Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-26
House Fight
.SeenHurn7ino
Air Industry
Political Football
Likely to Follow
Committee Shifts
EY DAVID LAWRENCE.

With all the Importance that civil
aviation has achieved already and
is likely to attain in the postwar
world, some overzealous though we'll
meaning friends Of aviation have
started a controversy in the House
of Representatives which can hardly
result in any benefit to the industry
or to the progress Of aviation itself
The plan brought forward is to
create a separate committee in the
House devoted to civil aviation
which now is handled by the House
Committee on Interstate and For
elgn Commerce. Such a new COM
mlttee would not, Of course. cnCrOaCh
on the handling Of military and
naval aviation by ~ House Military
and Naval Committees but would
endeavor to separate civil aviation
from consideration along with other
forms Of transportation.
If the war has demonstrated one
thing 1t is the unfortunate effect of
the peacetime tendency to over
departmentali2e and thus separate
functions that ought to be CO.
ordinated or unified. There is a
difference between specialization
within limits under unified super
vision and the grant of coordinate
authority TO unit which then be-
comes responsible to no general
command. If anything there is more
and more need to integrate related
units under single head so as to
get the proper interplay between
them.
In the case of the House Inter-
state and Foreign Commerce Com
mittee, a subcommittee on civil
aviation has been created which
specializes in aviation, but the work
Of this arm of transportation is
reviewed in the light of experience
with other forms of transportation
an excellent arrangement.
What will happen if a separate
committee in the House on Civil
aviation is created? Was the ques-
ton asked Of Chairman Lea, Demo-
crat, Of California, who has pre-
sided SO long over the House Com
mittee Of Interstate and Foreign
Commerce.
In the first place" he replied,
"you will be throwing away the
benefits Of more than 20 years of
intimate experience. The commit
tee on interstate and the committee
on interstate and foreign commerce
has the perspective which experience
can give and which the aviation
industry needs if its problems are
to be handled with sympathy and
understanding That committee
knows what has been happening
not only yesterday or last year but
ever since aviation started. 1t
knows what the fundamental needs
and problems are; it knows enough
not to be carried away by some
passing event of the moment.
Stability Needed.
'In the second place, if a separate
committee on this one subject is
created, you will be inviting a rash
OF legislative activity which can do
great harm to the industry. Before
the industry's problems were fully
consolidated into one place in 1888,
civil aviation was gravely harmed
by constant new legislation and
legislative proposals. Since then it
has received the stability that has
permitted sound growth. But if a
new committee be established with
nothing else to do, there is the great
est danger that this industry will
be in perpetual investigation, with
perpetual legislative activity keeping
1t perpetually on our doorsteps.
In the third place, if a new
committee is established, you will
lose the greatest benefits Of the
coordination Of transport policy
which we gain through one trans
portation Committee Of the House.
This industry is rapidly approach
ing the point where it will encounter
many Of the same types Of problems
which other modes of transport
have encountered. In such mat
tiers as regulation of rates, issuance
Of securities, relations between con-
tract and common carriers, mergers
and consultations, it is essential
that this industry be treated on
fair basis, as compared with the
treatment to other carriers. that
tested and tried fundamentals Of
policy be applied to it, that we avoid
some detour into the speculative
areas Of unprecedented controls.
Clash Of Interest
problems such as these are the
great problems Of the future 50 far
as air transportation is concerned.
II you 90 not maintain some con-
sistency with the treatment found
sound in other modes Of transport,
YOU may ruin the aviation industry
IN its dealings with its competitors.
Moreover if you set up a separate
committee it is inevitable that YOU
Will promote a clash Of interest as