads In con-
nectlon with its airmail investigation.
Cord renewed his offer 20 carry the mail
for half the rate now paid, explaining
That the wages paid the pilots depend
upon the revenues of the line.
While the committee still was con-
sidering the Cord proposal, its members
were surprised to find that Cord and all
his staff had vanished. Bolting the
hearings without any warning, they all
went back TO Chicago, leaving the COM
mittee high an dry.
Nothing more was heard concerning
Mr.. Cord until one day during the
past week, when the committee went
BACK TO work on its investigation. with
Postmaster General Walter r. Brown
as its witness, During the hearing
Representative Clyde Kelly of Pennsyl.
Uaaim Wtarf1ad
nounctng that Cord, apparently having
abandoned his fight TO break into the
airmau picture as an operator, wa,
attempting TO buy or purchase his way
into American Airways, one Of the so.
called Big Four airmail companies
American Airways holds IL airmai
contracts.
Report Is Discredited.
The Postmaster General said he die
not attach much faith to the tale thai
Cord was trying to buy the giant
American AirWays system outright bu
said it was quite likely Cord had &C.
quired large block Of American Air
ways stock.
Asked whether he would welcome
Cord into the fold OF airmail con-
tractors In event the purchase plar
went through, Brown indicated that
he probably would. He said in answer
10 questioning. however, that he couls
not countenancs any Of Cords idea.
regarding slashing OF pilots wages.
II have very definite notions about
what pilots should be paid" the Post.
master General said. PILOTS can't b,
gotten for $3.50 a month. They mus
be well trained, intelligent and abl'
and the Post Office Department mus
insist on proper compensation of fly
ing personnel as n matter of safety"
Department Can Act.
Suppose, !" Representative Kelly cam
back, that Cord does get control o