Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-23
IN D. c.
TO HELP AVIATION
Places Self at Disposal of
Federal Government to
Aid Development.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE,

Col. Lindbergh has put himself at
the disposal of the Federal Govern
ment for such conference and plan
ming as may be desired before he en-.
ters into business himself.
The plan to bring him here for con.
sultation with all the officials who are
in charge of aviation activities and
to have him confer with the heads of
the airplane industry and all others
interested III aviation, was made some
time ago in the belief that the trans
atlantic aviator could do more than
any single man to encourage aviation
at this time.
For the last few years as private
capital has been again and again on
the verge of interesting itself in large
measure in aviation, serious accidents
have come along to dampen enthusi-
asm The fatal accident to the
Shenandoah, together with the series
of tragedies constantly reported in the
press, have made those interested in
aviation feel that something sensa-
tional would have to be done to prove
the dependabi of both dirigibles
and airplanes.
Industry Taking Inventory.
Col. Lindbergh's success was to
ONE extent SO sudden and so produc-
tive of enthusiasm that the airplane
industry is taking inventory of what
can be done now to make the public
see the opportunities in aviation.
From a national defense standpoint,
Of course, the Government is alive to
the necessity of encouraging aviation
but commercial aviation is something
else only an indirect influence. Sum-
moning Col. Lindbergh here simply
means that his influence will be used
in arousing the business men of the
country to the Importance of air trans
portation. Already the Post Office
Department reports that the simple
advertisement asking the public to
send letters by air mail in connection
with the Lindbergh celebration brought
in immense returns.
Want Air Mail Expanded.
Also on the first of next month the
air mail service goes into private
hands, The Government is not in the
habit of advertising to get business
as 1t does not have the profit.making
incentive. The airplane companies
which want to develop air mail will
not hesitate TO do everything that
private business ordinarily does to
sales.
Thus. for example, one city which
has university is asking for an air.
port and air mail service and one of
the arguments made Is that hundreds
of thousands of letters written by
boys and girls to each other in the
scholastic age would come by air
mail just as tons of it annually now
goes by special delivery.
The Government is so anxious to
see the air mail service developed that
1t will not regard it as in any sense
a competitor of the mail service,
though it is realized some of the
revenue coming in now might be
diverted. The expectation here is that
Col. Lindbergh will accept the posi-
ton rendered him in st. Louis, where
a big airplane manufacturing business
is planned. but that he will at the
same time hold himself free to CO.
operate with the aviation units here
so as to be available for speaking and
FOR consultation with congressional
in the hope of forwarding
the general cause of aviation.
tCopvright 1927