The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-04-16
SECRET QUIZ
OF E|NDBERGH
|RKS G. 0. P.
Denied Testimony, Senator
HurIS Charge of Plot
in Air Mail War.
OPEN NEW BIDS FRIDAY
Adequate Planes Lacked by
Independents, Says
RiCkenbaCker.
BY KENNETH WATSON
Times Special Writer.

WASHINGTON, April 16.-Balked
in efforts to have testimony taken
at a secret examination of Colonel
Charles A. Lindbergh made public,
Republican senators tomorrow will
try again to subStantiate claims that
cancellation of air mail contracts
represented the successful culmlna-
ton of a high powered lobby of in
dependent operators.
Senator Warren Austin Rep, VT
said he expects to question T. E.
Braniff, president of the Braniff
Airlines, Inc, Oklahoma City, when
the Black investigating committee
resumes its hearings Tuesday. The
Vermont senator contends that Mr.
Braniff and his associates plottec to
have contracts cancelled and legiS-
lation changed so they could "chiSel
in" on the air mail subsidies.
Both Senator Austin and his Re
publican colleague on the COM
mittee, Senator Wallace H. White Jr.
of Maine, on Saturday directed a
letter to Chairman Hugo L. Black
demanding that secret questioning
of Colonel Lindbergh by Colonel c..
A Ristine, of the justice depart
ment, be made public tomorrow
While in refusing this request
Senator Black indicated he would
request the full committee to pass
on the matter, it apparently is a
| hi ftryn
Democratic colleagues will side with
him.
Investigator Excluded
Senator Austin made his demands
when he was apprised that Colonel
Lindbergh had been examined by
Colonel Ristine on March Is follow
ing his appearance before the senate
committee. 1t was also said that A.
G. Patterson, committee investiga-
tor, had been excluded from the
conference following objection by
Colonel Lindbergh.
Although the senate on Saturday
sidetracked the permanent air mail
legislation in favor of the Summers
municipal bankruptcy bill, Senator
Kenneth D. Mcclellan (Dem., Tenn
today predicted passage of the Nc
Kellar-Blac air mail bill by the
senate this week.
Meanwhile Harllee Branch, sec
ond assistant postmaster general,
in announcing the determination
of the postoffice department to
open bids for temporary air mail
routes on Friday, predicted today
that fully 80 per cent of the old
routes will be under operation again
by June /. At present the army is
flying but Is per cent of the sched-
ules.
Bids Opened Friday
The postoffice department will
publicly open the bids Friday noon
and will let contracts as soon after
that as the bids can be analysed"
Mr.. Branch said.
Terms provide that operators
awarded temporary contracts must
have their lines in operation within
thirty Gays a1Cer approval.
All of the temporary contracts
will be for three months only, but
the department can grant two ex-
tensions so that the total service
may reach nine months.
On returning from his Florida
vacation trip, the President indi-
Gated he did not plan to take any
steps which would obviate the nee
eSsity of opening bids for tenn
porary operation of air mail routes.
He expressed unfamiliarity with de-
tails of a house proposal giving OPP
orators whose contracts we're an
nulled until Jan. l, 1885, to
reorganize without jeopardizing
their rights when permanent legis-
lation is adopted.