The weekly Alaska citizen., 1920-01-26


 STATES AND ALASKA
 In it's campaign for the establish ment of an aerial mail service be tween the states and Alaskan coast towns, the Aero club of the northwest has asked the cooperation oi the local commercial club for the purpose of boosting the project along as rapid ly as is possible The plans ol the aero club call for route from Chi cago to Seattle by airplanes and by seaplanes from that point to Alaskan coast points.
 The plan of cooperation is out lined in letter to the local commer- cial club as follows
 "In order to hasten action ot the aerial mail service in Alaska. it is requested that you circuari2e all commercial houses in your city hay ing eastern business connections and request that each business house kindly communicate with five of their large eastern cores spondents taking care that each of the five is located in a different state. asking that they in turn write letter to al, their congressman and senator's advocat- ing their support of the aerial mail route to Alaska.
 These houses can readily point out 10 their eastern correspondents the wonderful advantages to be derived from such mail service in that mail which now takes from six to ten days to deliver from the Atlantic coast points to southeastern Alaska could then be delivered in practically 50 to so hours. thus greatly facili- tating collections transmittal of or ders. etc.
 Trusting you can see your way clear to accede to this request which If followed out can but result in material benefit 10 the business fu- ture of the great territory of Alaska.
 Respectively.
 FEEL WILLIAMS Pres. The Aero Club of the Northwest
 FORWARD PETITIONS.
 In addition to these letters. if is proposed to forward a petition to the postal authorities in Washington containing as many signatures as pos sible from Alaskans. Ii is under stood from recent telegraphic des- patches that similar petitions will be forwarded by commercial clubs rep Tesenting the majority of Washington towns.
 The petition reads as follows: Hon. Otto Praeger,
 "2nd. Assistant Postmaster General. Tn Charge Aerial Mail Service. Washington, D. C.
 We, the undersigned, do respect fully petition that the post office department at it's earliest opportunity establish an aerial mail service whose termini shall be the southeastern and southwestern cities of the territory of Alaska.
 The advantage to be derived from such service are so manifold if is felt no added explanation is necessary and We need but mention that accord Ing to the present method of carry. ing mail three. four and more days are consumed by this operation via steamboat, which can be reduced to from 30 to 50 hours thru the use of the seaplane service.
 Tt is further pointed out that the building of coastwise railroad be- tween Alaskan points and the states IS such remote possibility and so impracticable and unfeasible tha. without the intervention of the sea plane for mail carrying, during this generation at least, no more adeouate means of mail transportation can be deVlsed than the steamboat service. Just as the army depends on it's lines .of communication for it's life, so must community depend on such lines for its very existence. and it is felt that the development of the territory of Alaska will depend largely to the rapidity with which communication can be carried on to and from it's principal cities.
 Tt IS further urged that such route when established, shall emanate rom some eastern city, say Chicago. thence overland to Seattle, via St Paul, Minn., and the notheren states. and at Seattle be trans-shipped from a land plane to a seaplane for the final step of the voyage This route is deemed more feasible than the alternative route via San Francisco not only because of the forbidding nature of the Oregon, California and Washington coast, but also because or the fact that mail thus sent to San Francisco and trans-shipped to Seattle, thence to Alaska would re- quire from 40 to 60 hours longer in transit, because of the longer die.