Evening star., 1936-02-23

sessions with the bitterest attacks
against the Bureau of Air Commerce
and the aids to air navigation it has
established throughout the United
States.
1t has permitted no public reply to
these charges. Accusations so wholly
discredited that the committee has
felt obligated to disclaim publicly
their veracity have been made in pub
lie hearings and broadcast to the
world. What answers have so far
been permitted have been made be-
hind closed doors, in star chamber
sessions.
So vicious did the attacks against
defenseless Bureau of Air Commerce
officials become that they finally
forced replies into the record.
These replies, apparently forced on
an unwilling committee, do not con-
stitute defense. The bureau has
been given no opportunity, after
months of investigation and two
weeks after public hearings began, to
make a formal defense. The COM
mittee now is in an indefinite recess,
which began a week ago yesterday
and which, 1t is expected, may con-
unue another week.
For years Bureau of Air Commerce
heads, some of them now under fire
with, SO far, no chance to protect
themselves or their work-denied that
fundamental American right of offer
ing a prompt reply in open court to
charges against them-have worked
to build up confidence in the Federal
system of airway aids. That they
have succeeded we'll is attested by the
rapid growth of passenger travel by
air since the time of the airmail
debacle.
Now, the Senate Subcommittee has
permitted the public record to be
filled with attacks on the efficacy of
the aids and the good faith of those
in charge of protecting the lives of
the air-traveling public. These
charges have been given widespread
publicity. The committee then re-
cessed, possibly for two weeks, without
allowing any opportunity for a'reply
to the charges. Obviously. the effect
of such procedure could have moth
ing but the most unfortunate conse-
quences.
No one denies there is room for i'm
provement of air transportation. It
is still an infant industry and there
are the unavoidable mistakes which
must accompany rapid development
No fair-minded American, however,
can stand by complacently and watch
repeated assaults on the newest form
of transportation and those who are
trying to realize it's possibilities for
civilization.
If there must be investigations,
they should be held with at least a
constructive principle as their back
ground. They should, above all
things, not be political or a clearing
house for the bids of job seekers.
It is to be hoped that the present in
vestigation will be so conducted in the
future that its potential good may at
least balance the possible loss of pub
lie confidence these charges have
caused.
The aviation world is awaiting with
keen interest an announcement from
Howard Hughes, new world landplane
speed record holder of the transcon-
tinental speed record, of his plans for
mo. 300," first of the Douglas twin
engined transports, and holder Of
more world records than any other
landplane, which he has just pur-
chased from Transcontinental &
Western Air.
No. 300, former flying laboratory oi
T. w. A., in which D. w. Tommy
Tomlinson established seven worlc
records and II national records ir