The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-03-10
ROOSEVELT CURTAILS.
, ARM All L SERVICE


called. .... ,.-.
Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers. Re-
publican, Mass, sought to intro
duce in the house a resolution
caslling for abrupt termination Of
army airmail flying, but Demo
cratic objections blocked her. She,
in turn, objected to other matters
brought up and the house was
forced to adjourn after a lO-niln-
ute session.
Senator Tess placed RESPONSE
bility for the deaths of the eight
army airmail pilots upon fresi-
dent Roosevelt because Of his ap-
proval of cancellation of private
airmail contracts.
81 think it is quite unbecoming
for the senator from Ohio to
leave that impression" said Sen
ator ]. Hamilton Lewis, DEM, ILL.,,
and the debate was on. Fess. who
merely had asked permission TO
read newspaper headlines an
nouncing the deaths in yester-
days airmail accidents, sharply
declared that he would speak for
the rest of the day. He did.
He accused the Democrats OF
trying to "smear the previous adj
ministration with the fiimsiest ex-
cuses ever heard" Fess conf
planned that the administration
bill to govern flying of the mails
by private companies differs in
only one respect from the present
act under which the cancelled
contracts were drawn.
"The only difference is that the
old act required As days notice
before cancelling a contract" ne
said.
"The senator is angry because
these companies didn't have 40
more days to loot the treasury"
asked Lewis.
Tess turned to a defense of his
son, Lehr. a lawyer. whose name
was mentioned in the inquiry as
having received fee from one OF
the airmaiF companies to expedite
an airmail bill through the senate
while Senator Fess was a Repub-
lican whip. Fess denied his son
had been guilty of unethical prac-
tees and said:
II am a father. This hurts nc
Just. as it hurts any father who
has reared family and knows his
sons and daughters are honest
In introducing the administra-
ton airmail contract bill, Senator
Mcclellan. Dem, Tenn, said the
new contracts were to be let on a
"basis of honest payment for hon
est service" The salient features
of the new measure follow:
Contracts are to be let for q
period of three years with COM
pensation limited to 80 cents per
,airplane mile. Competitive bid
ding is demanded except where
the postmaster general finds it If
the public interest to make ex-
tensions not exceeding 100 miles
each. - ii tfr''
Each bidder will be given six
months to qualify. After two and
half years the interstate COM
merce commission will fix the
routes at a maximum of pay eff
fective at the end of the thres-
year contract.
" Consultations and mergers are
prohibited. Executive salaries,
bonuses and commissions to Off
GERS or employers of mail con-
tractors, are banned. Maximum
compensation of $17,500 to ex-
ecutives or workers for each CAL
endar year of work is fixed.
Combinations, companies with
interlocking directorates, su5sid;-
aries. affilidtes, associated or hold |
ing companies, or companies man.
ufacturing airplanes or airplane
parts, are banned from bidding
for contracts Officers or agents
who actually participated in ille- |
gal contracts will not be consid-
cred. The bill calls for COM
plete reorganization of companies
whose contracts have been can
celied with all offending officers
discharged before they may biz
for new contracts.
Chairman Black assured Tess
that his committee had no knowl-
edge of wire tapping or mail tam
pering activities in connection
with his inquiry. He offered to
cooperate with the Ohio senator
70 bring the full facts before the
senate.
There "a M s,,I .l:x r