Evening star., 1934-03-18
ARMY TO RESUME
FLYING TOMORROW
System of Eight Routes Is
Planned for Mail Car
rying.
Continued From First Page.)

lContnued From First Page)
full facts, and have caused him (the
PresldenD to act contrary to Amer
ican principles and American judg-
ment"
The aviator said, however, after
Senator McKellar, Democrat, of Ten
nesSee, called for a halt that "he
did not intend to attack the President
and lit is my confidence in him
which / do not wish destroyed"
Senator Logan. Democrat, of Ken
tucky, who has been critical of the
administrators air bill, could not see
any such thing" as an attack on the
President in Rickenbacker's outburst
and Senator Barbour, Republican, of
New Jersey. agreed with the Ken
tuckian.
Prefers Pound Rate.
Before his impromptu address,
Rickenbacker read a prepared state
ment to the committee on the ad-
ministration's permanent airman bill
He aSSailed the clause which would
bar the private companies from awards
ii they press claims against the Gov
ernment. Virtually. every witness has
taken a verbal slam at this section
and 1t Is to be eliminated.
The flyer said he felt the proposal
in a House bill. introduced by Rep
resentative Kelly, Republican. of
Pennsylvania, to pay for ailmail haul
age on pound-mile basis was
preferable to the administrations space
rate pay clause.
He opposed also the provision In
the pending measure which would bar
manufacturing companies from af-
filiation with a line having a mail
award.
II should like to state that I am
in favor of provision that there
shall be no interlocking directors or
stock ownership in competitive air
transport companies he said.
Rickenbacker strongly urged the
restoration of the contracts to the
private airmail companies which for
merly held them until review could
be made of this whole depIorable
situation"
If there are guilty ones" he said.
punish them. but give them a fair
hearing first"
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, former
assistant chief of the Army Air Corps,
testified recently that American avia-
tion was far behind that of other
countries. Rickenbacker disagreed.
Il don't think Gen. Mitchell is up
on aeronautical development" he
said.
Text of Announcement.
The text of the War Department
announcement follows:
Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois. chief
OF the Army Air Corps, in a telephone
message to Army Air Corps officers
in Washington this morning, stated
that after a personal inspection in
the Eastern and Central zones, and
after a conference in Chicago with
all zone commanders, that the Army
Air Corps is ready to resume trans
porting the airmail.
He recommended to the War and
Post Office Departments that the re-
sumption be effective at 1901 am.
Monday, March 10. This recon-
mendation has been approved by the
War and Post Office Departments and
the Army will resume its airmail ac-
tivitieS on that date and hour"
w. A. Letson, president Of the
United States Airways, flying between
Kansas City and Denver, former con-
tract holder, also appeared as a wit
ness before the Senate Post Office
Committee.
Letson told a long story about the
award of an airmail contract to his
concern and finally Senator Logan
commented: The further you go the
more mysterious the circumstances of
your award become"
Gives Warning on Speed.
The witness said he was low bidder
for a contract. but failed to get it and
that finally Walter F. Brown. former
Postmaster General. arranged for him
to get a contract through an extern
sion.
He urged the committee take care"
that requirements for speed" in new
awards to be made would not be such
that independent companies be un-
able to comply through their inability
to get planes"
J. D. Condor. former president OF
the Pittsburgh Always. also told the
committee that independent lines have
great difficulty in purchasing planes.
at is almost impossible" he said.
"to get an immediate delivery on an
efficient airplane"
He testified the smaller plane man.
ufacturers had been virtually elimi-
mated since 1880 because they have
no outlet for their product.