Evening star., 1937-03-28

preJuQlCeQ ana LQdL IIley lldu dIIeIIlpt-
ed to pin upon an innocent man blame
for the airplane crash in which Sena-
tor Bronson Cutting Of New Mexico
was killed
Months went by and those letters
were not made public by the Senate
Committee, although the widest pub
licity had been given to charges made
against the Bureau of Air Commerce
and its officials in hearings before
the committee and to an official re-
port Of the committee excoriatlng
heads of the bureau and demanding
"shake-up
A week ago the Government Print
ing Office delivered to the Capitol cop
les of part 3 Of the transcript of testi-
mony before the Copeland Committee,
in which appeared copies of the John
son letters. The transcript also in
cluded testimony and brief by Rep
resentative Kent E. Keller of Illinois
in defense of Rex Martin, who was
removed from his post as assistant dl-
rector of air commerce on March l.
Testimony Heard February 2.
That testimony by Representative
Keller was heard by the committee last
February 2 in executive session, behind
closed doors. The public and the press
were not admitted.
A week ago there came into the
hands of the writer copy Of the
transcript 1t was the first time
representative of the press or OF the
public had any opportunity to examine
the testimony and letters in defense OF
the bureau and its officials.
In view of the fact that the docu-
ment contained the first official de
fense" statement from the Commerce
Department, it was news and was so
handled by The Star.
This news article on the matter was
said to have been characterized by
Senator Copeland in an interview as
silly"
Its like ox-tail soup-it comes from
a long way back" the Senator was
quoted as saying.
He added that the incident is now
all over"
But if the news comment was like
"oxtail soup" it was because the Sem
ate committee saw to it that 1t was
suppressed until the whole affair was
"a long way back"
Had the Senate committee been as
careful to see that the letters of Col.
johnson and the statement of Repre-
sentative Keller were made public
promptly as it was to see that its con-
demnation of the Bureau Of Air Com
merce was made available to the press
and the public, the affair would long
since have been "all over"
Investigation Unfair.
The manner in which the investi-
CATION was conducted was en many
respects unfair and unfortunate. 1t
was so conducted as to hold officials
Of the Bureau of Air Commerce up
to public criticism without giving
them an adequate opportunity to de-
fend themselves. There was an in
evitable shaking Of the morale Of the
bureaus staff and members of Con-
gress testified to the unfortunate ef-
feet on public confidence in air trans
portation.
In the words of Representative
Keller: IF it was the intention OF
the committee to embarrass the bu-
reau, no more effective means could
have been devised than the one Sc
lected. For months, constructive and
productive effort had to be subordi-
mated to the futility of preparing a
defense, answering loose charges made
by unprincipled accusers with vim
dictive purposes, and all of this on
the flinsy authority of technical
adviser who has not ever flown an
airplane in commerce or any airplane
at all using the radio aids he con-
demns"
That the committee is sincere in
its efforts to aid air transportation,
however, is not to be denied. Its sec
ond report, recently made public, con-
tains many very worthwhile recon-
mendations. 1t requests the appro-
priation by Congress of more than
s14,5OO00O for the improvement OF
Federal aids to air navigation and for
aeronautical research work. Adop-
ton of the committee program un-
doubtedly would prove a tremendous
boon to American aviation.
And now, it is to be hoped, as Sem
ator Copeland has said, that the de-
structive phase of this investigation
is now all over" If the committee
will now concentrate on the construc-
tive results Of its work, it has the
opportunity of doing lasting service
to aviation.
pEACE-TIME feeding of the Army
is far cry from the sad field fare
some Of the World War veterans re-
member, especially at such a thor
oughly modernized post as Boiling
Field.
The new Boiling Field mess is oper-
ated under supervision of lst Lieut..
Arnold L. Schroeder, Air Corps, by
Staff Sergt. O. E. johnson, the mess
sergeant; Sergt. George c. Long, his
assistant, and staff Of 10 cooks, two
bakers and two clerks
The cafeteria system is used and the
clean, airy. well-appointed dining
room is equipped with "a tables seat
ing four men each. On the walls and
columns are reproductions OF the yari-
Gus colorful Air Corps squadron and
school insignia.
Kitchen equipment includes electric
coffee grinders, meat slicers, mixing
machines and refrigerators. There are
even electric potato pairing machines
and dish washers which remove most
Of the sting from *. p" duty. The
food is prepared in the newest type
ranges, steam kilns, cookers and
broilers.
Is Served in Minutes.
As a result of using the cafeteria
system, the $50 men at the post can
be served efficiently and quickly. Only
six minutes are required to serve rs
men. The counters are of the steam
table type, with two 30-gallon coffee
,,roS ooeoporotad foocforc opd ice