Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-08-01
CITY VISIONED
AS AIR CENTER
Airport Manager Predicts
Brownsville Will Be
Aerial Artery

Brownsville the aerial center OF
all North and South America.
That is the picture painted We'd
nesday noon by r. r. Gilmore. man
ager Of the municipal airport for
Pan-American in an address before
the Rotary Club. The Importance
Of aviation TO commerce and the
important position Of Brownsville
In the development OF this new
transportation method. was n
theme Of his talk.
Draw a line from Los Angeles to
Brownsville and from washington
10 Brownsville on the map" Gil
mere told his hearers. within that
great fan all aerial travel to central
and South America will be through
Brownsville. and this includes all
the traffic from Canada.
brownsville. in my opinion. will
be a much greater aerial gateway
than Miami. as the Florida port will
serve a comparatively small terri
tory.
Visions Air Highway
In visioning the future Of avi-
alton. Gilmore pictured an aerial
highway girdling the earth and con-
Meeting all Of the important centers
Of civilization with expires air liners
travelling constantly in opposite
directions around the world. He
estimated that each plane would
fly an average distance Of 400 miles
but that another would be waiting
at each stop ready to 90 on immedi-
ately. Either hugs airplsnes or
dirigibles will carry passengers across
the Atlantic and Pacific ocean over
the world circling route, Gilmore be-
lieves.
From this main artery there Will
be numerous feeder lines bringing
passengers and mail To 1t and taking
them to other parts Of the world he
believes.
The route through Brownsville
will be one of the greatest OF these
feeder lines. Gilmore said. He VS.
toned the European business man
with affairs needing his attention In
South or Central America. He
boards a transatlantic airship on
the world -circling route. leaves 1t at
New York flies to Mexico City IN
so hours. ~transacts his business, Tiles
back over the same route and Is at
home before his friends have missed
him. Or at most. they viii imagine
he has been away over the week
end.
American business men are not
crashing the. opportunities 10 speed
ing business opportunities offered by
aviation as they should" Gilmore
declared. but they will. The Euro
pean business man will drive him 70
it II he does not awaken to the
| chance he Is missing before the
European has an opportunity.
Brownsville Is Gateway
The speaker told OF the great OPP
ncrtunity offered Brownsville to at
tract leading business men OF the
/ world by reason of being the aerial
gateway to Central and South
America and urged that some move
be made to capitalize this oppor-
tunity.
Identification OF resacas provid-
ing a tourist club. building a public
golf course. showing interest In the
visitors and trying to make them
feel at home. these were some OF
the things he suggested.
Gilmore started his talk with a
discussion of the value Of aviation
and some Of the things 1t was doing
to lessen the labors OF mankind and
to save time and property. He spoke
Of the steps taken by Brownsville
to provide an airport and compared
these activities with those Of other
live wire activities. drawing the con-
clusion that the investment had
been a wise one.
VIM. S. west. president. presided
over the luncheon. E. z. Mockbee
spoke briefly of the Boy Scout fund
drive now being STAGED in Browns
vile and w. o. Washington told OF
a campaign launched by the Amer
lean Legion post here TO select
Brownsville's most distinguished
citizen.
President West announced direc-
tors of the club would meet next
Tuesday night and at that time
would discuss the method By which
the Rotary candidate for the Legion
honor would be nominated. He asked
members Of the club to make sug-
gestions for the best method of
making the selection.