Evening star., 1934-03-20

aviation" and wanted to give it every
chance to develop"
Aviation should not be restricted
too much until its maturity is
reached" she said. The industry is
still young and it should not be killed
before it develops"
Urges Competitive Bids.
Mrs. Putnam said competitive bid
ding should be required at least in
the beginning, and proposed allowing
the Interstate Commerce Commission
or some other Federal Agency to bar
bidding from companies which inter-
lock with holding corporations and
aircraft manufacturing concerns.
Eventually, she said, competitive
bidding might not be necessary, as
the mail will be allotted as a matter
OF course, on base pay for service rem
dered
1t is necessary that we do some
thing Immediately" she said, adding
there should be an equitable distri-
button" of opportunities to private
operators.
The bill, she continued, should be
drafted 80 the air lines which oper-
ate best should be rewarded
May Be Given Hearings.
Meanwhile, there were some signs
that aviation companies which lost
their airmail contracts may be given
a hearing.
The administration expects to de-
Lof
end. Postmaster General Farley said
about dozen companies had asked
to be heard.
nizance, however, of the apparent
loyalty of some mail users to the
commercial aviation lines.
Postal officials said air express COM
panles have been receiving letters in
bulk, transporting them to or near
the city to which they are addressed
and then dropping them into the
mails.
Orders went out to poStmaSters in
every part of the United States that
full airmail postage is required on
each individual letter sent in bulk
packages by air express and placed
in the mails along the airlines.
View Remains Unchanged.
Postal officials made clear that if
the private companies are given hear-
ings it will not mean the department
has changed its views that the con-
tracts were obtained fraudulently and
that they should have been annulled.
The Justice Department still has
Carl L. Ristine, a special assistant to
the Attorney General, engaged in
studying the testimony taken by Sem
ate airmail investigators to determine
whether any prosecutions are justified.
The Army pilots were carrying the
mail over eight routes with every
flyer under instruction TO proceed
with the utmost caution to prevent a
repetition of the fatalities that marked
the first service effort to do the task
Harlee Branch, Second Assistant
Postmaster General, said the depart
ment understood" Army planes
would be carrying mail on the Chi
cago to st. Paul run lin a day or
two"
Temporary Action Doubted.
Unless the service fails in its
second attempt to carry the mali,
officials indicated they did not ex-
pect private lines to be given tenn
porary contracts pending new legls-
lation on the subject.
This suggestion had recurred period
ically during the airmail furor and
was made to the Senate Post Office
Committee again yesterday by Grail
Hunter, vice president of Northwest
AirWayS.
A member Of the Post Office Com
mittee, Senator O'Mahoney. Demo-
crat, of Wyoming. introduced yes
terday a new bill which would place
the airmail on virtually the same
basis as the railway mail service.
O'Mahoney said the measure was
offered "for the purpose of suggesting
a plan whereby the payment of sub
sides for aviation may be completely
separated from the payment for mail
service" OMahoney is a former As
sistant Postmaster General. His bill
does not provide for subsidies, but
would authorize the Interstate Com
merce Commission to fix a fair and
reasonable rate.
The administration, however, showed
no disposition to abandon its pro-
posals for new legislation. which have
been under consideration by the COM
mittee for a week or two. Nor has
there been any indication it would
consent to any drastic revision Of the
measure.