Evening star., 1946-07-07

VI d JOlIiIllGGtt QLOl I'LL,
T. Mr.. May, in the frst Of two
statements issued at his office, ex-
planned that he testified voluntar-
lily at secret hearing of the COM
mittee June 4. and he charged
Chairman Mead with withholding
this fact unfairly.
5. Evidence was introduced at
yesterdays hearing to the effect
that Mr.. May was Kentucky agent
for the Cumberland Lumber Co,
one of the IS companies listed by
committee investigators as combined
under DR.. Carson and his brother,
Murray w. Carson. Checks in
dorsed by A. J. May, issued by
Carson companies to the Cumber-
land firm, also were laid before the
committee,
May Statement Quoted.
Mr.. May said in his statement
that he had explained transactions
Of the Cumberland Lumber CO.
frankly and fully at the secret COM
mittee session. Declaring there
was nothing out of line" with the
accounts OF the company, he added
that everything he did was for the
benefit Of his constituents and the
war effort and ne did not profit in
any way or respect" He asked that
Chairman Mead make public his
testimony before the committee,
The committee refused, at least
for the time being. to release a
transcript of what Mr. May said at
the private session. II was inoi-
Gated, however. that this might be
reconsidered when more -members
of the committee could be mus
tered. Only four of the 10 mem
bers we're present at the executive
meeting yesterday afternoon.
The committee met privately for
a time with three attorneys from
the Justice Department-James NJ.
Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral in charge of the criminal divi-
sion: Isaiah Matlack, chief of the
war frauds section. and Tom Peace.
Mr.. MatlaCks S assistant.
Laws Reported Studied.
The Senator's present and the
Justice Department men were said
to have gone over the laws
involved, including a section of the
criminal CODE forbidding any men,
Der of Congress from profting from
a Government contract. The pro-
cedure involved in requiring a men,
ber to testify also was reported dis
cussed.
The committee deferred action on
a second motion by Senator Mitchell
requiring Benjamin Fields, address
not given, to appear. The Senator
that Mr.. Fields offered him
SIS 10000 for his campaign fund to get
the Mead Committee to lay off the
Carson munitions companies.
Senator Mitchell said he threw
Mr.. Fields out of the office. At
first. Senator Mitchell explained.
Mr.. Fields said he represented King
Farouk of Egypt, but later admitted
he came in behalf of the Erie Basin
and Batavia Metal Products Com
panies. the two biggest concerns
represented by the Carson brothers.
May Called Session. )
Asked to comment on the de-
mand of Mr. May that the record
of his testimony before the COM
mittee be made public, George
Meader. the committees chief coun-
sci, said
The session was called at the
request of Representative May. He
appeared before the committee. He
was not sworn. The matter Of the
Cumberland Lumber Co. and his
connection with it was the principal
subject of discussion
1t was brought out by document
ary evidence at the hearing earlier
yesterday that Andrew J. May of
Prestonsburg, KY was Kentucky
agent for the lumber concern, which
was incorporated in Delaware. and
that it had received more than
$4,000 from the Erie Basin and
Batavia corporations for lumber
which never was delivered
Several checks bearing the in