Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-02
A|RMA|L AWARD
MAY CAUSE TEST.
Lowest Bid Rejected by Post
Office on Los Angeles
New York Route.


The action of the Post Office Depart
nnent in rejecting the offer of the low
bidder Yesterday in awarding contract
for the proposed New York-Los Angeles
central transcontinentaI airmail service
to Western Air Express and Transcon-
tinental Air Transport-Maddux, was
causing speculation in aeronautical cir
cles here today.
Postal officials were waiting to see
whether the low bidders, the United
Avigation Co. of Pittsburgh, would pro-
test the award or carry the case into
court for test purposes. At the same
time officials of the two successful COM
panies, it was understood at the Post
Once Department, are meeting in New
York to perfect the organization of an
operating subsidiary to comply with the
terms Of the contract.
Need Permit to Sublet.
1t will be necessary for the successful
bidders, who submitted a joint bid, to
apply to the Post Office Department for
permission to sublet their contract to
the operating organization, IN which, it
is understood, a substantial minority
interest is to be owned by Pittsburgh
Aviation Industries Corporation, COM
pany engaged IN several phases of avia-
ton, chiefly the development of airports
at Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa.
The joint bid of the two big air
transport operators was for 97.5 per
cent of the maximum rates allowed by
law, which range from 40 cents to SIPS
a mile, depending upon the volume OF
the mail service and other clrcum-
stances. The bid of the United Avigation
Co. was 81 per cent of the maximum
rates, which, it is estimated, would make
a difference in cost TO the Government
of S4eG, 900 to a maximum of S750.000
a year. or a maximum of $3,000,000
during the probable life Of the contract.
The Postmaster General, 1t was an
nounced by the Post Office Department,
awarded the contract to Western Air
Express and T. A. T.-Maddux because
their Joint bid was the only qualified
one under the terms of the McNary-
Watres act and in conformity with the
specifications in the advertisement"
Asked Night Experience.
One Of the chief stumbling blocks in
the path of the United Avigation Co.
was a provision written into the speci-
fications by the Postmaster General re-
curing that the bidder submit evidence
that ne has had at least six months
actual experience in operating aircraft
on regular night schedules over q route
$50 miles or more in length"
The night-fying requirement Is not
contained in the McNary-Watres act,
which was passed by Congress during
the past session, and was inserted as
an extra requirement outside the law,
st was admitted by postal officials.
The three companies composing the
United Aviation Co. failed to show the
required night-hying experience this
forming one Of the chief reasons for
the rejection Of their bid. In an
nouncing the award to the successful
bidders, however, the Post ONCE De-
partInent announced that for the pres
ent" the service required by the con-
tract will be maintained by daylight
flying only"
Another Feature of Bid.
Another feature of the bid which has
caused considerable comment in avia-
ton circles here is that the contract
has been awarded under a provision of
the law governing routes where the
airmail moving between the designated
points does not exceed IS cubic feet, or
225 pounds, per trip"
The amount of airInail carried on
the present transcontinental route far
exceeds this weight and space per ship,
according to the postal figures. The
law requires that the mail be carried
by the most expeditions route between
two points, and the proposed New
York-Los Angeles route, which Is
shorter than the present transcontin-
entail airmau line from New York 10
Los Angeles by way Of Chicago, Cney-
enne. Wyo., and Salt Lake City, 1t Is
pointed out, would logically come In Tor
a large share of this mail, making the
loads exceed the stipulated amounts
under which the contract was awarded.
Oficials of Western Air Express and
7. A. T.-Maddux are meeting IN New
York today, according TO word received
by officials of the Post ONCE Depart
ment. to organize and work out their
schedule. They have announced the
immediate development OF an affair
plane transcontinental, mail, passenger
and express service on 24-hour scneo-
ule between New York and Los An
geles by way Of Philadelphia, Harris
burg. Pittsburgh, Columbus, 1ndianapo-
lis, st. Louis. Kansas City, Wichita,
Amarillo and Albuquerque, with an al
Tentative cutoff route between 81.
Louis and Amarillo via Tulsa and Okla
homa City.
Must Extend Line.
Neither Western Air Express nor
Transcontinental Air Transport-Mad-
dux ever has operated east Of Column
bus. Ohio, and the new section OF the
lire from Columbus to New YORK VIII
have 70 be established over the section
If the Alleghenies. constituting one OF
she worst flying hazards in the coun-
Gy
Western Air Express. organized In
1925, has been one Of the countrys
largest air transport operators for the
past five years 1t was one OF the early
airmail contract operators and one OF
the FIRST American lines TO offer pas
senger and express services on daily
schedule.
This is the company with which Her
bert Hoover, ir., has been associated as
an executive official and radio engineer
up 10 about two weeks ago, when he
obtained indefinite leave of absence.
William p MacCracken. jr., former
Assistant Secretary Of Commerce for
Aeronautics in the Hoover cabinet, Is
local attorney for the company.
Transcontinental Air Transport was
organized in 1928 to operate a trans
continental air-rail service, flying from
Columbus, Ohio. to Waynoka, Okla, and
Clovis N. Mex. 10 Los Angeles. In
1929 the company absorbed the Maddux
AIR Lines, operating on the Pacific
Coast.
Among Richest Awards.
The contract awarded the two COM
panies will be worth between S675 900
and S2l50.000 a year to them, it is
hy fNOStaI officials The rOn