Evening star., 1947-01-15
Senate Group 10 Get
CAB Data Tomorrow
On Plane Accidents
By W. N. Shippen, Jr.
Avic.;on Editor Of The Stcr


Detailed statistics ON accidents
and financial losses in the air trans
port industry will be presented to
the Senate Interstate and Foreign
Commerce Committee tomorrow by
Civil Aeronautics Board officials,
who were interrogated by members
of the reorganized committees yes
terday at an educational" session.
Similar information was asked in
the House.
The full Senate committee also is
scheduled to appoint an aviation
subcommittee. This action should
eliminate a conflict which existed
in previous Congresses over whether
aviation legislation was to be
handled by the old Senate Com
merce Committee or the Interstate
Commerce Committee.
To Proceed Cautiously.
The new Commerce Committee.
according to Chairman White, will
proceed with caution, despite de-
mand for an investigation OF the
safety record of the industry by
some members of the House and
Senate and growing public concern
over recent crashes. This concern
admittedly has resulted in decline
in passenger revenues in recent
months.
Both Senator White and Chair
man James M. Lands of the CAB
pointed out, however, that the 1946
safety record of the scheduled air
lines was the best in history. The
Senator said the closed session yes
terday was called to educate" new
members wiah a general discussion
of safety measures, financial losses
of some airlines and overseas oper-
ations.
Wolverton Calls for Data.
On the House side, Chairman
Wolverton, of the Interstate Com
merce Committee, revealed he had
written to CAB and CAA officials
for all available data on air crashes,
the number of persons killed or in
jured, locality, property damage,
lines involved and any reports re-
sulting from investigations of the
crashes.
The Representative announced he
has offered a resolution to empower
his committee to summon witnesses
for a broad study designed to pro-
vide the base for new safety regula-
tions.
He added: "I would like to receive
from the committee any recon-
mendations that might promote bet
ter safety, together with any other
information which would give the
committee any light in fixing the
responsibility for these accidents. ."
More Data Asked.
The whole membership OF the
CAB was present at the Senate
hearing yesterday, along with legal
counsel and the director OF the
CABS Safety Bureau. Chairman
Lands and several key members OF
the board were requested to return
tomorrow with more detailed intor-
nation on fatal accidents, the ratio
of accidents between scheduled and
n-scheduled carriers and the
financial status of the lines.
Senator Brewster, Republican, OF
Maine said the whole question OF
safety, in Air transportation may be
gone into when the committee takes
up new legislation, including the
bill which Senator McCarran, DEM
ocrat, of- Nevada rs-introduced to set
up safety agency independent OF
the CAB.
Chairman Lands told reporters
after the session that the CAB Is
seeking additional funds for Federal
airway services, a matter which, he
said, will be taken up later with
committees handling the budget for
the next fiscal year.
Estimates Heavily Cut.
Since 1941, Congress has consist
emily cut requests for funds for new
navigational aides and maintenance
of the Federal airways to figures far
under the original estimates.
According to figures of the Civil
Aeronautics Administration, fatali-
ties per 1OO,OO0,ooo passenger miles
flown by the airlines dropped from
2.31 in 1945 to LAT last year.
One matter which the committee
is expected to investigate is the rela-
tionship between fatalities On the
scheduled and non-scheduled air.
lines, it was said.