Evening star., 1928-11-23

/
and prosperity. Where we do not find
modern methods of transportation and
communication we find poverty and
| misery"
He pointed out that failure of city
| governments to foresee the growth of
automobile traff1c is exacting costly
penalties in every city of the country
today, and predicted that similar fail
ure to foresee and provide for the
growth of aviation, which already is
well under way. will exact even more
severe penalties in the future.
No More Railroads.
Although only As per cent of the
United States is contacted by rapid
means of transportation today" Capt.
Rickenbacker said, I'VE will see no more
| costly railroad rights of way laid into
new country. The motor car and truck
and the airplane will serve the future
needs Of this country.
We are on the threshold of a. new
era. There has come into our lives a
science that is going to be a blessing to
every human being-the science of
aviation. 1t is for you to recognize its
existence today. Already it has come
| and is. going beyond you There are
$4,000 miles being flown every day in
this country by air mail, passenger and
transport planes-a greater mileage
the world combined. See it, recognize
it, and grasp the opportunity it offers"
Air transportation now is reducing
the United States to the size of Texas
in the point of time required in travel
as compared with the pre-aviation Pc
riod, he said Within the next three
or four years, he predicted, there will
be airplaneS capable of flying 400 or
$50 miles per hour, and the 100-mile-
per-hour transport plane of today will
be as obsolete as a 5-year-old motor
car is today.
THE world is going forward so rap
idly that to use the words of a friend,
You've got to run like the devil to
keep from standing still,'" Ricken-
hacker said.
Worlds Largest Industry.
This new science will some day be
the biggest industry in the world" he
continued. THE biggest thing we know
is the ocean of air in which we float.
Every hamlet and village is port on
that ocean. It is your duty and obliga-
ton to prepare for what is coming;
what, in fact, already has come Pas
s2nger mail, parcels post, express and
light freight are going from the steam
chips and the railroads into the air.
1.-The airplanes of today are mere
kites in comparison with the airplanes
Of tomorrow. Germany is building
planes with IL motors of 500 horse
power each, which are capable of flying
On any seven of those motors. These
planes will cross the oceans with
safety; there is no doubt about that.
There is no limit we can see. today to
the size of the dirigibles and airplanes
that will go into the air tomorrow.
THE fact that we have not an air.
pert in the National Capital to welcome
this air-borne commerce is not compli-
mentary to you, to the District of Co
lumbia, to Congress or to the Nation.
The capitals of Europe have the finest
airports in their respective nations. In
the District Of Columbia what have you?
The finest airport in this country today
is in the little municipality of Oakland,
Calf. suburb of San Francisco.
Cleveland, with a 1.100-acre airport,
today has so much aerial traffic that it
is looking for two more airports of the
same size to care for the air traffic
it expects within the next 10 years, and
today the District of Columbia is just
looking around for an airport.
1OtaIly UuRTepaTcu.
"The District of Columbia today is
on an aerial highway over which planes
are about to operate from New York to
Buenos Aires, and is totally unprepared
for that place. The cost of an airport
should have is nothing compared with
the cost of the penalty that you will
ray for failure to provide it,"
In opening the airport discussion,
Lawrence E. Williams, chairman of the
airport committee of the Board of
Trade, declared that a District airport
must fulfill three conditions-flrSt, it
must be close to the center of the busi-
ness section second, it must be within
the jurisdiction of the District of Co
lumbia, and, third, 1t must be capable
of unlimited expansion. The only site
that will meet these requirements, he
said, is Gravelly Point.
A bill providing for establishment of
an airport at Gravelly Point, he said,
has been given the unanimous indorse-
ment of the House District committee,
and is on the House calendar for action
next month. Senator Arthur Capper
Of Kansas, chairman of the Senate Dis
trict committee, has agreed TO work
| for its passage in the Senate, he SAID.
Warren Irving Glover, Second As
| sistant Postmaster General, in charge OF
air mail, said that the District will lose
| its place on the air mail lines II 1t does
net soon provide a municipal airport.
| He explained that the mail lines are
now using Boiling Field under tenn
porary agreement with the War Depart
ment, and that when the War Depart
ment gives the word the mail stop will
| be moved from this city to Baltimore.
May Remove ID. c. Stop.
"The New York-Atlanta air mail line,
passing through this city, soon will be
| linked with line to Mexico, Panama
and into South America" Mr.. Glover
said. I'VE have future plans which will
amaze the world. I want the District
| to share in these future glorieS, but II
the War Department says we must
leave Boiling Field will recommend
regretfully to the Post Office Depart
ment that we remove the stop to Baltis
more. Baltimore is knocking at our
door and is offering more inducement
| to stop there than is Washington. 1t
would be a disgrace to the District and
| to the Nation to have the air mail pass
over the National Capital and to have
our mail stamped here and sent to
| Baltimore to be placed on the. planes.
! urgently plead for an airport for the
District"
F.. Trubee Dawson, Assistant Secre-
tary of War for AeronauticS, declared
that the War Department in granting
the use of Boiling Field as an air mail
stop had to be satisfied that the Dis
trict would provide a permanent air.
port at the earliest possible moment.
I'VE have made definite departure
from War Department policy In grant
ing the use of Boiling Field at all" he
4 ckr n 10 6rif1