Evening star., 1940-05-08
House Rejects,
{. A. A. Shift
In 232.153 Vote
Resolution Against
RooseyeIt's Order
Goes to Senote


The House passed and sent to the
Senate today a resolution rejecting
President Roosevelt's fourth Gov
eminent reorganization order which
would place the Civil Aeronautics
Authority in the Commerce De-
partment.
The resolution was approved by
roll call vote of 232 to 1853.
The order, which would also abol-
ish the Safety Board Of the G. A. A.,
will become operative next month
unless the Senate also approves the
legislation.
President Roosevelt announced
April II that he had decided on sew
eral changes in the makeup of
Government agencies and depart
ments. Congressional opposition
Immediately developed to one por-
ton which would shift the G. A. A.
from an Independent agency to a
bureau under Secretary Of Com
merce Hopkins.
Senate Had Delayed Study.
The Senate Reorganization Com
mittee earlier had postponed study
of a proposal to kill the order until
after the House acted.
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary
Committee recommended early Sen
ate consideration of the House.
approved Logan-Walter bill to
facilitate judicial review of the de-
cisions Of Federal administrative
agencies.
The G. A. A. transfer and minor
shifts will become effective June II
unless both the Senate and House
vote to set the order aside.
The Senate continued discus
sion of the bill by Senator Town.
send, Republican, of Delaware, to re-
peal the Treasury's authority to pur-
chase foreign silver.
Speaker Bankhead announced
that Immediately after the reorgan-
ization vote, the House would discuss
the bitterly disputed subject of 1941
farm appropriations.
Farm State members have been
seeking support for Senate additions
of about $500, 900, 900 to the $7l3,-
100000 House bill. The House was
asked to vote on whether 1t would
authorize $212, 2,0O0, 900 for parity pay
ment, $85, ,O0O, 600 for surplus crop
removal and $50, ,000, 900 in r. r. c.
loans for farm tenants.
Air Safety Board Debated.
House debate over the c. A. A.
transfer yesterday centered On the
agency's Air Safety Board.
Representative Warren, Democrat,
of North Carolina described the
Safety Board as zone of the rotten
est and one of the worst admin
istered messes" in government.
Representative Dirksen, Republican.
of Illinois countered with the state
ment that the reorganization would
place the central authority in the
position of being Judge, prosecutor
and jury" and that it would not
vote to hurt itself" in investigating
accidents.
The present Safety Board men,
bers are c. B. Allen and Tom Hardin.
Representative Warren told the
House that the bitter quarrel"
within the c. A. A. began with q
row between Mr.. Hardin and Sump-
ter Smith, who then was the third
member.
'This i'll feeling finally reached
q climax when Hardin and Allen
deposed Smith as chairman Of the
board and elected Hardin" he said.
"The problem was laid before the
President of the United States. This
entire background of personal Bit
terness and practically public quar-
relling was carefully canvassed."
Anticipating Mr.. Warren's state
ment, Mr.. Lea opened the debate
with this assertion:
Trivial incidents are magnified
in an attempt to justify this trans
fer. Somebody had quarrel. Some
w. P. A. budget funds were used
to help air fields. Therefore, trans
fer of the agency. Human frailty
can never be eliminated from any
of our enterprises.
II am satisfied that the reasons
asserted for the change are theo-
retical, ineonsequential and ignore
the important problems with which
| aviation deals"