Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1921-06-07
COMMERCIAL LINE
may BUY ENTIRE
AERIAL mail
Well Grounded Report Says
East Transportation Firm
Bidding for the Cross
Country Route

According to those In close touch
with aerial mail affairs III this city
there is a well grounded report now
going the rounds OF air mail men to
the effect that a large and heavily H.
nanced eastern firm Is dickering with
Uncle Sam for the purchase of his
entire cross-country air mail line. This
company Is composed of men who are
identified generally with railroad and
transportation problems in the nation
sentatives OF the late e. H. Hartman
foTmer president of the Southern Pa
cific Railway lines. The deal involV-
es the purchase OF all planes, hang
ars and other equipment, together
with the rights of the government TO
landing field facilities. A majority Of
employees also, connected with the
present service, who elect to do SO,
will doubtless be retained in case the
commercial line takes over the fran
chise. .
AS corroboration of this report
among air mail men, 1t is pointed out
that organizers responsible for the
establishment of the mail service
over the country have recently left
the service Of the United States and
taken positions with private corpora
quisition of the air mail. Chief
among these is Colonel Jordan, form
er superintendent of the western d.
vision of the aerial mail service, who
has resigned and entered the employ
of the people alleged to be behind the
present movement to supplant the
government in aerial mail direction.
1t has long been the belief OF those
observers Of railroad transportation
I problems, both sympathlzers with
company and public alike, that the
railroads would soon find themselves
facing the problem of aerial transpor.
tation by private concerns. With
freight rates on the Increase and
western localities steadily becoming
more and more dissatisfied with the
transportation conditions, the ques-
tion Of limited freight transportation
together with passenger carrying by
airplane became a question of the
hour. Indeed, a local company, local
so far as the state is concerned, was
organized sometime ago for the pur-
pose OF operating an aerial transpor-
tation line across the mountain diyi.
sion but in naturalization did not oc-
cur, for what reason was never made
known. The present movement, how
| ever, seems well defined and even in
air mail service circles where infor.
nation is usually withheld until there
is no doubt whatever OF ita authenti-
city, the weight to be attached to the
rumor Is not Gainsaid. IS $50
To the bystauder 1t appears as tho
the transportation kings OF the coun.
try are preparing to forestall the
probability OF aerial competition for
steam line carriers by annexing all
available landing fields and aerial
equipment, together with the most
competent air pilots and field me.
chanics now known to the present de.
velopment OF the system. with this
done It will become an easy matter to
control aerial competition to an ex.
tent that will minimize the likelihood
OF rapid throttling of railway invest.
ments. This method is admittedly the
only one by which vast investments
in railway bonds and stocks could nj.
timately be saved, since the airplane
has come to stay as a transportation
facility.