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-32- tion. It would be a body blow to national defense. These things must not come to pass. Democracy must march forward irrespective of what the reactionary element may advocate. It cannot turn back to the "stock" of yesterday's oppressions and denials of human rights. THE CIVIL AERONAUTICS ACT PROVIDES FOR MINIMUM WAGES AND MAXIMUM WORKING HOURS -- flight hours which are a maximum of 85 per month. This doesn't include all of the working hours that air line pilots put in by any matter or means. They put in nearly as many hours on the ground doing the things necessary to their flying as they do in the air. In fact, in minutes, the air line pilots put in between 50 to 55 minutes on the ground for every 60 minutes in the air, doing the things necessary to do a good job of air line flying. The would-be shortsighted wreckers of air line transportation clamor continuously for destruction of this part of the Civil Aeronautics Act. They want the 85-hour maximum removed. Can anyone imagine such a thing with the air line pilots being laid off in large numbers due principally to the introduction of the larger, faster, and more productive airplanes? While young Army men in the peak of their training on the air lines are laid off, the air line companies profess their national defense value on the one hand; yet on the other hand, they seek to destroy that part of the Civil Aeronautics Act on which has been built the greatest corps of air line pilots and national defense reserve that this country has ever produced. Yes, it's a strange world. Strange happenings -- hypocrisy in the extreme. They rant against the pilots' method of compensation. It is nothing but pure invention to obtain an end. Any move against air line labor and air line pilots who have been so instrumental in the building of the greatest air line transportation network in the world would be a regrettable mistake and would result only in harm to air transportation and to national defense and could not, by any stretch of imagination, be in the public interest. And when the next war clouds roll across our fair land, there would not be standing as minute men, ready to defend their country, the high-echelon trained, educated, physically tops group of air line pilots ready to take to the air against our enemies. There would be, instead, chaos and confusion, and a much lower type individual. THERE IS AN OLD SAYING -- ONE GETS WHAT ONE PAYS FOR. The same is true of air line pilots and all other air workers. Reduce the salary of those who work in any craft or profession -- destroy their working conditions the result is that such craft or profession immediately seeks a lower level, with the same certainty that water seeks its level. THERE CAN BE NO LOW LEVELS OF PERSONNEL STANDARDS IN AIR LINE FLYING AND AIR LINE TRANSPORTATION. ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH. In the Civil Aeronautics Board statement made on October 27, 1947, the following appeared: