Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-12
END OF THE AIR MAIL?

MUCH of the old prejudice against avia =
lVl ton persists in Congress, while all
authoritative opinion in the rest of the
world sustains the belief that the greatest
triumphs of the civilization OF the future
must >c sought and achieved In the air.
The Postal Appropriations Bill presented IN
the House yesterday is notable for the omis-
sion Of the usual items intended for the
support and development Of the air-mail
service.
Presumably that service is to be aban-
donrd altogether. 1t has not been profit
able It has been carried on with difficulty
In some areas because Of insufficient equip
mcnt and the natural deficiencies Of aviation
motors. Gradually for almost year the
scope of the service has been narrowed.
Yet the r-mail system, instituted frankly
with view to the better development of
air machines and the training of efficient
ficrs. was the only means we had to insure
something like an approximation in this
country Of the progress which aviation
science is making elsewhere under Govern
mcnt supervision and with Government sub
sidics Of one sort or another.
If the ar-mail service is to be disCon
tinucd we shall find ourselves very close to
Germany in the wake of the nations that
arC dCvoting endless time. energy and money
to create small armies of efficient flying men.
large reserves of airplancs and ClaboratCly
endowed technical organizations for thc
further perfection of motors and general
designs. And Germany is at the end of
the procession only because the Allies will
not permit her to build motored aircraft.
An organization like that which was crc-
atcd by the postoticc Department for the
transport of aerial mail could not be Cx-
pcCtcd to make money or even to pay its
own expenses. 1t did something better. 1t
kept intact large corps of aviators and it
led to tho scientific study of methods by
which. before long. aerial navigation will
be made safe through increasing knowledge
of wind currents and other factors with
which airmen have to deal in sustained
flight The technical work carried on by
and in the interest Of the air mail service
added largely TO the fund of information now
available to American fiicrs.
Thus 1t was possible for aviators in the
service TO fly safely at night over long dis
tanCcS. TO cross tho Rockies safely in their
daily schedules and 10 make that dangerous
passage in the teeth of tremendous winds
and in black darkness with the aid of special
wind charts and specially devised com
passes. Accidents and crashes" with
the resultant destruction of mail, ran up
the cost of air mail. and this rising cost
seeming determination of the postal COM
mittCe TO eliminate the flying branch of
the service.
But competent ficrs insist that an aviator
who obCycd the rules would never have an
accident. The frequent "Crashes'' of mail
planes were due. according to the best
available information. TO hiCrs who took
long chances and disrcgardcd the prccau-
tionary rules which they we're supposed to
observe under all conditions.
Thus it is apparent that the shortcom-
ings of the aerial mail service were due to
administrative flaws rather than to tie
inadequaCy of planes of the current types.
Naval experts have just been telling Con-
gress that aviation and aviutorS will win
the next war. In every European country
the development of motors and flying ma
chimes is being stimulated by the demands
Of well organized air transport systems
Lines of air traffic run now between Paris
and London and all important Continental
cities.
Private enterprise in the United States
will now have to be depended on to continue
the scientific development of aviation. Con-
grcss appears TO be in a mood to wash its
hands of that all ll-important work