Evening star., 1925-09-23

~
with a percentage of 90. That is to
say, we flew that many miles with
mail. Including mail. ferry and test
we few 2.5O1 .555 miles.
New Rates Adopted.
up to the establishment Of the
night flight planes had been loaded to
their capacity with mail carrying or
dinary postage. At this time, how
ever, new express rates were adopted.
At these rates we carried during the
fiscal year 1925 9,300,520 f1rst-class let
ters, or 232.513 pounds, the total ex-
cess revenue received for these being
1902 ,627.54. The excess postage for
the month of July of this year was
6O.43365
Il was a member Of the Senate COM
mittee on military affairs during the
war and a member Of its subcommit-
tee on aviation. and l know something
encountered in providing the air equip
ment necessary to the successful prose
cution Of the war and the tremendous
waste at which 1.-The effort to do this
was carried forward. 1t is generally
known that the Government spent
nearly a billion dollars on planes dur
ing the war. largely because no one
! in this country knew anything about
! their manufacture and there were no
facilities for It.
$10.00O.000 Spent on Mails.
up to this time the Post Office De-
partment on all its air mail operations
has spent about $10,0e0,00O. For the
| sum spent we have carried on the
| service to date and are now taking in
! about $4,000 month on the trans
continental line alone. We have built
| about 1900 miles of lighted airway,
built our shops at haywood, our
hangers at all division points, paid
hand assets valued at 1855 900 as Of
September Is. 1925.
THE service has attracted atten-
ton and that it justifies itself by re-
| suits will. think, be conceded The
| degree of success Of the effort to at
tract capital to new Industry and
stimulate interest in aeronautics' Is
best set forth by the result of the de-
partment's recent bids for private
| conduct OF eight new air mail routes
| We received 10 bids, coming from
IL different companies and individu-
ais. Some Of them were perhaps In
formal. Some Of them may. and prob
ably will, be rejected for obviously
good reasons. but they have been
made in good faith and represent a
real purpose on the part of the bidder
to undertake the service.
New Routes Planned.
"On September 21 we advertised for
| four new routes, bids for which will
be opened November 81. 1925. All of
| these routes tie up with the trans
continental route.
Mention Of the New York Chicago
night route should not be omitted. A
special night service is now being Civ
| en- between these two cities. West
bound, the ships leave Hadley Field
at $50 pm, arriving at haywood
Field, Chicago, at 5:45 am. They leave
| Chicago at 1880 pm. and arrive at
| Hadley Field at am
BY means Of this service, a letter
mailed at the close Of the business
| day in either New York or Chicago
| will be delivered at the other end Of
the route on the first regular city
| carrier delivery of the following morn.
! ing.
THE opportunity for savings to
banks and business firms afforded by
! this service Is very great. 1t was
established with the 1st of last July,
, and is now carrying an average of
over 200 pounds day in each direc.
| ton. At the rate of our receipts for
| the last week, it is fair to estimate
that the total receipts on these two
services for the year will be about
| one million dollars.
Disadvantages Overcome.
The department has done this at
obvious disadvantage. 1t has been
| compelled to rely for the most part
| upon planes originally received from
the Army surplus, since which time
we have either built anew or remod-
| eled our own planes at the haywood
! shops.
II do not hesitate to say that we
have never yet had a plane that is
| really suited for our purposes. To
carry mail to good advantage a plane
J must be specially designed for the
| amount and distribution Of weight to
| be carried, the distance at which it
can take of, the rate of speed at
which 1t can be landed, and various
other considerations of Importance,
1--WE have recently invited pro.
posals for specially designed planes,
and If our hopes of success in that
! line are realized we can do even bet
ter than we have in the past.
1T Is true OF the Post Office De-
partment that IL we had more money
| We IAAuh "0 COuIO pIOuuCO DetI6r re-
suits. 1t is necessary to try new de-
vices II there Is to be any progress.
we do not want the Government to
| have to do all this. Private industry,
once thoroughly engaged, will do it
| for itself Just rs it has in every other
line.
| II am leaving the committee a com.
plete statement Of every fact relating
| to the departments service. II there
is anything that the committee de-
sires to know and which is not ex-
| plicit. we will be glad to furnish it
| upon request"
Praises Morale.
Carl F. Egge. superintendent of the
| air mail service, who followed Mr.
| Glover, declared morale among the
!. employees OF the service. is 100 per
cent perfect OF the Jas perEpns EN-.