Evening star., 1928-01-29
BY WILLIAM HARD.

% he coUntrynlen of Lindbergh Arr
way behind the Germans anC
the French in the development
oi airplane communication Serv-
ices in Latin America. That !:
ono Of the points OF view from which
the United States Government a
Washington is obliged 10 take a viviC
interest in the discussions now goins
forward at Havana regarding a pan
American commercial aviation treaty.
preSi6en: Coolidge has put forward
aviation. along with motor car transport
as constituting the greatest contribution
. taat The United States can make to
PAN -AmeTlcaniSm in the Western Hem
iSDhere Nevertheless the information II
the possession OF our Government shows
that the United States, far from having
any leadership II this matter in Latin
America. Is tagging haltingly and humil.
ia.ing i'll the dust of the activity ano
the enterprise that the Europeans have
shown in II.
The one air service reaching any
Latin American city that is operated
BY 4 genuinely United States company
IS the one that makes the tiny trivial
hop from Key West. Fla, to Havana
Cuba This is owned by the Pan-Ameri-
can AirwayS. Inc. Of New York City.
HT0Ot Held CONCLUSIVE.
United States nationality is sometimes
attributed also TO the West Indian Aerial
Express This organization operates
highly needed air service from san
Juan. in Porto Rico. to Santo Domingo.
iE the Dominican Republic. and thence
u Port al Prince. in Haiti. Inquiry
shows. however. that the ownership OF
t.lis organization is only just about one
quarter III the hands of United States
citizens The remainder Of its capital Is
Porto Rican. Dominican. Spanish and
British.
The contrast exhibited when one
f.!lls 10 the rest OF Latin America and
looks al the lab0rs Of the Germans and
ot the French is crushing in its proof
al hackwsrcnesS or lethargy in this
:eld BY the United States.
Reports 10 our Government from its
agents have from time 10 time dis
played the following air developments
on the South American continent:
In Colombia. at the northwestern
corner OF South America, the German
company called the Sociedad Colombo
Alemana de Transportes Aereos-com-
monty shortened into being called the
"Sca6ta"-is giving two services. each
% which is made hundreds OF miles
long. One OF them goes from Barran-
cuilla. on the northern Caribbean coast
of Colombia. directly southwark 10 the
remote and secluded interior capital OF
Colombia. Bogota. The other goes from
Bsrrancuilla in a southweSterly direc-
ton and in the END arrives at the port
Of Buenaventura. on the Pacific Ocean
on Colombia's western shore.
Sell Unauthorized Photos.
Aviators Of the '-Scadta" organization
IN Colombia recently took unauthorized
sir-pictures OF the plant Of the Tropical
Oh Co. a United States concern, in
the neiehborhood OF Barranca Bermeja,
and SOLD them for trade information TO
the Darcy OIL Co. subsidiary of the
Anglo-Persian on Co. in which the
British government is financially
interested
Such events are among the reasons
why the United States Government
looks with some caution at the efforts
now being made by Dr.. P. P. Bauer OF
'he "Scaota" organization 10 get from
Panama a concession which would
enable him 10 operate his airpianes in
the neignborhood Of the Panama Canal
Zone loTtihcations.
Proceeding southwark along the
Pacific Coast from Colombia. and COM
11g 10 Peru. one finds the only impor-
tsnt trace Of United States air service
management that exists in all South
America
In Peru there happens TO be a United
States naval mission. Comdr Grow Of
that mission mas organized on behalf of
TIE Peruvian government an air service