Evening star., 1939-05-27
Effort 10 Fix
Asphalt Choice
Hinted in Probe
Milk Inquiry Bures
Dictophone Story Of
$40, 900 Offer
BY JAMES E. CHM.

phones set up IN the House Office
Building and two downtown hotels
by inspectors for the House Milk
Investigating Committee, disclose
that efforts had been made to in
fuence the District to specify the
use of particular kind of asphalt
in street paving contracts, it was
learned today.
Three persons, whose names were
given Star reporter, are under
stood to have been mentioned in
connection with the affair None
Of them is District employe. A
fee of $4,000 also was said to have
been mentioned as the payment for
a successful transaction.
District officials admit that they
had been requested recently to have
natural or so-called lake" asphalt,
which comes only from Trinidad,
specified in the paving contracts
instead of oil asphalt, which has
been used for the last Is years.
! These proposals, according to the
officials, were "fiatly" rejected.
The officials explained the specif-
cations as to the type of asphalt to
be used are "open"-meaning that
the contractor may use either the
lake or oil variety Most con-
tractors, however, it was said, prefer
| the oil" asphalt because it is
cheaper than the imported type.
They are described as having equal
merit"
Other Conversations Heard.
Aside from the paving contract
angle, the dictaphones, it was said,
picked up conversations at parties
that were held in the rooms that
had been wired Some of these
conversations, it was said. had MOTH
ing whatever to do with the milk
investigation.
Inc dlctaphoneS were placed in
the rooms by members of the police
| department who had been assigned to
the investigating committee to check
| up on activities of lobbyists believed
/ to have been interested in the in
/ qulry. The transcript of the con-
VerSatlonS they recorded covers more
than 200 pages.
Representative Bates, Democrat,
OF Kentucky, chairman of the in
vestlgating committee, who with j.
EDWARD Burroughs, jr., special COM
mlttee counsel, directed the activi-
ties OF the officers, said the volumi-
nous transcript would be turned OVER
TO the committee for examination
at an executive session. Mr.. Bates
said he would recommend that it
be sent to United States Attorney
David A. Pine.
Probe Halted Until Wednesday,
Meantime, the committee halted
the investigation until Wednesday
or Thursday, at which time attor-
neyS representing various diaries
and producers are to pe given an
opportunity to complete cross ex-
animation of B. B. Derrick, secre-
tary-treasurer of the Maryland
Virginia Milk Producers Association.
1he croSs-examination of Mr..
Derrick was interrupted yesterday
to give Representative Gross, Re-
publican, of Pennsylvania a chance
to express his views on the District
milk situation. He declared the
present retail price of IA cents a
quart is too much for anybody to
pay"
Washington. he said, should get
milk delivered for II cents a quart.
and pay not more than 10 cents in
! stores.
Mr.. Gross also said organized con-
sumer groups could be vital force
in controlling the price of milk. He
expressed the belief if such groups
went to particular dairy and prom
ised to buy from it exclusively at a
certain price, the distributor would
fall for the proposition and fall
hard
Milk Law Is Criticized.
Criticism also was leveled by Rep
resentative Gross at Washington 3
rigid milk law and regulations. He
said 1t was an erroneous idea" that
good milk came only from the barn
OF a rich man who uses dairy pro-
duction as toy"
The rich, he said, are stealing the
market away from those who need
| it."
And finally, Mr.. Gross declared:
This milk business can only be
ironed out when the screws are put
to the fellows where they belong.
and you'll not find them on the
farms"
When Mr.. Derrick subsequently
returned to the witness stand for
cross-examination by Seton Darr.
counsel for the Fairfax Embassy
Dairy, he was forced to reveal the
names of the organization detective
force which is engaged in checking
up on the importation of so-calied
bootleg" or unlicensed cream. Two
of those named were formerly en-
ployed by Embassy Fairfax.
Il assure you," he said, they are
no thugs, even though they have
been manhandled many times"
Can Stand More Bacteria.
The cross-examination of Mr..
Derrick developed that milk in Bal
timore is cents gallon cheaper
than in Washington.
Asked why, Mr.. Derrick said the
people there are different type"
and could stand more bacteria con-
tent.
you mean they are rugged In
dividualists?" asked Mr.. Darr.
That's right he replied.
During the examination of Repre-
sentative Gross, Roger j. Whiteford,
counsel for Chestnut Farms-C Chevy
Chase Dairy, said his firm made less
than one-third of a cent a quart on
accent milk it delivered to the
home.
Even when we deliver the milk,
cheese and butter to a customer"
he explained, "our profit is one-fifth
Of cent a day or rs cents a year
the amount that a customer would
tip the driver at Christmas time"
. Mr.. Whiteford declared that more
| than half of the dairy's profits come