The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-01-25

heard a visitor to Washington say
the other day that he would like to
-. ride airplanes, "but
Ntgnt the confounded things
FLYING fly most of their
schedules at night"
The individual is q man of great
wealth and his time is of great value.
He insisted he was sincere in his state
ment that he would much rather save
time by flying If the planes were on
daylight schedule.
The statement aroused my curiosity
to the extent that l conducted some
inquiry into the situation. I found the
night schedules of the ar lines to be
due to the fact that they are fixed by
the Post Office department. If line
desires to carry mail 1t has to subject
itself to the dictates Of "Big Jim" Far
ley, the postmaster general. His office
can and does say to an air line that
1t will fly ship leaving New York at
p. m. or else it does not get the mail
contract. The result is that the plane
leaves New York at 9 p. m. or it leau s
Chicago or Washington or any other
city on time stated by the Post Office
department.
Many persons feel that such policy
is taking undue advantage Of private
industry. 1t is true that the Post
Office department is paying for carry
ing the mails at rate probably well
above the rate it receives in postage on
that mail. 1t is, therefore, subsidy.
But this government has for years
maintained policy of substituting new
industries and that course is RESPONSE
BILE for the success attained by the de-
velOpment of the transportation sys-
TENS of this country.
The Presidents special commission
named to study the airplane problems
of this country and to make recon-
mendatiOns heard much testimony and
received much data showing that the
airplane industry in the United States
had placed this country in the number
one position in the air among all ma
tons of the world. Individual mem
bers of that commission have stated
they regard this as highly beneficial.
Some of them at least maintain. that
development of an air industry was
one of the greatest steps taken in ma
tional defense preparation. They ap-
peared to consider this one end as JUS
tifying the course without even con-
sidering the maintenance of great in
dustry within the borders Of our ma
ton as a commercial unit.
But while this has been going on,
and while many authorities on econom-
ic matters continue to urge develop.
ment of the air industry, we find an
other agency within the government
placing handicaps on that same seq
ment of the economic structure. The
least that can be said is that the
courses cannot be reconciled.
1t is understood that the Presidents
commission is going to recommend Gre
alton of separate agency to super
wise the air industry, mainly trans
portation. something after the manner
in which the interstate chamber of
commerce functions with respect to
the railroads. Since knowledge of
the commissions tentative views has
leaked out, there have been signs point
ing to movement in opposition. Some
of these signs appear to have had their
origin in the Post Office department,
the same department which not so many
months age summarily cancelled all
mail contracts for air lines on charges
of fraud in obtaining them.
No one can fOretell Cow what wires
will be pulled by politicians who desire
to keep their hands ON the joy-sticks
of the airplanes. 1t is, however, just
another one of those conditions result
ing from a willingness OIL the part of
politicians to serve their own ends at
the expense of the country as whole.
The administration is determined to
control oil production. If it cannot do
so by Executive order
The Oil and the Supreme
Case Court Of the United
States has decreed 1t
cannot do so in that manner-there
will be laws predicated upon the in
terstate commerce clauses of the Con-
stitution which will permit the execu-
tive branch of the government to keep
Its hand on the valve of oil wells.
President Roosevelt apparently was
not much concerned over the Supreme
court decision which invalidated that
part of the recovery act, giving the
Chief Executive authority to allow or
prohibit interstate movement Of oil as
1t decided best. The President ap-
peared to feel, in responding to ques-
lions by news correspondents, that the
rebuff was only temporary. He an
nOunced at that time determination
to control oil production In one way
or another to avoid what he describes
as a criminal waste of great natural
resource.
The oil case, the Supreme court de-
cided. had its origin In regulations and
executive orders issued under what the
administration believed to be authority
accorded by the recovery act Those
regulations and orders prescribed
quotas allowed to be shipped from each
of the several oil producing states
The motivating spirit was desire to
avoid accumulation of a vast surplus
of crude Gil with the consequent de-
pressing of prices until crude Oil was
worth little or nothing. But, like many
other prohibitory laws and rules of
conduct, individuals resented being told
they could not do certain thing and
Immediately began to devise ways by
which it could be done-a characteris-
tic that was developed to its fullest
during the bootleg days of national