The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-03-09

" ~ Taey General Farley has
had to shoulder the greater share of
the blame, If blame there is, and
though he has steadily defended the
cancellation of the contracts, he prob
ably would be glad to see the army air
corps relieved Of it's new task. There
Is no question as to the courage and
ability Of the army flyers, but 1t Is
evident they have not had the peculiar
training to fit them for carrying the
mails, and their airplanes are not
suitable for the work. OF course, the
weather has been against them, but
little attention is paid to that fact by
those who are making political capital
out Of the deaths Of the five.
Mr.. Farley, appearing before the SEN
ate committee investigating air mail
affairs, declared that no one deplored
the fatalities more than he, but that
the Post Office department had felt
1t must cancel the contracts and had
acted on the basis of the law and the
conditions under which it found the
contracts had been made. He assured
the committee that as rapidly as pos
sible the department would work out
new policy in the public interest with
respect to the air mail and would take
into account the interests of the oper-
ators.
The postmaster general had been
summoned especially to confront his
predecessor, Walter f. Brown, and to
consent to Mr.. Browns repeating re-
mark he said Mr.. Farley had made to
him about Senator Hugo L. Black,
chairman of the committee. This was:
Hes just a publicity hound. But
don't tell anybody l said so, because
I've got to get along with him."
Mr.. Farley Immediately denied that
he had said any such thing, and,
scarlet faced, he departed for New
York amid roars of laughter. His de-
NAL was necessary, doubtless, but 1t
didn't seem to impress anyone.
Speaker Rainey says the army air
corps is inefficient and poorly trained,
and for this he blames the three pre-
vious Republican administrations. He
indicated he would support resolu-
ton already approved by the house
rules committee calling for investiga-
ton of War department methods. Maj.
Gen. Ben Foulois, chief Of the Army
Air corps, defended his men warmly.
III OW the President proposes to car.
= = ry on the relief program was re-
vealed at press conference. In ad-
dition to continuation of the CWA in
cities, relief Of distressed families in
rural regions is to be placed on a
new basis, and the government is to
undertake the transportation of entire
communities from incorporating coal
mine localities and similar centers of
unemployment to the subsistence
homestead colonies which are being
created with $25,000,0O0 of public
works funds.
In rural regions families in distress
are to be helped to raise enough food
for subsistence and to get part time
employment in industries and on road
building and other public works.
Communities of miners, out Of work
because of the closing down of coal
mines, the President calls STRANDED
populations. They were left stranded
when work gave out and there is no
prospect of resumption of mine OPP
erations. In most cases the mines
have been exhausted. The President
said the undertaking would be to move
an appreciate number of such FAM
flies to localities where they can main
tain themselves on small tracts of
land with incidental Industrial employ
ment, which is the subsistence home
stead idea now being tried out at
Reedsville, w. Va.
Concerning that Reedsville plant, a
pet Of Mrs. Roosevelt's, it is interest
ing to read that the house refused by
a margin of 165 votes to approve the
construction and operation there of a
factory to make post Office furniture.
The project was denounced as "a
plunge into state socialism"
DRESIDENT ROOSEVELT in spe-
cial message asked congress to Gre
ate new federal commission to regu-
late the wire, cable and radio COM
munications systems. He proposed
that the new commission take over the
duties of the federal radio commission
and the functions Of the Interstate
Commerce commission which deal with
telegraph and telephone regulation.
Mr.. Roosevelt said the new body
should be given "full power to inves-
tigate and study the business of exist
ing companies and make recommends
fions to the congress for additional
legislation at the next session"
This means that If the Presidents
desires are carried out, as they I'M
doubtedly win be, the question Of com