CONGRESS OPENS INQUIRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18975, 27 March 1936, Page 15

CONGRESS OPENS INQUIRY

TOWN SEND BONUS PLAN QUERIES FOR SECRETARY KNOWLEDGE OF ECONOMICS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. March 27, 2.40 p.m.) WASHINGTON, March 20. A Congressional inquiry, which is expected to have more than an ordinary social and political significance, opened to-day with the investigation of the Townsend plan in the huge House of Representatives caucus room which, significantly, was crowded with person* apparently of about fiO years of age, at which the Townsend iplan would begin its £4O monthly payments. The first witness was Mr.. Robert Clements, the national secretary of the Townsend organisation, who, however, has just resigned owing to a disagreement over the founder's "political" activities. Mr. Clements, who is a real estate agent, frankly confessed that he had never made any "fundamental study of economics." As a matter of fact, he very ingenuously admitted complete innocence of the knowledge of the terminology of economics. "Do you know the difference between economy and political economy?" he was asked. "1 tin not know that 1 do," he answered. Both his and Mr. Townsend's experience in world affairs was chiefly in dealing in CalifoVnian real estate.

Mr. Townsend himself is expected to be an early witness.