Evening star., 1926-11-07
LAME DUCKS AND EAGLES

have of their own is as uncertain as
their supply OF soap or Ford tractors.
1t is only a guess as to the number
of German piloNs who have taken up
both abode end wives in the land of
the Russians but II Is known that of
Is large flying machines exported
from the Netherlands in the early part
of 1922. 10 went to Russia and to
Germany.
From various sources I learned that
the Soviet air force is being modern
ICED. have nevex felt any serious
fear of Russia as war power. l do
not believe that in physical equipment
or mental makeup they are capable
alone of being great military menace
to Europe. but that they could fight
when driven by the capable Duke
Nicholas was proven during the early
part of the Great War, and under
German leadership and control Russia
again might become menace to the
world.
However, while the United States
lags behind in the development. Of
commercial aviation, recent issues OF
the Russian Review record that:
"A report made on November l on
the activities Of the 'Deruluft' Ger
man Russian aviation company for
the fiscal year 1s24-1925 showed that
the orga nization's airplanes covered
470.s86 kilometers over the Moscow
koenigsberg and koenigsberg- Berlin
lines and carried 1,741 passengers dur
ing the period The total cargo car
ried by the planes amounted to 170.-
944 Kilograms. the planes being loaded
to 81 per cent of full capacity on the
average
Altogether, since beginning opera,
tions on April !, 1922, the 'Deruluft'
planes have flown a distance of 1,243,-
900 kilometers and carried 3,616 pas
sengers, 10,546 Kilograms of mail and
1889 Kilograms of freight"
Another report on Russian aviation
In the Russian Review says:
During the first eight months OF
1925 the airplanes Of the Volunteer
Air Fleet covered a total distance OF
450, 900 kilonleters.
There has been an enormous in
crease in the public demand for aerial
transportation. In Central Asia, for
example. in such principal points as
khiva, Bokhara, and Dushembe. there
is always a large waiting list of per
sons desiring to engage pa~sage on
the airplanes of the volunteer air
feet
The general economic progress of
the Central Asiatic Soviet Republics,
the expansion of trade with Afghanls-
tan and China, and other factors of
similar nature undoubtedly open up
a good prospect for the further de.
velopment of the air lines already ex-
listing in this territory.
The past year witnessed consider
able progress in the reduction of
operating costs. Thus, whereas the
actual cost of flying one kilometer
averaged 2.33 gold rubles in 1924. 1t
decreased to 125 gold rubles per kilo-
meter in 1928.
The volunteer air fleet is now eff
fecting a general rate reduction and
special low rates are being introduced
for certain classes of passengers, such
as students and Red army soldiers.
In a bulletin of the Russian Review
issued early in the Summer Of 1926
A further report on the progress of
aviation in Russia reads In part:
Air transport has been extended
rapidly between strategic commercial
points in the Soviet Union. In Aug
ust, 1925. the total airplane lines in
regular operation totaled 1857 miles.
One airplane line operates between
Moscow, Nizhni Novgorod and kazan
$40 miles, another between Moscow
and Leningrad, $40 miles, another be
tween kharakov and Odessa. 800
miles another between towns in the
Crimea. Three lines that now main
tain regular Communication between
points on the Ilans-siberian Railway
and remote republics in Central Asia
carried 558 passengers and had a
total air mileage of S4 6S4 during the
first FIVE months of 1925.
operations are being made for
the opening of a new Yakutsk lrkutsk
air line in Siberia, 1,770 miles, which
will connect the Lena and Aldan gold
fields with the Siberian Railway at
Irkutsk A line is also planned to
run from the Siberian Railway, near
Lake Baikal, to Peking.
During the fiscal year 1924-25 the
airplane line of 'Deruluft' (RuSso-Ger'
man aviation company carried 1,741
passengers between Moscow and Ber-
lin, and transported 395,900 pounds
planes cove<ed 282, 500 miles in this
service
Reverting to Germany. one finds
today that she is the eagle rather
than the ducklet of the air. She
reached that estate by overcoming
restrictions imposed by the peace
treaty Of Versailles. Great Britain.
mistress of the seas for ages, was so
afraid Of competition on the seas that
she went above the surface of the
ocean. and insisted that even in the
air Germany should not build an air
plane Of more than so horsepower.
But even within that limitation Ger
man engineers and inventors, con-
centrating all their energies upon
small motored planes, rapidly out
stripped the higher powered planes of
other countries. and today Germany
controls the air lines of Europe.
* X
Instead of lettering the develop
ment of German aviation, the restric-
tions imposed by the allies have
caused the German people to go ahead
and do everything within their power.
and within the restrictions. to demon
strate that Germany in the air in
tends to have it's place at all times.
The Germans today lead In air
service. The casualties last year were
only 3 among the 100000 pas
sengers carried. This Is practically
record of 100 per cent efficiency and
safety and demonstrates that travel
by airplane is safer than transportd-
tion on land or sea.
The Versailles treaty, in addition to
placing restrictions upon German ma
chimes. permitted allied machines to
fy over Germany for A certain period,
after which it was stipulated that def
mite agreement would be reached
between the allied countries and Ger
many This period. however, expired
without any agreement being reached,
and Germany's first step in retalia-
ton for the restrictions imposed was
to forbid her airways to all allied
machines. which differed from the
type imposed upon Germany by the
Versailles treaty.