Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-09-24

ICdlIS JUDD -UOSS VI Tile OUU-OQU
only part OF the place over which
he will have no authority, will
be in the offices of the other
board members. Each member,
under the plan, retains RESPONSE
bility for actions affecting people
employed regularly and full time
in his immediate office.
On paper, all this looks good to-
efficiency experts and in practice
it could put an end to the woes of
the airlines and related interests
who claim they are stalled and
frustrated through lack of action
by the board on their backlog of
requests for authority to take pro-
gressive steps I'M economics and
technical matters, all affecting the
flying public. Other groups. con-
cerned about the fact that the
CAB annually authorizes the pay
ment of around $125 million to the
airlines for carrying the mail
and for keeping Improbable but
necessary routes and services in
operation, want to have clearly
established how much of this
total is for mail pay and how
much for subsidy. Right now.
nobody knows.
Opposition'S Reasoning
Plan IS had a. twin brother,
known as No. 7 and intended for
application to the 63-year-o old
independent Interstate Commerce
Commission. But No. 7 didn't
wander around Congress I'M
noticed for so days like No. 12.
Though it landed up there while
periodic brawl in the Nations
transportation family was going
strong. The warning factions
suddenly called a truce. reformed
their fighting units and launched
a united. about attack on No. Z.
And it was killed in the Senate.
Why?
Because in this era of suspicion
and distrust the opponents of
Plan Z thought they read between
the lines that this was but the
first step toward Government
control over the railroads and
other types of surface transporta-
ton now regulated by the ICC as
an agent of Congress. The ICCI
members, though presidentially
appointed and confirmed by the
Senate, have selected their own
chairman and conducted the af-
fairs of that important agency in
what they regard as time tested
practices. The transportation
interests rebelled against the
Capitalization of complete ad-
miniStratiEe control in a presi-
dentially-selected chairman of the
1CC. charging it gives the Presi-
dent (any PresidenD power to
use the commission (through "his
man" at the top to maneuver
transportation for support of any
measure for further bureaucratic
controls over the Nations econ
omy.
After President Truman had
outlined the powers vested in a
Presidentially- selected chairman
for both the ICC and the CAB, he
emphasized that in the conduct
of all these activities, the chair
man will be bound by the general
policies established by the board
or commission and by it's regula-
tory decisions. findings and deter
limitations. He added the right is
specifically reserved" to the board
Cor commission) to revise budget
estimates and determine the dis
tribution of funds among the
major programs and purposes of
the agency and the appointment
of the heads of major admins
trative units under the board Cor
commission) is subject to approval
of the entire body.
1neSe limitations on the chair
man Applicable equally to ICC
and Cab were designed to act
as brakes on any ambitions to
transform the agency into a one
man dictatorship, but the enemies
of Plan z openly charged that the
chairman obtained control over
the staff in detail, the commission
could act only. on matters which
the chairman saw fit to present
to them. And, this opposition
reasoning went on, the chairman
would take his orders from the
White House, and Congress no
longer would have control over
Interstate Commerce, function
it has exercised for a 100 years.