Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-22
NEW AVIATION CHAPTER
OPENED BY LINDBERCH
llFKlis IL ef Clipper Over Miani-to.P anaalaa
a. Route Promotes Inter-
N + America Flying.

from the washington once OF the Pam
American Anyways, for it invades for
trade route through Southern Brazil to
BuenoS Aires. In this South Atlantic
area, some two thirds of all South
Americas $4,000, 900 900 world trade is
concentrated, and European air lines
have been deeply entrenchsd here for
nearly four years, providing business
men with a faster service to Europe
than they had to the United States.
MOnOpOIies Upset.
Heretofore the subsidized Condor
Syndicate, an af1iliate of the DeutSche
Luft Hansa of Germany, held sway IN
the coffee-producing area OF the South,
and the powerful French AeropoStale
lines monopolized the air service be-
tween Rio de Janeiro and the Argen-
tine capital. The final extension Of
Pan-American Anyways system into
this highly competitive territory upsetS
that balance and promises to swing the
advantage to the American side.
The influence of aerial communication
between the Americans is two-fold-
moral and material. The first to derive
benefits is, of course, international
commerce. With the aid of aerial
transportation, commercial interchange
is greatly encouraged. Not only be-
cause innumerable commodities OF
small volume can be directly conveyed
by airplane, but principally because the
air mail service, rapid immediate in
itself, may greatly facilitate commercial
operations, financial arrangements, and
all business transactions in general.
To negotiate and close deals in q few
days Is indeed quite an improvement
over the maritime service, which re-
quires from two to three weeks, one
way, from New York to the most I'M
portant commercial centers Of South
America.
u. s. Was Handicapped.
United States exporters, previous TO
the Inauguration of air mail to Latin
America, had a terrible handicap in the
lack of facilities for the rapid convey
ing to South America markets Of SAM
pies, parts and other articles which were
urgently needed to overcome European
competition. The transportation of q
small package containing samples which
must be submitted Immediately required
the same length Of time as that of q
locomotive of so tons, the delivery Of
which, whether In two weeks or In two
months, was immateria1.
The quickest steamship service &c Rio
de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, for in
stance, took from IL to II days, and
those to other important Southern cen
tiers from Is to 80 days. To this must
be added the time employed in, and
the cost of, the Identification OF GUS
toms documents, port formalitieS and
the usual delays caused by unfayorable
sailing weather conditions.
But the suppression of all these bar
rierS and the great saving of time which
it represents is not the only benefit de-
rived from international aerial COM
munication. Even more important, and
certainly more far-reaching than these
immediate economic advantages, are the
political benefits which it will bring in
the way Of closer contacts and personal
acquaintance.
Understanding Develops.
Understanding among nations grows
out of the knowledge which they have
Of one another. And no more expe-
ditiouS or more certain way has yet
been found to develop that knowledge
than quicker means of communication.
Mutual knowledge among peoples of
different origin and different points OF
view grows proportionately to the short
ening of the distances separating them.
One of the main troubles OF Pan
Americanism may be traced, precisely,
to distances and to lack of proper
means Of communication. The South
American republics are too distant from
the United States to make possible .
true understanding of political aims and
interests without the aid of personal
contacts and personal observation. The
two largest and most important South
American countries, Brazil and Argen-
Gina, are, in fact, very much farther
from the United States than Europe,
for only four or five days separate New
U0rbr froV,o tho Old W0rId while Tn
reach by boat the most important South
American capitals IS or 20 days are
required.
TO this lack Of faster means Of COM
munication, and to these long and tire
some voyages is probably due the little
interest and enthusiasm until now dis
played by the people Of the United
States in tours of the Latin American
countries. And this must be, likewise,
the underlying reason why a far greater
number of South Americans have not
visited the domains of Uncle Sam.
Relations Hampered.
The result is that today true cur
rent of intellectual interchange does not
exist between Latin and Saxon America;
that is, any permanent current of inter-
change sufficient to bear to those OF
one race a knowledge of the conditions
of life and modes of thought of the
other. There are, of course, scattering
travellers, tourists, adventures, traders,
business men and even a few scholars,
going back and forth, but these form
such small group, that they are more
the exception than the rule. And until
they become the rule, until mutual
knowledge has been established through
them, political understanding between
the Americas will remain a myth.
Aerial communication is gradually
working toward that end, and may
eventually succeed in creating that per-
manent current of interchange. Hence
its great moral value, more important
even than its immediate economic
utility.
(Copyright, 1879