The daily monitor leader., 1945-12-24
, BEHIND THE SCENES
m WASHINGTON .

oil industry officials In tucking
the bib over the stuffed shirt to
honor william h. Boyd, Jr., for
the great job he did % chairman
Of the Petroleum Industry War
Council.
There probably will be other
functions In ensuing weeks; with
the war just over. this Il the
open season on testimonials. Be-
sides which, its Christn a.. isn't
it? What's the harm G. q little
public relations goodwill on the
side. and here's looking ut you
for 1946.
THE HONORED GUESTS
DESERVE 'EM
The gentlemen who get these
testimonials usually deserve 'em.
and what's said here 10 not to
belittle their real achievements
and services to their country.
The idea Is simply to show one
Of the lighter sides Of what goes
on here.
Colonel johnson got . scroll
ut his dinner. for having dis
charged his task with rare abil.
ity, great industry and unfailing
devotion to duty" Mr.. Boyd far
ed little better. In apprecia-
tion of his "selfless and success
full service" he got an inscribed
silver waiter and q portrait Of
himself. Well, the oil men are a
little more prosperous than the
railroaders. You'd never guess
1t, but the portrait was done in
oil. Isn't that appropriate?
All these affairs are much
alike, so it's as good to describe
one as another. There were over
800 guests at Colonel Johnson's
little five-course collation.. Dia-
mond-back terrapin soup, lob
ster and crabflakes Newburg,
breast of capon farci chevalier
on Smithfield ham. salad with
chutney dressing, baked Alaska.
And trimmin's.
And what q surprise to fiiid
there most Of the members Of
the Interstate Commerce Com
mittees Of the Senate and House
of Representatives. What sur
prise, also, to find there repre-.
sentatives of the Interstate Corn
merce Commission, plus delega-
tions from the Civil Aeronautics
Board, the Maritime Commits
sion, Federal Communications
Commission, Federal Ira d e
Commission, and the Securities
and Exchange Commission. Now
what in the world could they be
doing at a railroad dinner?
1t must have been just bIsi-
ness and government co-operat-
ing. It certainly was beautiful
to see. But where was labor?
THERE'S A LITTLE
PIECE OF LEGISLATION
The speaker Of the evening, In
addition to Colonel Johnson, was
Congressman A. L. Bulwink.e,
of South Caroline. 1t Is just
Incidental. of course, that Ma
jor Bulwinkle now has . bill
pending which would legalize
rate-fixing and other agreements
between competing carriers in
al forms Of transportation under
the Interstate Commerce Act.
All this bill would do 10 exempt
the railroads from the Sherman
antitrust law. OF course the
Association Of American Rail-
roads has only an academic in
terest in that.
A. to what interest the oil
men had In building up q little
goodwill with government Of
ficials like Secretary Of the In
terror Harold Ickes, who was
one Of Boyd's chief eulogizers.
there are only q few surmises to
be made by evil-thinkins peo-
pie.
The tidelands oil case Is UP,
the Big Inch and Little Inch
pipelines are to be disposed of,
there are q lot Of surplus gov
ernment-owned tankers and re-
fineries and synthetic rubber
plants to be disposed Of and
It certainly II nice to see 20
much good Fellowship and bro
therly love In evidence this Jolly