The Topeka state journal., 1919-07-18
MAIL
BY AIR
HERE
ON AIR MAIL MAP
Government Sends Contract to
Topeka To Be Signed.
City Must Agree To Provide a
Suitable Field.
COMMISSIONERS SEE BENEFITS
1t Will Mean Much to City in
Many Ways.
Negotiations Carried on Thru
the Postal Officials.
Government Sends Contract to
Topeka To Be Signed.
City Must Agree To Provide a
Suitable Field.
COMMISSIONERS SEE BENEFITS
1t VIII Mean Much to City in
Many Ways.
Negotiations Carried on Thru
the Postal Officials.

the HOStAI OI1CluiSs
The forms of contract, which, if
signed, will make Topeka q landing
station for the United States aerial
mail service, were received today by
X. c. Caldwell. assistant postmaster,
from Otto Prayer, second assistant
postmaster general. An accompany
ing letter stated that the war depart
ment understand Topeka is ready to
enter an agreement with the govern
ment to furnish a landing field that
will place the city on the government
aerial map, and authorized w. O.
Rigby, local postmaster, to represent
the postoffice department in drawing
up the agreement.
Prayer said the war department had
advised him that Col. Joseph c. Nor
row of Chicago, had been instructed
to send an inspector to Topeka to rep
resent the air service of the war de-
partment in signing the contract. The
inspector will communicate with the
postmaster in a few days, it was
stated.
City Must Furnish Field.
BY the terms of the contract, Topeka
will be required to furnish and main
tain a landing field within its limits,
of such dimensions and in such To-
cation as will meet the approval Of
the government and conform to the
4
I maintain such field at its own expense
anS employ such help in so doing as
J conditions may require. The city must
/ also provide. install and maintain
all such equipment, apparatus and
tools as the federal specifications re-
quire and must construct an expedi-
tionary steel hangar. the material for
which will be furnished by the gov
eminent. When the field is COM
pleted the government will then des-
: % EN 1T.
landing field.
| The contract will be signed by the
| officers of the city on one hand, and
the postmaster. representing the post
| office department and a representative
of the air service of the war depart-
| ment on the other.
! Officials Favor Plan.
| Mayor Herbert j. Corwine said to-
/ day that he believed the city officials
were very strongly In favor of having
! Topeka on the government aerial map,
but did not know how they would feel
about furnishing a field out of city
funds. 1t had been hoped. he said,
/ that the government would do this.
I However. the city officials have four
| or five fields in mind which will be
| shown to the war department inspec-
tor when he arrives here, the mayor
said.
| Robert Fullerton. chairman of the
aerial service commission of the
| Chamber of Commerce. said that the
city would not necessarily have to buy
| the ground on which the field was
/ established, but could lease IL. or adopt
| any other plan that might present it,
1 self to obtain the ground. There are
| about six fields that will be considered,
Fullerton said.
On Big Passenger Route.
Topeka also stands chance Of get
ting on the route of the Lawson Air
line Transportation company, a large
concern with headquarters at Mill
waukee, which is planning the estab-
lishment of coast to coast passenger
service. The company is now con-
/ structing planes that will carry twen-
| ty-six passengers each. and will fly
/ between San Francisco and New York.
Alfred Lawson president e.,,ot OF It, the
from many cities are being considered
1 and that Topeka might be made a
stopping place. But the planes could
| not even hesitate here. he said, unless
: the city would furnish a landing field
at least three-quarters of mile
/, square. The ordinary aviation
grounds, or even the grounds which
/ the postoffice officials say Is large
enough, Is entirely inadequate to ac-
commodate the huge lawson passen-
gerships, it was declared. Topekang
] will be informed in the near future
what decision the company makes.
| Lawson said.
1 Assistant postmaster CaldWeU SAlo
he had no information regarding the
intentions of the government other
than that contained in the letter from
Prayer. Just how soon the aerial
mail will become an established in
stitution in this part of the country
is uncertain but 1t is evident that the
federal authorities mean business.
The aerial postal rates. Caldwell
said. will probably be much higher
than ordinary postage. He pointed
out that in the experiments made in
the east first class postage was 1s
cents an ounce. and each letter re-
quired a special delivery stamp. maxi
ing a total cost of IS cents At any
rate, he said. It will probably be some
time before TIE government can af-
ford to carry mail by air as cheap as
by rail.
Reduce Air Mail Rate.
washington. July 1s.-Postmaster
General Burleson today reduced the
postage rate on airplane mail TO two
: cents an ounce. the regular rate for
} first class mail matter. and placed the
/ air mail service on the same footing
with all other means Of mail transpog-
tation.