The Washington times., 1937-10-18
Paul MallOn--.
NeUS Behind
The NeUS

|
munications commission dropped
three big $500 heads in the bas-
ket. But this really was only a
minor detail which was an
nounced officially.
Behind it were three much big
ger heads whose hats were
knocked off by the breeze from
the falLns ak. These three seem
to be in the bareheaded position
now of holding the basket:
The discharged mead of the
telephone division "a. @. Pat
terson) was the man Of no less
an important personality than
Justice Hugo Black, of the Su.
preme Court.
The baniShed head Of the
radio division John F.. Killeen)
was the man of General Farley,
whose patronage appointment
powers are not generally con-
sidered ircons' derable.
The guillotined head Of the
telegraph division Robert Bart
ley) wss the appointee of House
Floor Leader Sam Rayburn.
Patterson was investigator for
the Black prowling committee
of the Senate last year and his
family is related to the Black
family; Killeen is a Farley
friend from New York; BARLEY
helped Rayburn and Walter
Splawn to write the legislation
setting up the commission.
Thus Mr.. McNinch could not
have chosen three higher or
larger hats in all Washington,
for swishing from his initial
breeze.
MIR. McNINCH was careful
AVA enough to indicate there
was nothing personal about his
move. He did not even know
the first names of the men he
was firing.
Mr.. McNinch had another
blade on his ak. While the be-
heading was officially designed
as a move to bring control of
telephone, radio and telegraph
under him, it also cut ground
from under Senator Wheeler,
who has been threatening a sen.
atorial investigation of COM
munications commission fail.
ings.
The sacrifice Of three $500
heads is a cheap price for avoid
ing a senatorial investigation
under the latest quotations on
the Washington political ex.
change.
THE suppressed report Of the
l. Army engineers on the Ad-
ministration's seven little Twas
program has been so completely
suppressed that interested Con-
gressmen have been searching
for it in vain.
All that is known is that the
House Rivers and HarborS Com
mittee asked for it; the en-
gineers prepared it and sent 1t
to the Budget Bureau; the
House Rivers and Harbors Com
mittee never received it.
The mystery Of who killed it
and why may be cleared by a
little notation at the top Of the
report when and if it is ever
found. The following is writ
ten there:
1.-The Directo rof the Budget
has no objection to the presen-
tation to the committee Of such
a report as would not be incon'
sistent with the Presidents mes
sage Of June 3, 1887"
Inasmuch as the entire re-
port was inconsistent (meaning
criticaD it appears the Army
engineers had no place to put
their views except upon the
shelf.
In order that Congress may
not be left entirely in the dark
it may now be related that the
highlightc of the lost report
were these:
The Presidents program would
withdraw from the War Depart
ment the authority Of approving
permits for structures in navi-
gable waters.
1t would place this authority
in the hands Of seven regional
commissions and thus might
cause seven different standards
of management to be created.
This would injure or hinder
tho avacI,tjo,o NJ construction