The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-15

HaVing puSSeo up the opportun" ity for commissions for themselves, these men are now eligible to be drafted as privates in the walk ing Army.
 They are responsible for the success of the training program of c. A, A. w. T. S. (Clvil Aero nNutlcS AdmlnistratlOn War Train ing Service). Originally they numbered l4,900 instructors. At first, they worked without pay, In c forty-weeks training program until CAA fought to get them Army pay of $50 month.
 At the turn of the year, when they had bene sealed down to about 5000 instructors, the whole program was abandoned by ore der of the War Department. This meant that the men were thrown back to draft status.
 Later, the Army said they could apply for commissions In the Air Transport Command - If they could qualify, This was Ike saying "You can join the Four Hundred, hut you live on the wrong side of the street."
 Actually, the Transport Com mand already hos pilots sitting around for as long as five weeks at A time without gettin ginto the air. There's not chance that the discharged instructors will be taken on by Arc.
 The feminine angle makes It worse. These instructors see the women pilots (WaspS) get- ting more flying opportunity than men. Explanation Is that Wasp Chief JaCquellne Cochran uses her inside track In favor of her feminine flyers.
 Meanwhile, the Army has so many pilots that 1t is making in- structors out of men trained as combat pilots In the face of n surplus of instructors. Appar- cntly the Air Forces have more combat pilots than they can use, even in this blobal air war.
 The civilian instructors -- With far more flying time than their students feel thatt hey should have been allowed to apply for commissions. As 1t is, however, they arc thrown out of work, to start their military service all over again--on the ground. DOUGHTON COMMITTEE LEAK
 staunch war horse "Mulcy Bob" Doughton. chairman of the House Ways md Means Committee, likes to consider his committee the most leak-proof OH Capitol Hill. When q newsmen inyades the eanctity ofb one of Doughtons closed-door meetings on tax iegis- lation by daring to report any thing that happens, the reporter is usually flayed at the next closed door session and an inquisition g undertaken to determine what members leaked.
 There was great conSternation, therefore, when the Washington Merry -Go-Round column recently gave on account of two closed Ways and Means sessions in which Doughton and conservative col- leagues lambasted the President for vetoing the tax bill. What further aroused Muley Bob's ire was that he was unable to find nut who leaked the story.
 "That story had to come from member who was present" declared one perplexed commit tceman. "SOmc of the States n1ents made were so accurate Drew Pearson might have been present taking nOts."
 Maybe there's dIctaphOne buried around here some place" ventured another faceteiOusly.
 "Yes," spoke up 2 third mem- member. "It might be good Idea to investigate and find out # Pearson Is getting his tnfOT" matiOn that way, since TO one will admit talking to him."
 "NO," argued . fourth. "TheFe were one or two statements in the Pearson story which were not made in exactly the way he put them. He could not very well have got his dope from a dictaphOne."
 NOTE: This column will award to the first member Of the Ways and Means Committee who finds
 An.