Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-17
WOULDPLACE AIR
MAIL UNDER ARMY
Representative La Guardia
+: Says Saving of Millions
Could Be Accomplished.

Proposal that the government save
at the very start more than $4,000, 900
and eventually many times that
amount, which the Post Office Depart
ment proposes to expend in expert
menting with aeroplane mail delivery.
by turning over this service to the
Army, which must maintain an aero
plane force, was made on the floor of
the House today by Representative
La Guardia of New York, recently a
major in the aviation service, serving
with the Italian forces for more than
a year.
Representative La Guarlia spoke for
more than forty-five minutes when the
post office appropriation bill was call
ed up. He promised the House more
extended talk on the subject of avia-
ton soon, at which time he said he
would give 1.-The inside story"
Already Have Trained Men.
Representative La Guardia strongly
favors establishment Of an aeroplane
mail service, but opposes what he
terms needless expenditure Of mil
lions of dollars for the Post Office
Department to experiment with
when, he said, the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps already have estab-
lished aeroplane organizations which
must be continued, with daily flights
required by its trained force.
Representative La Guardia opposed
the plan of the department in the
pre- It for 1919 and 1920 for an air
mail service from Chicago to San
Francisco. He said such a project
would require the laying out of land
ing fields, repair shops. signal sta
lions, and that the cost would run
it would take years before a regular
and dependable service from coast to
coast and from Canada to the Mexican
border, as suggested by the Post
master General, could be established.
He advocated continuance of the short
York and similar short routes all over
the country, in order to train the men
for aerial postal service.
Il think that we have learned Suf-
ficiently during the war to stop I'M
necessary waste, and I urge the
strike out the three-mil1ion-dollar
appropriation as a first step in the
right direction of developing the
great air service in the country" said
Representative La Guard1a.
Estimates Of Maintenance.
He pointed out that the post ONCE
estimate for maintenance and OPP
Grafton of airplane service was at
first 5000, 900, but that before the bill
came into the House. the committee
report for the next fiscal year pro-
posed an expenditure Of $2.1s5. 600.
Representative La Guardia said that
this would mean that the department
would overrun this appropriation and
come in later with request for de-
ficiency allowance. "
He quoted from testimony by post
office officials at the hearing estimat-
ing for. 1000 pilots, 1900 mechanics
and 1.50o- helpers. He figured out that
the pay for this personnel alone would
aggregate s7.575.000. He said that the
cost for trained men in the Army
service already organized and dis
ciplined would be $4,261,500, so that
by turning over this service to the
Army there would be an ediate
saving o. $3,313, 500. Besides this the
best possible training would be at
forded for. 6.093 flushed pilots and
4.83B 6YinS cadets, who have finished
their courses and who win be required
to perform forty to seiehty hour
e.,