Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17
PLAN TWO A|RMA|L
LINES ACROSS u. S.
Post Office Department to
Link New York and Atlanta
With Pacific Coast.

| CenuAl part Oh biio So1t"J ~ 80
Angeles, and another from Atlanta,
across Southern United States to the
same terminal in California.
The two new contracts, TO be
awarded following the opening of bids
at noon on August Is, will do more
than add some 1900 miles to the air.
mail network Of the country. The
routes will provide direct access to
cross country mail service by plane for
many important population centers in
the Southern part Of the country that
| their mail over long connecting links
to the New York hicago-San Fran
| cisco line.
One Line Across Continent.
A glance at the present airmaiI map
shows that North and South lines are
far in the lead in number of routes.
On the coast there Is a line from New
York to Atlanta and Miami. Chicago
also is linked with Atlanta, mail Is
carried from Chicago through Kansas
City to Houston and to Brownsville,
Tex, and on the West Coast there Is q
line extending from Los Angeles to
Seattle.
Against these there is one transcon-
tinental line, but this line has consis-
tently held the poundage record. The
New York Chicago line of National
Transport and the Chicago-San Fran
cisco run of the Boeing System were
the only domestic air routes over which
more than 100000 pounds were carried
in april, May or June.
Branches Feed Main Route.
It must be remembered also that the
transcontinental route has branches at
either end. Connecting with the Co.
lonial System ut New York, it reaches
Boston, Albany and Montreal. Branches
from Salt Lake City reach Los Angeles,
cities In Oregon and Washington and
also In Idaho and Montana. In addi-
ton many short feeder lines run into
Chicago and Cleveland. Another joins
it at Cheyenne, Wyo., and all of the
North and South lines, of course, are
linked with the croSS-Country routes.
One line, thus, has borne the burden
of moving the mail across the country.
But 1t could not be hoped that this
one route would serve with the best
possible efficiency in such cases as for
mail originating in Florida and bound
for California. The Southern cities
have been pleading for additional air
mail service for long time, and the
present additions will answer their
requests.
Contractors bidding on the routes
will do so under the terms of the new
Watres law, which specifies that the
Post Office Department may, If it sees
fit, award the contract to the lowest
responsible bidder who has owned and
operated an air transportation service
on q fixed daily schedule over a 04s-
lance Of not less than $50 miles and
for period Of not less than six months
prior to the advertisement for bids.
Bids for both the projected routes
must be submitted in two forms-one
for the small-space provision Of the
law and the other for the large-space
provision. In other words, the Govern
ment may contract for Is cubic feet Of
space to accommodate 225 pounds Of
mail at q rate not to exceed 40 cents
q mile, or for AZ cubic feet of space to
accommodate 423 pounds of mail at a
rate not to exceed $l.25 mile.
In either case 1t is expected that the
plane will carry passengers in addition
to mail, and it Is required that planes
pacity for 10 persons and those with
the larger loads places for seven.
Flexible Rates Charged.
There are slight variations from this
basic rate. Larger payment Is made for
night flying, an addition Of Is cents a
mile being allowed. Two cents q mile
may be added for flying over mountain
Gus terrain, az cents for fog flying, 3
cents o mile II the plane carries one
way radio and cents a mile II 1t car
two new transcontinental mail routes,
1t is required that all Of the planes have
two-way radio.
THE contracts NAV he awarded. of
course, to any operators who qualify by
meeting the requirements Of the Post
once Department and by winning in
the competitive bidding. For the CEN
trail route from New York to Los An
geles the strongest contender Is a COM
bination of Western Air Express and
Transcontinental Air Transport-Mad-
dux.
May Hasten Merger.
1t has even been suggested that the
bidding on the route might serve to
bring to completion q merger officials
of the two groups were said TO be con-
sidering. w. Irving Glover, Second As
sistant Postmaster General. In charge
of airmail, has said, however, that the
two companies may submit joint bid
without in any way affecting their
status as individual concerns.
The route of this line, as mapped out
by the Post ONCE Department, is as
phia and Pittsburgh; Columbus, Ohio;
Indianapolis. Ind; st. Louis and Kan
sas City, Mo-; Amarillo, Tex. Cor from
st. Louis via Tulsa to Amarillo, either
or both routeS), and Albuquerque, N.
Mex, to Los Angeles and return. It's
distance one way is approximately 2,559
miles.
Western Air Express now carries pas
sengerS over the part Of this route be-
tween Kansas City and Los Angeles.
The company is also an airmail OPP
orator, transporting mail between Los
Angeles, and Salt Lake City. T. A. T.
Maddux carries passengers from Column
bus via Kansas City to Waynoka, Okla,
| and from Clovis. N Mex, to Los Angeles
on its airnail system.
Most Of Route Covered.
Thus the two companies together are
experienced in flying the entire route,
except for the section between Column
bus and New York. This section is the
most difficult of all, since it involves
| flying over the treacherous Alleghenies.
Another line which comes into the
| picture Is Pittsburgh Always, now OPP
Grating with passengers from New York
to Pittsburgh via Wilmington, Del.
The southern route is from Atlanta
via Birmingham, Ala; Dallas, Fort
Worth and Fl PasO, Tex, and via such
points in New Mexico and Arizona as
may be designated, to Los Angeles and
return, approximately 2,O08 miles one
way.
Passenger Lines in Region.
Now operating with mail over a part
of this route-fron Atlanta to Briming-
hams Gulf Coast Anyways This air.
mail line extends from Birmingham
down to Mobile and New Orleans, and
connects with another route operated
by the same company to Houston, Tex
Passenger lines operating in the terri
tory to be served by the southern trans