The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-02-15
SPECIAL MESSAGE
ON AIRMAIL Seen
POSTAL CIRCLES
Roosevelt Recommendation Il
Follow Farley Blast
Against Conspiracy

Washington. Feb. l5.-F-Presi-
dent Roosevelt soon may draft .
special message to congress on the air
mail situation. reports In postal cir
cles said Thursday.
The reports. following an open
charge by Postmaster General Farley
that all domestic air mail contracts
except one were products Of conspir-
acy. did not disclose what the presi-
dent will recommend.
Some hope is being held out that
several companies charged by Farley
with 'collusion" might be brought
back into the air mail picture by
drastic self-reorganization. Other
wise. they would be barred from bid
ding for five years.
Senator OMahoney Dem. Wyo),
former assistant postmaster general
moved to this end. He pleaded:
Let us make the guilt personal. We
should not visit 1t upon the indus
try"
Ready For Court Fight
As the Roosevelt administration
prepared for q court battle over the
dramatic cancellation Of the air COM
panies' contracts, Farley issued an
open letter Wednesday night. It as
serted fatty that chiefs Of II aviation
companies met in the big gray stone
post office department here In 1890
and that Is came out with lucrative
holdings.
Competitive bidding vas abandoned.
Farley charged, and other companies
were excluded from the meeting. He
declared also that system Of extend
ing contracts, maintained under the
Hoover administration. was illegal"
Both the justice and post office de-
partments cooperated Thursday in
preparing to fight an order In . New
York court. designed to restrain the
government from cancelling all con-
tracts and having the army fly the
mail. A first step will be fight on
jurisdiction, an attempt to move the
battle to the District Of Columbia
courts.
Farley's open letter was addressed
to Chairman Black Of the senate air
mail investigating committee.
Farley said that only the National
Parks Always emerged empty hand
ed from the 1880 conference. That
concern alone, he asserted, will be
given further hearing.
Charges Illegal Action
Farley charged that former Post
master General Walter F. Brown
acted illegally" when he extended
five contracts beyond their normal
date Of expiration.
Then Postmaster General Brown, y
he said. proceeded to build up. by
the so-called extension of routes,
Part o. the system Of the United Air
craft and Transport Corporation, and
the greater part Of the American Air
ways and the Transcontinental and
Western Air systems.
william p. McCracken, airmail
company attorney. who was sentenced
by the senate Wednesday night to 10
days In jail, was said to have pre-
sided at some OF the 1880 meetings.
Brown and w. Irving Glover, former
second assistant postmaster general,
attended some Of the conferences.
Listed as represented at the meet
ings were:
Transcontinental Air Transport,
Eastern Air Express. National Parks
Always. United Airlines, Varney AR
lines (United), Aviation Corporation,
8. A. F. z. Express (Aviation), Eastern
Air Transport, Thompson Aeronauti-
cal (United), United States Always,
Pittsburgh Aviation Industries, Clif-
ford Ball, Inc. Curtis Flying Service.
Delta Air Service.