Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23
A|RMA|L FUTURE
HELD |MPER|LED
Brown Endorses Watres Bill
as Offering Solution of
Menacing Situation.

Utter collapse of the air transport
passenger industry in the United States
is. threatened unless the Government
comes to the rescue with some form of
airmail passenger line contract service
to stabilize the industry, Postmaster
General Walter F. Brown told members
of the House Post Once committee this
week.
Speaking in support of the Watres
bill, which Incorporates the proposal
of the Postmaster General for revision
of the airmail contract regulations, Mr..
Brown said:
unless the plan in this bill is adopt
ed, we will junk the invaluable expert
ence the industry has obtained with
the material progress it has made at
great cost to the United States and the
investing public"
Bill Is Radical Departure.
The Watres bill would authorize the
Postmaster General to contract for mail
transportation by air on a space weight
basis and to sign contracts for the car
rying of the mail with operators OF air
passenger lines as well as with the OPP
orators of airmail lines.
In many respects the WatreS bill is
regarded as a radical departure from
existing Government policies governing
contract relations between the Govern
ment and private industry. The bill is
an amendment to the airn1ail act OF
1925 and is intended, according to the
preamble to the measure, further to
encourage commercial aviation by au-
thoriZing the Postmaster General to
establish airmail routes"
The bill provides that mailable mat
ter of any description may be trans
ported by aircraft and that airmail
shall be any class of mail upon which
airmail postage is paid. Rates Of post
age on airmail are to be prescribed by
the Postmaster General with the sole
limitation that the rate on airmail OF
the first class shall not be less than D
cents for each ounce or fraction Of an
ounce. This is lower than the present
rate, which is cents for the first ounce
and 10 cents for each additional ounce
or fraction of an ounce.
The bill provides that whenever space
contracted for in an airmail plane shall
not be filled with airmail, the PoStmaS-
ter General may authorize the use OF
such space for the transportation OF
any other mail matter. This means
that he may fill up the mail planes with
any class of mail, regardless OF whether
or not it bears special postage for that
purpose, it is commended.
Provides for Contract Awards.
Another departure from existing pol
| icy is an authorization to the Postmas-
| ter General to award contracts for car.
rying OF the airmail when in his opin'
| ion the public interests shall so re.
quire," without advertising for or con.
Sidering bids. In this respect, there L
| the following injunction:
"In awarding atrma1 contracts, TIT
Postmaster General will give prope
consideration TO the equities Of airLnai
and other aircraft operators with re
spect to the routes which they hav'
| been operating and the territorie
which they have been serving"
| The bill permits the Postmaste
General, upon the expiration of an!
airmaiI contract, to renew the contrac
by issuing a route certificate for pc
Rod of not exceeding 10 years from Thu
4 date of the opening of contract service
1 Such certificate may be Cancelled a
any time for willful neglect on thu
part of the holder to carry out AM
rules, regulations or orders made FOL
his guidance notice. of such cancella.
ton to be given in writing by the Post
master General and As days allowed fol
arguments.
| The measure authorizes the Postmas'
| ter General to make any extensions Of
consultations of airnail routes which
exist or which may be established II
/ the future. He also may provide service
/ to Canada or Mexico over domestic air.
/ mail routes and may authorize the car.
i ryifg of either foreign or domestic mai
or both over such routes, making pay.
ment for this service out Of appropria'
tons for the domestic airmail service.