Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-16
BROWN SEES NEED
FOR REVISED RATE
Declares Bill Pending in Con-
uresS Will Aid Aviation
in u. S.


legislation for commercial aviation" ever
sent to Congress--the bill sponsored by
Postmaster General Walter F. Brown
! for the revision of airTnan contract
rates-now is pending before the House
committee on post onlces ana post
roads.
There are many reasons behind the
request Of the Postmaster General for
| change in the existing law, he has
stated. The present law governing air.
mail rates, the designation OF routes and
the manner Of awarding contracts, Mr.
Brown has told Congress, lis the result
! Of evolution" and Is far from being
solution of the problems which have
arisen in connection with the carrying
Of the mail by air.
The present law he stated, does not
admit of uniformity OF compensation
paid to the various contractors where
the compensation Is based on weight
alone, without regard to distance flown.
AS an example, he pointed out that
while the rate from New York to Boston
is So q pound, that from Chicago to
Atlanta is only rs cents q pound.
One Of the faults OF the present law,
he said, is that 1t creates an induce
ment to the contractor to swell the
volume of airman he carries by I'M
ethical practices, though he hastened to
add that the Post once Department
generally speaking, has no criticism to
make of the practices OF the airmal
contractors.
Pioneers Need Relief.
The new bill is necessary, according
to Mr.. Brown, to give relief to pioneer
airmail contractors who are losing
money under the present system. The
present law provides that the rates OF
mar ASxw. h. rkx.np - al
mail may be revised downward only and
there Is no method open to the depart
ment to give relief to operators whose
rate Is so low or whose volume Of mail
Is so low that under the present rates
they must lose money.
It Is the purpose Of the Government
to stimulate aviation, Mr.. Brown said,
and this cannot be done effectively
under existing airmail legislation. 1t
was the hope of the department that
the awarding OF postal contracts FOR
the carrying of the mail by air would
aid in the creation of passenger transe
port service. Faults in the present laws,
however, make it impossible for the de-
partment to aid organized air transport
companies to the best advantage, he
pointed out.
The department must have some such
legislation as that contained in the new
~
carrying on until the public is educated
to travel by air, Mr.. Brown told the
House committee.
The principal motive in back of his
bill, he said, lis to promote directly the
major purpose of all the legislation of
our country with respect to air trans
portation, to 60 right to the very heart
Of the matter, to encourage the trans
portation OF people by air, TO get the
selves, so that we will have o great n.y.
ing personnel and q great flying indus
try with eficient planes and efneient
equipment"
Wants U. S. Supreme In Air.
/ 1--WE think" Mr.. Brown said, refer
ring to the policies Of postal of1cials,
that the ultimate purpose OF all OF the
legislation for the promotion OF avia.
ton is to give our people, the people OF
this country, supremacy in the air and
that involves building q national air
industry and training national air
personnel, and getting the people Of the
country themselves into the habit. and
practice of transporting themselves by
air."
one feature OF the bill. Mr.. Brown
said. would enable the passenger trans
port lines to build up passenger service
on routes that appear to be essential,
what he terms the natural routes OF
transportation" This would be done by
giving the maximum aid possible
through judicious awarding OF airmatl
contracts at uniformly equitable rates.
This may make necessary an increase
in the airmail postage rate, he said, but
such an increase he believes is Justi-
fed.
The bill was highly praised as a po-
tential aid to air commerce in this coun-
try by w. Irving Glover, Second Assist
ant Postmaster General, in his testi-
mony before the House committee.
Personally" Mr. Glover declared, 81
think it is going to give hfeblood to
commercial aviation Ia this country"
The terms Of the bill have been ap-
proved by representatives Of leading
air transport organizations who have
appeared before the House committee,
among them Mrs. Mabel Walker WILLIE
brandt, former Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral, and now counsel for the Aviation
Corporation; Col Paul Henderson, for
mer Second Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral in charge of airmail, now an ex-
ecutive of the Aviation Corporation;
William p. MacCracken, jr., former As
sistant Secretary of Commerce for
Air Express; P. G. johnson, president of
Boeing Air Transport and Pacific Air
Transport, and James F. j. Fairchild of
Pickwick Anyways.
AirmaiI Held Aviation Backbone.
"It has always been our feeling" Mr..
MacCracken told the committee, that
the airmail is the backbone of CONNER
cial aviation in this country. But at the
present time unless some such legisla-
ton as has been proposed by the POST
master General and considered by the
committee is enacted, l believe as far
as air transport is concerned In this
country it will be confined exclusively to
airmail"
The Postmaster Generals bill was in
troduced in the House by Representative
Watres of Pennsylvania, member of
the committee before which the measure
was pending, owing to the fact that
Representatives Kelly of Pennsylvania,
known as the father of airmail legisla-
ton" was busy on other matters at the
time. it was explained by supporters of
the bill. Mr.. Kelly, however, has been
in conference with postal officials on the
measure and is understood to be a sup
porter of the bill.
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