The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-12-04

We May Not Get a Railroad From San Juan to Roswell
Next Year, but We Can Have an Aerial Mail Service

TWELVE battlc.planes of the Handley Paige
and DE Haviland types are 10 inaugurate the
New York Chicago air mail service beginning
about the fifteenth of this month. These are 10 make
the run cor should one say the fly which now
averages over twenty hours. in eight hours flat.
Each plane will be able to carry lis full ton of mail.
Thousands of army aviators. now that the war
is over. are available 10 enter the air mail service.
hundred of army airplancs have already been
turned over to the post office department. More
Will soon be ready for the carrying of mail.
The establishment of fifty new air mail lines is
planned by the, postoificc, and speed IN getting the
lines under way is being urged by the Aero club of
Ameriea. several hundred army aviators. trained
fliers. have been notified that they must resign with
in a few days or else indemnity themselves with the
regular army. Most of these would naturally prefer
civil service of some kind, hut are reluctant to leave
the army If no other air work is ready for them.
The public has been Inconvenience 81 greatly
dnring the past year by slow and faulty mail service
that a great supplemental delivery equipment such
nS is possible with the available air trained men and
airplanes would be- hailed with delight. Restoration
of the postal service 10 before the war efficiency
was about the high mark of early hope. To have
II speeded up to the degree possible with air mail
service as IL is painted by the enthusiastic advocates
Of that service. sounds too good 10 be true.
Hangers must be- uilt. repair shops must be in.
stalled and various items of preparation attended TO-.
IL Is needless 10 say that each city chosen ~ q sta
ton will hasten the necessary work.
We know more about slow mail service here in
New Mexico than almost anywhere else in the
nation. \ letter requires three days to get from
albuquerque 10 Pennington in San Juan county. if
the trains connect all along the route. which does
not often happen. The letter mail sack is on the
road twenty hours between Albuquerque and l,os.
well. -Four days is about the average running time
Tor a letter from Albuquerque Ia MogollOn.
We have dreamed of and hoped for u railroad
connecting the San Juan valley, Albuquerque and
Roswell, and now that tie war is ended our chances
for securing such a railroad are vastly improved:
provided always that the railroads do not pass per
manently into a political control in which votes
would count more for new construction than ton
mage. But under the most fortunate conditions we
cannot expect any extensive railroad building
within the next twelve months, here or in amy other
state. Several of our most important main line
railroads need rebuilding before any new steel is
laid ON new dumps.
BY bcStirring ourselves right now, however.
we can secure one of these new air mail lines: which
will be experimental AT the start but will not remain
long IN the experimental stage.
The air mail routes of the west will follow the
original lines pioneered by the eagles of the Rocky
mountains. The air mail delivery time between
Pennington and Albuquerque would he about two
hours and about the samc time would be required
from Albuquerque 10 Roswell.
II may be pointed out tina, we can conduct our
correspondence between the points named by telc-