Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1927-01-01
WESTERN AIR EXPRESS
PRESIDENT OUTLINES
PLANS OF COMPANY
Harris M. Hanshue Dis-
cusses Expansion Program
Contingent on Awarding
of San Francisco-Chicago
Air Mail Contract.

Industrial and financial lead
ers representative of all sections
of the west have pledged their
active support to he Western Air
Express, Inc, expansion program
which eontemplates extending
our present success on the Los
Angeles to Salt Lake City airway
to the trunk line from Chicago
to San Francisco if our bid on the
air mail contract for this route
is accepted by the postmaster
general" said Harris M. Hanshue,
president and general manager of
the Western Air Express, Inc,
while in Ogden, Utah Tuesday
on his way east to submit his
company's bid on the transconti-
mental air mail contract from
Chicago to San Francisco.
Mr.. Hanshue who is accom-
panied on his tour by j. G. Wooll-
ey, former Salt Lake newspaper
man and now associated with
the air express company was
met at the Union depot tonight
by w. Rice Kimball, chairman
of the aviation committee OF the
Ogden chamber of commerce. The
support of the local interests was
pledged to Mr.. Hanshue by Mr..
Kimball and the air express head
outlined methods by which Utah
agencis can aid in the acquisi-
tion of the contract.
VNc
Immediately upon award OF this
contract, January Is, if we are
the successful bidders, we will
begin installation of aerial trans
portation facilities between San
Francisco and Chicago equal in
every way to those which have
made our present operation the
outstanding success in CONNER
cial aviation. This is assurance
that under Western Air Express,
Inc, management the efficiency
of the western two-thirds of the
transcontinental line upon which
the value of air transport to the
west depends, will not suffer.
"The plan to make Western Air
Express, Inc, actually an all
western undertaking for service
of the entire west and to give
western United States world
leadership in commerce contem-
plates that the system will be
owned and controlled by the COM
munities served. Adequate fina-
noes for the entire proect al
ready have been assuerd by influ-
entail groups in Los Angeles, San
Francisco and Salt Lake City, but
all other western centers of popu-
lation will be invited to partlcl-
patate in the enterprise.
"This plan affords an excellent
opportunity for bringing the en-
tire west together in joint un-
deraking that will further the
growth and prosperity of every
section of the west. The oppor-
tunity will be lost if Western
Air Express. Inc, does not secure
the Chicago-San Francisco air
mail contract.
western Air Express, Inc, fly
ing the Los Angeles to Salt Lake
City airway, is generally conced-
ed to be the worlds first financl-
ally successful venture in com
mercial aviation.
subsidized by their respective
"All Euroyean lines are heavily
governments and authorities both
in Europe and America assert
that they do not fill an economic
need productive of revenue suffi-
cient to meet the cost of opera
tion. No other American air line
has yet reached a profitable basis
and no line, whether here or in
Europe, has a record for either
performance or production to
equal that made by Western Air
Express, Inc, Since inception of
its operation between Los Angeles
and Salt Lake Ciyt last April IT.
"Its fleet of mail-passenger
planes has flown an aggregate
Of more than 100000 miles with
out mishap, other than of minor
nature, and with only twice hav-
of air mail. Approximately two
ing occasioned delay in transit
and one-half million pieces Of air
mail weighting an aggregatae of
nearly. thirty-five tons and more
than 800 passengers have been
flown over the 600-mile course. :"
A tlesman was excused from
jury duty in San Antonio when
he said he was bootlegger