The sun., 1918-03-04
24CENT STAMP
FOR MAIL BY AIR
Minimum Letter Postage on
Letters by New Service
Will Be p Cents.
ARMY FLIERS TO BE USED
New York Business Men to
Iet Deliveries From Wash
ingtOn in 3 Hours.
>os. al Drsparc, 10 THI SlN

WAsnINGroN. MARCH, g - Coiuc.dent
with the opening OF tne first aerial mail
rou.o between New York and Washing
ton on April u there will I've issued n
new stamp sure 70 be Of interest TO
phiiateists. This stamp will perform
a function similar to the special deliN-
cry stamp. for 1t will cause the letter
to which IL is affixed 10 be sent 10y the
air service The present plan ~ to sell
tho stamp Tor - cents. which with tas
regular postage will make the cost -
cents. 1t will he cheaper and quicker
than night letter by telegraph.
The Post Office Department is At work
on designs FOR the new stamps without
which no stamp album will he complete
II will be possible. Postmaster General
despatched from here by ai-riane i'll
New York Office buildings three hours
after the mail closes here.
At the start only one airplaNc will
be despatched each way a day. Mail
probably viii! close about II o'clock.
making it possible for business ne! TO
answer their morning letters ana get
the answers delivered by p NJ. II is
the belief of the officials that hundreds
'of business firms will avail themselves
of the service.
The mail airplanes will make one
stop. at Philadelphia. hut even with thi.
! II IL believed that the trip between New
York and Washington viii he made il,
two hours. leaving one hour for the
I sorting and delivery of the mail carried.
Army Airplanes for Route.
Service will begin with six a-roplanes
| The machines will be furnished by the
War Department, in accordance vita !,
cooperative agreement under terms OF
which the aero mail route will he used
as training for military aviators. A.
| the machines are of military type de-
tailed description OF them is not to he
! made public at this time.
, The War Department volunteered &c
! cooperate in tho maintenance OF regular
mail service on the day that bids for sin
planes We're opened by the Post ,,rYict
! Department. As II consequence each OF
tho three bids submitted was rejected
under the proviso in the invitation Coi
bids in whicn the department reserved
the right to reject.
The Washington-N.w York route il Il
be operated by military authorities 70,
one year. The army will furnish al
necessary machines and will detail al
necessary aviators. mechanicians and re
pair men from the military trainin,
schools
At the end OF this year OF militar,
operation the Post Office Department
will take over the service. Various
types Of planes are to be used by tn,
army. and the Department will get tin
benefit of the experience gained an,
will have opportunity to train their owl
men.
As a result they will he in position t.
specify the particular type of mschin
considered most suitable when II agaii
asks for bids In the recent Invitation
the specifications merely called for
ma chine capable OF carrying 400 pound
of mail matter nnd with maximum
speed Of 100 miles an hour with ful
load.
May Drop Mail by Parachutes.
The military machines to be used dur
ing the fi.'t year will he fully capabl
OF this speed, In addition experiment
are soon 10 he made with a parachut
dropping device to test the feasibilit,
OF dropping the matt direct in Centra
Park or on tho roof of the Pos, OfTic
Building in New York city 10 ov.rcom
the difficulty of finding a suitable land
ing place within short distance OF IN
post office.
Rrscrve machines ready for instan