Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-17
DEs MONIES TO BE MIDWAY
STOPPING POINT ON TRANS
CONTINENTAL ROUTE.
SERVICE TO BENEFIT
IOWA BUSINESS MEN
Will Facilitate Communication Be-
tween Hawkeye State and Eastern
Cities as Well as Chicago-Several
Planes to Be Assigned to Station
and Landing Field Provided.
fBy F.. G.. Dougherty.1

washington, Aprll fAeiiai h'"A'
service to Iowa, with Des Moines as
the midway stopping point In the
government. transcontinental air line
for the movement OF the mails, Is
soon expected to be definitely de-
cided upon thru the energies OF Rep
resentative Dowell and officials OF
the postoffice department.
Des Moines already has been Sc
Ilccted as the midway point between
Chicago and omaha for mail filters,
and efforts being made by Represen-
tative Dowell with the war depart
ment are expected soon to result in
two or three hangers for mail air
planes being allotted to the postoffice
for use in Des Moines. as well as
definite authority for turning over
the government property to the south
of Fort Des Moines for a landing
field.
Adequate federal appropriations
have already been made by congress
to assure the actual operation OF
aerial mail service. and as soon as
the war and postoffice departments
get together on details Of the use OF
the Fort Des Moines reservation and
the hangers for the planes, the ser
vice will be continued without inter-
ruption
The selection Of Des Moines as the
midway stopping point for the aerial
mail service is on immense value
not only to Des Molnes City but all
other towns and cities in the state
from which mail trains are routed
out of the capital city. 1t was ex-
planned today that the aerial mail
service twill make possible speedy COM
municat,on between numerous Iowa
cities and Chicago and all eastern
industrial and business centers and
be a great boon TO the business In
terests OF the Hawkeye state
The aerial mail schedules outlined by
the postoffice department for service
in middlewestern states have taken
into consideration the necessity for
rapid delivery of mail matter not
only in the air but on mail trains
which traverse the state Of Iowa.
1t was said today that one plan was
to time the arrival of mall airships
in Des Moines in such manner
that important mail could be deliver
ed to numerous towns the same day
by merely transferring the pouches
to trains leaving the Hawkeye CAPT.
tai.
Fort For Hospital.
Another suggested use of the MIL
itary establishment at Fort Des
Moines was advanced today by Rep
resentative Candy. Of South Dakota.
who appeared before the house COM
mittee on public buildings in advoca-
cy of a plan to refuse appropriations
to the public health service for new
hospitals for the care of former SER
vice men until the war department
turns over al abandoned army pests
to the health service for utilization in
reconstruction work.
The Fort Des Moines post. which
was practically abandoned when the
arrny's general hospital there was
closed. was cited by Mr.. Candy as
one Of the several army posts that
should be utilized to the benefit of
the former service men whose recon-
struction and treatment for disease
contracted m the service is provided
for under the War Risk Act.
The Des Moines fort, it was said,
could be utilized completely by the
government. IL the army would turn
over the buildings and wards to the
Public Health Service. and the out
lying acreage could stiIi Be used as 6.
landing field for the postoffice aerial
mail service planes.
AS a result Of Representative Can
dy's testimony before the committee,
Secretary Of War Baker was in
structed to furnish to the committee
complete details on the number of
army posts at which troops are no
longer stationed. which might be con-
verted into hospitals for the cade and
treatment Of the former service men.