The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-22
LOCAL CLUB IS
 ASKED T0 HELP
 BOOST VERDICT
NERO CLUB OF NORTHWEST ASKS COMMERCIAL CLUE TO AID IN CAMPAIGN FOR AERIAL MAIL SERVICE BETWEEN THE STATES AND ALASKA

MAIL SERVICE BETWEEN THE
 STATES AND ALASKA 1 In its campaign for the establish ment Of an aerial mail service be tween the states and Alaskan coast towns. the Aero club of the northwest 1 has asked the cooperation of the 1 local commercial club for the purpose i of boosting the project along a. rapid ! ly a. is possible The plans of the aero club call for a route from Chi 1 cago to Seattle by airplanes and by %eaplancs from that point 10 Alaskan coast points
 : The plan of cooperation is out lined in a letter to the local commer- ] ciaI club as follows:
 "In order to hasten action of the ] aerial mail service in Alaska it is requested that you circularize 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 correspondents taking care that each of the five is located in a different state, asking that they in turn write letter 10 all their . congressman and senators. advOCat- ing their support of the aerial mail route to Alaska
 These houses can readily point out to 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 to 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. it is proposed to forward a petition to the postal authorities in Washington containing as many signatures as pos sible from Alaskans. It is under stood from recent telegraphic des- patches that similar petitions will be forwarded by commercial clubs rep resenting the majority of Washington towns
 The petition reads as follows. Hon. Otto Praeger
 "2nd Assistant Postmaster General, "In Charge Aerial Mail Service. Washington, D. c.
 "We, the undersigned, do respect fully petition that the post office department at its 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 it is felt no added explanation is necessary and We need but mention that accord ing 10 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.
 'It is further pointed out that the building of a cOastwise railroad be- tween Alaskan points and the states is such a 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 adequate means of mail transportation can be ! QeVlSeQ than the steam boat service. Just as the army depends on it's lines of communication for it's life so must a community depend on such lines for it's 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 its principal cities.
 Tt is further urged that such a route when established, shall emanate from some eastern city, say Chicago, thence overland to Seattle, via St. Il Paul, Minn., and the nOtheren states land 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 fOrbiddng nature of the Oregon, California and Washington coast, but also because of the fact that mail thus sent to | ok; to