Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-19
ATLANTA AIR MAIL
PROJECT ABANDONED
The Atlanta Journal News Bureau,
623 Riggs Building.
BY THEODORE TTT,LER

WASHINGTON, May IL It is
learned that the POSSIBILITIES depart
ment has abandoned the program of
the past administrator for an aeria
mail route between Washington and
Atlanta.
Lack Of an appropriation to extend
further the delivery of mail by air
plane and the failure of Alfred w.
Lawson, of Minneapolis, to finance
the mail route on which he was the
successful bidder last fall, are Civ
en- as the primary reasons for the
abandonment of the project by the
postoffice department,
Mr.: Lawson, the department saws.
line and should it become operative
such delivery could continue onlv
until the end of the present fiscal
year because there is no appropria-
ton for further service
The new second assistant post
master general, 4. H. Shaughnessy,
has interpreted the recent postof-
flee appropriation act as forbiddinp
addltIonal airplane routes. Last fall
the department decided that it was
au dlf,ld5 to establish new routes
cheaply by airplane as by train,
There was a blanket provision in
law for this step, but now the de-
partment holds that this no longer
exists under the pOstoffice. bill for
next year, and there is no appropria-
Iloll, either direct or indirect, for the
Observation-Disclosures route.
Last fall Mr.. Lawson .ame to
washington and made bids on a daily
aerial mail service between Washing
ton and Atlanta, In addition to
carrying the mails, he promised to
carry passengers in giant airplanes
between the two cities, stopping off
at Columbia, Raleigh and possiblv
other cities. He was awarded the
contract by Second Assistant Post
master General Praeger, and the pro-
posed venture received much public
lty and praise throughout the south.
senator Harris recently made in
quiries regarding the delay in opera
tlon OF the route. Now the second
assistant postmaster general, who
has charge of transportation of the
as follows:
1.-THE department Is in receipt of
your communication regarding air
mail service between Washington
and Atlanta under contract made
with Alfred w. Lawson on Septem-
Der 10, 1920.
In reply, I beg to advise you that
an investigation made by a repre-
sentative of this department on April
last showed conclusively that the
contractorI would be unable to in
augurate the service under the
terms of his contract, inasmuch as
he had not provided the necessary
equipment or landing fields. He adj
mitted that he had been unable to
obtain the necessary financial as
sistance to inaugurate and maintain
the service.
Furthermore, it would not have
been possible under the provisions of
the postoffice appropriation act. ap-
proved March /, 1921, to have con-
tinued the service after the close or
the current fiscal year"
The pOstoffice official then quotes
the old and new postal laws regard
ing aerial mail extensions. Under
the Interpretation of the department
it cannot now count against railroad
transportation certain overhead
charges, such as terminal expenses,
and air deliveries are impossible.
Difficulties are summed up, how
ever, in this paragraph relating to
the Lawson contract:
TT being apparent that the con-
tractor would be unable to inaugurate
the service, and obvious that. the
service could not be continued after
June 80, 1921, the department. upon
nulled the contract
Senator Harris said he would seek
congressional action specifically au-
thorizing the Observation-Disclosures
airDlane mail