Evening star., 1928-12-12
HISTORY OF HUMAN FLIGHT
IS DESCRIBED BY PRESIDENT
Coolidge Opens international Civil Aero
nautics Conference Here
Today.

miles at the rate of 38 miles an hour
Three years later one was bought by the
War Department, our Government be-
ing the first to utilize this new device.
"Other countries took up the idea
and for period rather outstrirped us
in flying. The crossing of the English
Channel by the Frenchman. Bleriot
considered an astounding feat, was
made in 1909. Demands of the World
| in both the science and the practice
and In the production of equipment.
After the armistice one after the other
came the daring flights to annihilate
space and time, including the thrilling
and solitary journey from New York to
Paris by our own Lint tbergh in 1927.
| ut is to the development of aero
nautics as an aid to the peaceful pur-
suits of transportation, of commerce
and of trade that this conference is to
direct its attention. We are making a
reality of the wonderful vision of Ten
nyson, who in his 'Locksley Hall wrote
in 1912:
For I dipt into the future, far as hui
man eye could see,
Saw the vision of the world and all
the wonder that would be;
Saw the heavens fill with commerce,
argosies of magic sails,
Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping
down with costly bales
After the war European nations be-
| gan to develop aeronautics as part OF
| their transportation systems PaSsen-
ger lines with heavy government sub
sides were established between prihci-
pal cities. In America during the war
l mn NNi1nfc tnttr fn -
dredS of aeronautic engineers and de-
Signers were trained, nearly 1900
planes were manufactured by thousands
of artisans who became skilled in air.
craft production in many new factories
All OF this was an important foundation
for building up of civil aeronautics
Prior to this period our attention had
been directed to the use of the airplane
as a carrier of mail. From 1912 the
Post Office Department sought money
to establish air-mail lines, but not until
1918 was a special appropriation Sc
cured. In May of that year, between
Washington and New York. the first
regular route was established. This
service has been rapidly expanded, un-
til now we have more than 90 mail
routes, with daily mileage of nearly
| 81 900 miles. The air-mail poundage
for January, 1926, was $4,000 pounds
In October this year 467, ,422 pounds
were carried, as compared with 423,836
in the previous month. Reduction in
the postal rates last July doubled the
amount carried inside of 80 days.
I'm 1925 the Government officially
recognized the Importance of flying by
establishing the post of Assistant Secre-
tary for Aeronautics in each of the War
| the Navy and the Commerce Depart
ments. Since then we have made re-
markable progress Then the value OF
the aeronautic industry in the United
States was placed at less than $5000,-
600. Today it is said to be in excess OF
| $3.50, 100000 In 1925 the production o1
aircraft was valued at about $13 900, 900;
| for 1923 the estimate is more than $780,
100000. For the air activities of the
Department of Commerce we spent ir
| 1927 more than $500, 900, this year more
than three and half million, and the
estimate for 1929 is just under five anc
half million.
"Aeronautics have been rapidly ad-
vanced in other parts of the world as
we'll. Nearly half of the 10000 miles
of air routes regularly operated in the
world are in international air services
connecting important cities. Approx
mately 10,500 are in Latin America and
about 5000 in Australia Some have
been In operation for several years
! Among the new services opened in 1925
are the Peruvian navy line over tht
4 5000 miles between Lima and Iquitos
between Lima and Talara, and the Bar.
ranquilla- -Guayaquil, Nueve-Laredo, Da.
kari -Buenos Aires, and Montreal to New
| York lines. Additional routes are beins
planned between the United States ane
/ the West Indies South America anc
Mexico, and Australia and Canada. I'M
i portant routes being considered are be.
! tween the Netherlands and the Neither.
land East Indies and between Grea
Britain and Australia.
15,000,000 Miles Flown.
From incomplete reports it is indi
Gated that about 100000 miles were
flown on European air services alone Ii
1927 more than 100000 passengers car
ried and 100000 pounds of luggage
and goods and 100000 pounds of mail
An average of nearly $4,000 miles dali.
were flown. 1T is estimated that tl1esl
figures will be increased from 25 to 8;
per cent for 1929 Most of the Euro
pean lines have government subsidies
The efficient way in which they ART
operated has resulted in increasingl!
better financial reports.
Regular flying in the United States
beginning with a short mail line, ha!
| increased until this year there are ap-