Evening star., 1934-04-18
Post Office Solicitor Holds
Mail Action Really Di-
rected Against U. S. I
POSTMASTER GENERAL
HAS 20 DAYS TO ANSWER
Requa Denies Pressure on Brown
to Get Contract for United
Company.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
Karl A. Crowley, solicitor of the
Post Office Department, today char
acterized airmail suits against Post
master General Farley as "a weak
effort to evade the law which says
that the United States Government
cannot be sued without its consent. "
Four aviation companies whose air.
mail contracts were Cancelled today
asked the District Supreme Court to
enjoin James A. Farley from enforc-
ing the cancellation order and to
award them damages.
The exact amount of the damages
sought was not specified Attorneys
said the companies had not yet been
able to calculate their losses. The
companies were Boeing Air Transport.
Inc; National Air Transport. Inc:
Pacific Air Transport and Varney
Airlines.
Farley Given 20 Days.
The court gave Farley 20 days to
show cause why the injunction should
not be granted.
continental and Western Airs efforts
TO obtain similar injunction failed
in a New York Federal Court be-
cause it was directed against the
Government. The Federal Govern
ment cannot be sued without its own
consent.
This is a suit against the United
States Government" Crowley said, in
dicating he felt basically the suit was
little different from that disposed of
in New York
Attorney General Cummings, he
said, would direct the defense.
Meanwhile, Senate airmail investi-
gators heard Mark L. Requa, Cali
fornia Republican national committee
man, deny he had volunteered to call
former Postmaster General Walter F..
Brown "on the carpet" in 1881 in the
interest of Century Air Lines. He
likewise denied he had sought aid for
the company from President Hoover
Chairman Black yesterday read the
committee letters which said Requa,
close friend of Hoover, had volun-
teered his aid to the company In OBJ
tanning an opportunity to bid for an
airmail contract.
Reads More Letters.
Black today read into the record
more communications between Off
cials OF the Century Air Line referring
to Requa's friendship with former
President Hoover ana his purported
n ISo until
policy in 1881.
Requa, in reply, said he did assure
Young he would do his best to obtain
favorable consideration of the Gen.
tury company.
Black questioned Requa at length
about conference of Republican ma
tional committeeman and others
prominent in the party in New York
last week, which Requa said he at
tended.
Requa conceded frankly that the
meeting was to discuss how in hell
the National Committee was going to
pay its debts" and raise money for
the coming campaign.
When Black pressed him if those
present did not discuss plans for radio
publicity in connection with the air.
mail situation. Requa replied:
1T might have been done"
ST should have been glad to have
co-operated in movement to present
our views OF the matter"
Names Those Present.
Others at the meeting. he added,
included Charles D. Hilles, George
Getz, treasurer of the National Com
mittee, and Walter F. Brown.
The House Post Office Committee,
meantime. agreed to lay aside its own
permanent airman legislation and re-
port to the House soon a bill to give
President Roosevelt the commission he
wants to make broad study of avia-
ton policies.
The Senate yesterday began con-
sidering bill to provide the COM
mission, but turned to another sub
ject today.
Chairman Mead of the House COM
mittee said the new bill would be
ready for House action in the next
two or three days"
This agreement, he said, definitely
stops possibilities of congressional
enactment this session of a perma-
nent bill. Consideration of such
questions as holding companies, inter-
locking directorates and rates will be
referred to the commission for study,
Mead said.
Braniff Quizzed.
After Requa finished his testimony
before the Senate committee, T. E.
Braniff, president of Branif Airways,
an Oklahoma company, was ques
toned about meetings of independent
operators at Kansas City in 1881.
Letters from Paul R. Braniff, his
brother, who was chosen president of
an organization then formed, said "a
thorough publicity campaign" would
be started seeking to convince the
public that airmail contracts had been
awarded unfairly without competitive
bidding.
Braniff told the committee approx
mately one week after President
Roosevelt's election his company be-
gan efforts to organize independent
Continued on Page 2, Column A.
ROOM KILLED