The Washington herald., 1918-07-17
new AIR MAIL
ERA TOSTART
IN TWO WEEKS
Expansion Under PostofRce
Control to Be Inaugu-
rated August |.

A new era In air mail service. with
promise of rapid expansion and
eventual country wide scope. will
begin August /. with the inaugura-
tion of the service under exclusive
postofiice control. as opposed to the
operation hitherto by the War De-
partment for the postoffice. The Col
lege Park Aviation Fields. in Mary
land. eight miles outside Of WASH
ington. have been chosen by the
Postoffice Department as the new
Washington terminal. to replace the
Potomac Park landing-place, and q
quick motorcycle delivery from that
point will be used to complete the
trip to the city postoffice.
1t Is planned to develop the serv-
ice quickly from its Initial expert
mental stage. so that within rea-
sonable time the use OF the air
mail service may effect a saving of
many hours. and finally of days. as
the air routes are extended by de-
grees until they develop at last into
q coast-to-coast system.
Army Fiiers Preferred.
1t is understood that army avia-
tors, as they return at the close of
the war. will be given preference in
this service, and that the Postoffice
Department intends to absorb these
men rapidly in the development Of
the service. Already, however, in
stead of the expected difficulty in
obtaining the requisite number of
skilled fiiers and mechanics for the
air mails, the Postofface Department
has a long list of qualified would
be employees of this class.
The first fight under the new sys-
tenn will be made from College Park
August /. This will be continuation
Of the aerial mail service, until that
date under control of the War De-
pertinent. On August ] the service
will be turned oyer to the branch of
the Postoffice Department of which
Second Assistant Postmaster Otto
Praeger Is in charge. On that date
also service charges may possibly pe
reduced from cents an ounce 20 3
cents an ounce, with the usual 10 cent
special delivery charge.
Chicago Enthusiasts.
The merchants in Chicago are es-
pecially enthusiastic over the scheme
of expansion. The fight to and from
Chicago can be made in approximately
eight hours. and a very great saving in
mail delivery time will thus be ef-
fected.
The plan means that business will
be speeded up. The speed in living
that has been gained in this century
over the last century will be dupli-
Gated again in the new age that the
commercial aeroplane will usher in,
postof1ce officials say.
The appointment OF Benjamin b.
Lipsner in charge OF operation and
maintenance, entailing his resignation
of a captaincy in the Department Of
Military Aeronautics, has been ap.
proved by the President.
Mr.. Lipsner Is an expert in such
work. through his experience in the
maintenance OF a large number of
motor units. He has a perfected sys-
tenn by which equipment can be con-
served. That this is an irnportant de-
tail in the administration Of q large
number of aeroplanes 10 illustrated
by the fact that an aeropiane has an
average life of $50 flying hours and
each machine costs approximately
5000
Previous to his Joining the army
he had the supervision OF a large
number of motor trucks for a well
known firm of Chicago.