Evening star., 1935-04-04
LARGER AIR FORCE
IS URGED FOR j. S.
Senate Munitions Body Also
Hears Charge Against
Hoover.
Nv the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
Pleas for larger air force for the
United States were voiced today before
a House committee. while a Senate
group listened to a letter which said
former President Hoover would yield
on giving naval construction to private
yards only If there is an advantage to
be gained in the way Of political
trading"
Before the House Military Commit
tee. Mai. Jane H. Doolittle, celebrated
aviator, asserted that the present
establishment is woefully weak" and
it would be highly desirable to double
the strength Of the Army Air Corps
Previously. Charles H. Brough. re-
tired Army general and wartime Gov
ernor of Arkansas. said that "if We
are vulnerable anywhere, We are GER
tainly vulnerable on our upper flank. -
He urged more planes.
Builder Discloses Letter.
The statement about Hoover was
contained in letter written December
%. 1881. to Joseph w. Powell. presi-
dent of United Dry Docks, Inc, by
Robert w. Malone. the corporation S
Washington representative.
In addition. Powell told the Senate
Munitions Committee that for more
than a year he shared an apartment
in Washington with Aiming S. Prall,
until recently New York Representa-
tive and had ordered part of his in
surance given to Prall's son. Prall
now is chairman Of the Communica-
ton Commission.
Powell had testified his company had
gone to Prail. then a member of the
House Appropriations Committee, for
assistance in an effort to obtain a con-
tract for building destroyer for the
Government.
He explained one of the company s
yards was in the Staten Island dis
trict represented by Prall and that
was the reason the effort was made
Chairman Nye Aroused.
The Senate Committee had turned
from testimony that friend of James
Roosevelt had written to the White
House in an effort to influence naval
shipbuilding awards, and looked
further into evidence purporting to
show a former member of Congress
had solicited business from a ship
building firm while he was in Office.
A letter written by G.. w. Edmonds
Of Philadelphia, the former Repre-
sentative, to the Bath CMe) Iron
Works aroused Chairman Nye. He
said there was reason for additional
inquiry into the assertion contained
in it that Edmonds had formed a
company which did business with
the Government and with shipyards
Despite the Investigating Commit
tees advocacy of another plan which
would limit wartime profits by heavy
taxation, there were predictions the
House within the next day or two
will pass the McSwain bill against
war profits.
House opponents of the McSwain
and "a futile thing" yesterday, but
that body promptly voted. 258 to II.
against permitting amendments to it.
Veritable Utopia Seen.
In House debate over the bill by
Representative McSwain, Democrat, OF
South Carolina, Representative Kvale,
Farmer-Labor, of Minnesota, charged
that "a guarantee of wartime profit"
was a dangerous possibility under the
measure.
Instead of eliminating profits it
would create a situation that would
extend a veritable Utopia to power
full units of industry" he said.
The McSwain bill would put q
ceiling over prices at the outbreak Of
war, empower the President to COM
mandeer material resources, industrial
organizations and public services" and
authorize him to set up license sys-
tenn for any class of industry.
The bill favored by the Munitions
Committee provides for taxes which
would limit industrial profits to 8 per
cent of investment and salaries to
$4,000 a year, with corporation OFF,
GERS drafted and subject to transfer
to combat units in case Of failure to
cooperate.