Evening star., 1934-02-26
Mead Announces Postal
Committee Advocates
Change in Law.
TWO-MILL P0UND-MItE
MAXIMUM RATE is O. KID
Ball Elaborates on Charge That
Brown Forced Him to SILL
Interests.

Chairman Mead tolc reporters to-
day the House Post Office Committee
favored amendment of the present
law to permit aviation companies
whose airmail contracts have been
Cancelled to bid for new contracts.
He made this statement after the
committee had approved a maximum
2-mill- l-per-pound-mile rate for air.
mail transportation and left the way
open for possible adoption of a COM
petitive bidding policy further to re-
duce the cost
Meanwhile, the Senate heard a dis
pute between Chairman Mcclellan
Democrat, of Tennessee, of the Pest
Office Committee, and Senator Rob-
inson, Republican, Of Indiana, over
the administrators cancellation of
alrmal contracts and deaths of Army
flyers.
Barred Now for Five Years.
Clifford Ball. former operator of a
MISUNDERSTANDING route. occupied
the special Senate Investigating Com
mlttee throughout the morning with
an elaboration of his charge that for
mer Postmaster General Walter F.
Brown had forced him to sell out to
Pittsburgh Aviation Industries. Inc.
Under present law, the airmail COM
panies whose contracts were Cancelled
are barred from bidding further for
five years.
The House Committee added a lin
itation which would prevent any car
rler from receiving more than so
cents mile.
Chairman Mead said the committee
later would consider a recommended
ton to it by one of its advisors under
which competitive bids would be ac-
cepted.
The committee already has ap-
proved a fiat two-mill mile-pound
rate" Mead said, which compares
with the present average of AZ mills.
and would result in a saving of about
S9,000,0OO
is Mill Rate Is Seen.
But it has been suggested that by
using the two-rf1ul figure as a maxi
mum in the permanent bill we are
considering and then accepting COM
petitive bids, we might be able to get
rates as low as is mills"
Mead said the present mile rate
runs from 40 to so cents.
The committee also decided to in
clude in the new basic law a provi-
sion which would prevent interlocking
companies from obtaining airmail
contracts, whether the companies
were related through holding COM
psnieS or interlocked directorates.
In the Senate, Republican Robinson
spoke of the tragic results of send
ing Army flyers to their Deaths
Senator McKeIar. Democrat. of
Tennessee deplOTed the Army deaths,
but also called attention to fatal re-
suits in passenger flying. particularly
the Salt Lake plane disaster.
''Sent to Death without Choice"
Yes" Robinson replied, that was
different. Those in the passenger
plane we're flying of their own voli-
ton, while the Army boys were sent
to their deaths without any choice. -
Robinson said cancellation of pri-
vate contracts was ''ill-advised" and
that Congress should defeat the emer-
gency bill already passed by the
House. This bill. he said. wants
Congress to share in the responsible
ity for the most high-handed act any
dictator ever attempted to do"
Senator Reed, Republican, of Penn
sylvania. contended the operators had
had mo day in court" and the in
vestigation so far had dealt only with
3 contracts in the Hoover admin
istration and ignored 81 contracts let
in the Coolit ge regime.
The airmail situation, meantime,
developed several new angles:
Representative Mcleod. Republican
of Michigan; planned to introduce to-
day a resolution for congressional
investigation to find if Army planes
are suitable to carry mail along the
skyways.
He pointed to several deaths among
the military men and said that "if
charges are true that Army pilots are
compelled to transport airmail in out
of-date. improperly equipped planes"
it would be nothing short of legal
murder to continue that policy"
Clifford Ball, former operator of an
airline from Pittsburgh to Cleveland,
told Senate investigators today he vir-
tually was forced to sell out to Pitts
burgh Aviation Industries Inc, in
1881 to obtain extension of an air.
mail contract.
Ball Denies Accusations.
Denying recent testimony of Walter
F. Brown, former Postmaster General,
that he had been guilty of promoting
airmail to increase his Government
payments, Ball asserted the same ac-
cusation had been circulated in 1880
by Pittsburgh Aviation Industries Of
fcers. He called it "a portion of
wen planned scheme to defame my
character and ruin my reputation" in
order to take away his mail contract.
The story, he said. was circulated
by George r. Ham and Richard w.
Robbins, Pittsburgh aviation indus
tries officers.
Ball explained his alleged promo
ton of airmail consisted of paying
part of the postage on house organ
circulated by business concern, in
return for which the concern adver-
tised the advantages of airmail
He said the Post Office Department
had fined him $4,000 and withheld
$4,000 payments due him until he