The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-08-28
Killings Staff
Conducted Texas
Blast Hearings

lie live I1OuoC OuNiiSioiy HNSN
mittee members, who will conduct
the West coast hearings on the Hill
lings Amendment, are the same
congressman who conducted extern
sive public hearings on the eXplo-
sions at Texas City earlier this
year, reported the Washington Of
flee of the japanese American Citi-
zens League.
The subcommittee, under the
craftsmanship of Congressman Ed
gar A. Jonas (R. III. }, is noteo for
drafting the largest single private
bill ever to receive congressional
approval The record breaking pri-
vate bill provided compensation for
the hundreds of injured persons and
for property damage in the Texas
City disaster
In California this subcommittee
Will conduct public hearings III the
bill Introduced by Congressman Pa
trick J HillingsP, Calif.) for the
e-pcd!tious completion and payment
of large evacuation claims.
ELECT PROCEDURE
The Killings Amendment would
enable the claimants to elect be-
tween compromise procedure
without any ceiling limitation on
the amount or to seek a judicial de
formation of their evacuation
claims in the Court of Claims. If
the claimant does not elect either Of
these alternatives, he will have his
claim adjudicatd under present
law.
Congressman Jonas was also sub
committee chairman on the Texas
City disaster He is a graduate
from Chicago Law School, former
judge, and has served as a member
of the 81st, 82d and 83d Congresses
Congressman Usher L. Burdick
(R. ND is a graduae of the Min
nesota School of Jurisprudence, a
former prosecuting and district at
torney, and is prolific writer. He
has served in the House of Repre-
sentatives for Is out of the last 20
years.
OTHERS IN UNIT
Congressman William E Miller
CR. NY. is a graduate of Notre
Dame University and Albany Law
School, a veteran of World War II,
a former district attorney and SER
we'd as prosecuting attorney at the
war criminal rials at Nuremberg,
Germany. He has served in Coll
gress since 1850
Congressman Thomas LaneCD,
MaSS.) is graduate from Suffolk
Law School, a veteran of World War
l, and served II years in the Mass
achusetts State Legislature before
his first election to Washington in
194l. He has since been re-eleced
for each succeeding Congress.
Congressman Peter w Rodino Jr
Cd, ND is an attorney. a much de-
corated veteran of Word War II,
and is well known for spearheading
the drive against communism in the
l948 elections in Italy. He was first
elected to Congress in the o1st Con-
gress and has been reelected for
ach succeeding Congress
AID CLAIMANTS
Walter Lee is a Democrat from
Mississippi and is the administrative
staff director of the House Judicial
ry Committee. He has served the
House committee for the last II
years
Cycil Brickfield, from Brooklyn.
NY, earned his Bachelor and Mas
ter degrees at Fordham University
He has served as legal counsel for
the House Judiciary Committee for
the last four years and win attend
the California hearings in the same
capacity.
Even though Congress has ad- |
lourned, these subcommittee men, |
oers are taking time out from their
TALL election campaings and summer |
vacations to conduct the hearings |
on the Killings Amendment. These
hearings" said Mike Masaoka, Wa
'hington JACL representative, will
enable the claimants of larger eva
claims demonstrate their in
-erest in the enactment of legisla-
ton to expedite completion and
payment of their evacuation claims"
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