Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-22
air transport industry in
this country begins to show
signs of settling down. The
n infant industry has henn

infant industry has beer
overfed. 1t has then gone to thu
other extreme and been underfed
1t has grown fat and then lean
1t has had collie, cramps anc
spells of yelling in the long hour.
of the night. Now it is begipine
to think about hardening its
muscles and looking for things tt
do and places to go.
Passenger rates on the coun-
try's air transport lines for time
were so high that few could afforc
to fly. Then the rates were cut
so low that the air lines could af-
ford to fly passengers no better
than a pauper can afford a steam
yacht.
During the past week, however
on the heels of an announcement
by Transcontinental Air Trans
port-Maddux Air Lines that fares
on their routeS would be raised to
z cents per mile, came an an
nouncement by F. C. Coburn
president of American Anyways
operating company for the wide
spread lines of the Aviation Cor
poration, that fares of that pow
erful system on July would be
adjusted to the same basis.
With two of the largest air pas
senger systems setting the fare
rate at 7 cents a mile, there seems
to be more prospect for sound de-
velopment than ever before, espe-
cially if the WatreS airmail law
works out as we'll as it's advocates
have hoped it will.
Passenger Business Grows.
Last January passenger fares
on the country'S air lines were re-
duced from a general level of 10
and IL cents per mile for the
larger companies to approximate
ly 512 cents per mile. The result
was an immediate increase in pas
Senger business in all parts of the
country, the increase running up
to 800 per cent on several lines. It
became necessary to turn paSSen-
gers away simply because there
were not enough planes to carry
them. Passengers were forced to
book their trips a week or 10 days
in advance to obtain accommoda-
tionS on the buster lines.
The increase of the fare rate
from 512 to Z cents per mile is not
the result of lack of patronage.
The lower rate was not sufficient
to cover the operating cost of the
big modern transport planes even
MI IE
The new 7-cent basis, Mr.. Co
burn believes, will permit the OPP
orators to come nearer breaking
even" The operators do not fear
any material falling off in the
number Of passengers carried be-
cause of the increase. On the
other hand, they believe it pos
Sible, with the better flying con-
ditions which hold good through
out the country in Summer, the
large amount of vacation travel
and the increased familiarity with
air travel brought about by what
is termed the low fare expert
ment," that the passenger bust
ness will continue to increase,
even during the period imme-
diately following the Inauguration
OF the increased rates.
Experience Bears Out Claim.
''This is borne out" Mr.. Coburn
said, by experience on two of our
lines. Colonial divisions New
York-BoSton route has been do
ing fine business on a fare of
812 cents per mile, and when
Embry- Riddle, operating between
Chicago, Indianapolis and Gin
cinnati, slightly increased it's
fares on May 10, the business
still continued its steady growth.
While the increase is not sub
Stantial to the individual traveller,
the amount in the aggregate will
be material as far as our income
from passenger, operations is
concerned. Taken in conjunction
with probable benefits that all
airmail operators should receive
through passage of the McNary-
Watres bill, which changes meth
DDS of compromising transport
companies for the carriage of
mail, it should materially improve
our ability to maintain, and, per-
haps, expand, our service to the
public"
The Watres bill is expected to
have a pronounced influence on
the type of plane flown on the
country's airmail network. The bill
fixes the pay of airmail contrac-
tors on a space instead of a
poundage basis and allows a bonus
for planes equipped with radio
which carry passengers as well as
mail.
Passage of the measure has re-
suited in the construction for i'm
mediate use of 20 of the Boeing
40" mail planes, which are de-
signed to meet the need of con-
tractors for cargo space and pas
Senger seats, together with econ
omy Of operation and good speed
The company also has developed
to meet the demands of operators
under the conditions imposed by
the bill a low-wing, all-metal
single-engined monoplane, cap
able of carrying six passengers
and 800 pounds of mail, or 1000
pounds of mail 1t has retract-
able landing gear, special engine
cowling and other improvements
designed to increase speed. 1t is
equipped for two-way radio-phone
communication.
New FOkker Plane.
The Fokker airplane line has
been augmented by a new mail
passenger plane, similar in capac-
ity to the Boeing 40" It is q
high wing monoplane, powered
with a Hornet engine. Passen-
gers are carried in a cabin under
the wing the nilnf riding in ar