The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-03-14

certain. writes Agnes c. Laut in New York Sun.
Can ii be- done? To what uses can we turn
5000 machines and 10000 men that will give re-
turns at all commensurate with the enormous out
lay? Hadn't we better figure all the outlay up
and charge it to war and let it go at that, and not
break more necksf That is the practical mans
attitude and the airplane manufacturers attitude
* Just what the motor manufacturers was ten
years ago.
As well ask TO what use can we put our five mil
iioE output Of motorcars? How can we use air
planes in practical everyday life? Here is the air
plane mans answer, and when you have pondered
it you Will not count very many airplanes going
10 waste or 20 spare:
Some of the Possibilities.
Fast mail. fast express. light rush freight, such
as perishable foods; fast transcontinenta and
ocean passenger service, joy riding. sightseeing 10
places inaccessible by rail, such as the upper
reaches of Grand Canyon or the Holy Land or
the sacred city of Tibet; coast guard and revenue
patrol, ocean survey work. weather bureau work.
exploration, such as across the pole or the hot
tropical forests of Africa and South America,
which would not be hot by the air route boundary
patrol. patrol or power lines and oil lines and gas
lines, bird's-eye sightseeing Of cities. country 10
city committing. patrol of forests for fires, first aid
in medical work, quick relief in such catastrophes
AS flood, fires. earthquakes; life saving AT sea in
case of wreck, carrying supplies TO inaccessible
mines such as those in the Klondike or on the
Coppermine river or in deserts where lack OF
water bars out man and beast mountain climbing
ON wings, military and naval reconnaissance.
For all these purposes no right of way is re-
quired, no rails, no grading. Both extreme heat
and extreme cold can be avoided. Any one of these
manifold uses would absorb every airplane now
engaged for war. All the uses combined would de-
mand and absorb as many airplanes as there are
motorcars-say 100000 for this country alone.
At this stage. the practical man has a touch of
aerial vertigo. He is too polite TO tear his hair
out in handfuls; but-we he interrupts with.
SHOW met
Very well. Take mails. Mails are already being
carried between New York and Washington, and
New York and Chicago; and If all the war planes
are absorbed for mail use, as 1000 of them al
ready have been assigned, mails will be carried
before the end of 1919 between all the leading
cities OF the United States.
Is this mail business going to be practical? VIII
IL pay? WIN it save, say. some money, as well as
time? The rate talked of just now is 16 cents an
ounce, or 43 cents a mile for 20 pounds, which is
50 vague that IL leaves you all up in the air as TO
ultimate charges. This scale is absurdly high.
During the experimental period ii is all right,
but when aerial mail routes are as common as rail
mail routes, how about charges?
Profits in the Aerial Mail.
Here you are In the realm of pure speculation,
but. basing your speculation on facts. the govern
ment could do more than save time. 1t could save
money and make coolies of money by the air mail
route. Suppose the charge is % cents a pound.
which is cheaper than our letter rate today.
Land machines as at present constructed can
carry at least half their own weight, but now that
war requirements are past. their construction can
be changed 10 improve vastly on that. They will
not need machine guns. They will not need bombs.
They will not need devices for quick ascent or
terrific velocity or head-on impetus and impact in
case of a charge head to head. They will dispense
with all war equipment. That will give carrying
capacity for other work.
But take even the present proportion. One ma