The Alaska daily empire., 1916-05-10
WILL OPEN BIDS FOR ALASKA AIR
 SERVICE FRIDAY

The postmaster-general on Friday of this week will open bids for the establishment of permanent and regu- Jar aerial man service for tho eight most difficult routes on the conti- neut-the seven routes in Alaska and one on the southeast coast of Mas sachusetts
 "Whlle tho practicabllity of this service is yet to be demonstrated said Postmaster.General Burleson, "l feel confident that the bids will be satisfactory, and that we shall be able to set up mall service that will attract the attention of the en. tire world. Tho department has giy. en the matter careful consideration, and its confidence is manifested In the action already taken.
 "To utilize the aeroplane in carry ing the mails over seven difficult routes in Alaska and the one in Mas sachusetts would be trying out the degree of development of the aero plane for the needs of the postal service and the possibility of using lit on a business basis"
 If the birds should prove to be sat- isfactory, and 1t Is assumed that they will be. the pogtmaster.general will call into consultation a num- Der of prominent aviation authorities and asw them to draw up rules and regulations to govern the manner and method of conducting the route flights
 To Ask sso,oOo
 After the contracts have been awarded 1t is the purpose of the post master-general to ask Congress for an appropriation of $50,OOO for ex- perimental aerial mail service He madc @ request of that kind some time before. following like action by his predecessor. PosstmasterGeneral Hitchcock. but In each instance Con- gross failed to respond objection having been made to the idea that the machines should be purchased and operated by the government.
 It is not the plan of Mir. Burleson to ask that the proposed 9pproprla- ton be used for the purchase of aero planes, but rather that it be used to encourage experiments by the manufacturers or by individual ex- perts in aviation. This plan, Bure- son believes, is not only feasible, but will meet the objection raised by Congress
 The method just proposed is op- posed by some of the manufacturers. who would prefer to sell machines to the government outright, but it is believed that the opposition can be overcome. inasmuch as the proposed experiments are likely to establish aerial service on a commercial bas- fig. with prospect of rapid expan- sion and application to other trans. portation uses This, 1t is pointed out. would be a decided gain to the cause Of aviation, and would provide tho nation with Q fleet of aeroplanes for defense in time of national peril.
 The advertisement for bids has created a great deal of interest in the aviation world. indicated by the large number of sets Of specifica- tions already asked for by manufac- turers and practical aviators. all of whom are expected to submit bids The Aero club of America is taking much interest in the matter and has been encouraging manufacturers to embrace what it says is a real op- portunity to put aviation on a com mercial footing in this country. The indications are that the bids will not greatly exceed in cost what the gov- ernment now pays for mail delivery over the eight routes in question; indeed. 1t is possible that they will be less than the present cost of ser vice.
 The eight routes are all very diffi- cult and have been a heavy expense to the government. If the bids Of May 12 are anywhere near what the postmaster general confidently ex- poets, 1t will be Lis purpose to ap- ply the aeroplane to mail service In the Rocky Mountains, along the At lantIc and the Pacific coasts and the shores of Mexico and the Great Lakes.
 The seven Alaska routes now cost the government about quarter of a million dollars a year. The one route in Massachusetts now costs S2S,OOo a year.
 Bad Tralls
 The difficulties of the Alaska route