Evening star., 1928-05-13
CONTINUED from First Page)

where an easy connection can be made
with BuenoS Aires From Buenos Aires,
as every one knows. French air SER
vice already is operating northward
and eastward toward Europe,
About to be linked with tne countries
10 the south, we are Just now alsosbind-
ing ourselves by air closer to Canada
by the route Just opened between Mon
treal and Albany, And, on the purely
domestic side. 1t is safe to say that
the American air mail service is sur
passed by that of no other country.
Hanging in the office of the Second
Assistant Postmaster General. Irving
Glover. is great map at which can
never glance without feeling OF salts
faction at the status achieved In this
brief time by the American air mail
service.
What Map Reveals,
Pinned on that map OF the United
States are lines of red ribbons, blue
ribbons. yellow ribbons and brown rib
bons. The red ribbons indicate lines
now actually under operation The
blue ribbons indicate routes awarded
but not yet operating. The yellow rib
bons indicate routes proposed the
brown ribbons indicate hook-ups 10
foreign mail routes. The blue riooons
are constantly giving way to red ones;
the yellow ones to blue. one glance AZ
that map gives us history and gives
us prophecy.
There. in the red lines with the regu-
lar daily air mail service they indicate
one observes Boston and New York
linked to Cleveland, to Buffalo, TO CHI
caeo and Detroit; to Pittsburgh, Gin
cinnati and ST. Paul; to Omaha and
Colorado Springs and Salt Lake CITY;
to Boise in Idaho. and tied to the Pa
cific Coast from Pasco, Washington. to
San Francisco and Los Angeles:
There one sees air routes following
the great natural divisions of our coun-
try. A great transcontinentai line,
from which branch from north to south
the three great divisions of the East,
the Middle West and the West.
In the East, Boston and New York
tie on southwark TO Atlanta. there
throwing out two branches westward
and eastward-one TO Birmingham.
Mobile and New Orleans and thence
to the Mexican hook-up of which
have already spoken; the other to
Jacksonville and Miami to pick up the
Pan-American line.
One sees Chicago. in the Middle
West, tied not only TO the East, the
North and the West. but TO the South
by Kansas City Wichita in Kansas,
through Oklahoma to the Texas cities
Dallas and Fort Worth and Waco,
Austin and San Antonio, Houston and
Galveston. And one sees the West
Coast from Pasco, through Seattle to
Portland. San Francisco and Los An
geles In the far-f1ung line going back
10 New York.
Skepticism 10 Years Ago
At this mint ve may observe certain
significant features OF that first fight
10 years ago. At that time there all
ready had been certain spaSmodic
flights with mail But the proposition
of regular schedule. operating in all
kinds Of weather, presented new oli-
ficuitieS A great divergence OF opn-
ion existed among aeronautical experts
at the time as to the possibility OF the
Post Once Departments keeping up
ANYTHING approaching a daily service.
It was commonly said that the service
would have to be abandoned during
the Winter months.
But there were some OF US who were
more optimistic. When / myself was
q member of the subcommittee Of the
Senate on aeronautics became pro-
foundly interested in everything con-
corning aviation: ] became believer
in its future. 1t is faith / have never
had to abandon.
Beginning with Army planes and fiy-
ers loaned for the purpose, In some
three months the Post Once took over
its own pilots.
At the end Of the first year, with
old-type planes and with all the difii-
cuIties of the new and experimental,
we were able 70 report that Of pos
sible 1888 trips only SIS were not under
taken or failed TO the extent OF requir-
ing the mail TO be shipped by train
Vast Total Carried.
When on June 80 of last year We
turned the service over to private opera
ton we could report a total of nearly
carving well on toward 100000. 600
pieces of mail, with percentage OF
less remarkably small The record also
shows that while there were over 1000
forced landings on account OF weather
and something over 1000 due 10 me-
chauicai causes. only 80 crashes re-
suited IN fatalities. causing the deaths
Of 81 pilots and Of other en-
p,oyes who accompanied them, nearly
all Of them during the first few expert
mental years of the service.
Prom July. 1925. TO July, 1927, over
$500 900 miles were flown and there
we're only two fatalities. What railroad
or steamship company can point 70
similar record?
THAT first fight between New York
and Washington marked in more than
one way the beginning Of great ma
,icnal experiment It marked the be-
ginning Of an American policy n re-
gard 10 mail aviation entirely different
from the European.
Whereas among European countries
II "a commonly the case 70 provide sub
'yentions or government subsidies, the
United States Post once Department
and / never. from the beginning, had
any such purpose IN mind.
THE Department believed and be-
fisved as much in the future OF COM
ynercial aviation as We did and 90 IN
the national value Of private individual
business energy.
Policy Now in Effect.
We began the operation Of that first
alr mail route With the distinct purpose
in mind OF making 1t great national
demonstration in the feasibility Of COM
FseEcial air transportation for mail
Once that had been demonstrated, we
we're willing 70 turn over the air mail
20 the operation Of the same economic
principles that are concerned In the
transportation Of mail by ships on sea
or by train on Ian0.
While European governments suDsi~
Gize seats, mali and express. we deal
With the commercial air mail companies
IN the matter Of carrying mail as We
Cezi with other transportation COM
DaTies--gith this difference, that the
law requires ali railroad companies en-
gagged In interstate commerce 70 carry
mali On request. That provision Of the
law does not spply 70 air mail com
panieg,
We advertise for bios on which We
Jet the contracts for carrying air mail
" be paid for IN accordance With sefy'
ices rendered the Government. T11ese
BIDS vary from the lowest rate of 81
eeIgt8 pound " the highest rate Of 81