LINDBERGH DEFENDED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20238, 23 February 1934, Page 1

LINDBERGH DEFENDED.

Hearst Press Says President Was Precipitate. WASHINGTON, Feb.uaiy 17. President Roosevelt’s snub to Colonel Lindbergh is still warmly discussed. The Ilearst Press protests, like Lindbergh. that the innocent are condemned witii the guilty, that the President acted precipitately, and that the whole thing is “ unfair and un-American." Colonel Lindbergh protested against the President's cancellation ot air mail contracts, because of irregularities. The only notice the President took of this was to announce, through his secYetary, that “ Colonel Lindbergh is a propagandist’ for aviation interests, which have been found to have done much plundering.” More Scandals. The White House has made no formal reply so far, but the PostmasterGeneral (Mr Farley) said that he was preparing a public statement exposing details of the fraud and collusion, which, he said, attended the awarding of air-mail contracts. He promises a full story of how airline officials sat around a table in Washington in May, 1930, and parcelled out among themselves the rich gravy of air-mail contracts. Sea Mail Aid. Very interesting is another announcement by Mr Parley that President Roosevelt wants a complete reorganisation of the ocean mail system, favouring any outright subsidy to replace the present form of Government aid to shipping. The President believes that the present Government aid for shipping should be called by its right name- “ subsidy ” instead of subterfuge—- “ mail contracts.” Convinced that wages aboard American ships are higher than in those of other countries, he favours a Government subsidy to keep the American flag on the high seas.