Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22

W pleasant, the counCryS con
tract airmail operators tool
the center Of the aeronauti
cal stage In the week just past ant
still are awaiting the results Of thei
performance. which, they are beginning
to suspect strongly, was for charity.
Called into the Office of the PoStmas
ter General, Walter Folger Brown, rep
resentatives of all the large contrac
lines were told in blunt and forcefu
language that the postal deficit i:
mounting up into entirely too many
millions Of dollars and that they must
shoulder a massive chunk Of the bur-
den.
They were told that if they or the
Post once Department did not cut
down the expense to the Federal Gov
eminent Of flying the airmail as one
step toward the goal Congress would dc
It with pruning hook and snickersnee
In 9 ceremony suggestive of the offering
Of the cup of deadly hemlock to Soc
rates, the operators were told to go out
by themselves and come back with q
plan for reduction of their pay.
With their gloom lightened only by
the mill1on-dollar smile OF William p.
MacCracken, IT., genial former Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics,
now one Of their number, the repre-
sentativeS of the contractors went out
to null over the hideous details. They
lived through the same situation once
before and 1t is anticipated they will
live through the present situation, but
1t is likely there will be more gray hairs
and closer drawn belts in the airmail
industry.
Called to Account.
The session in the Postmaster Gen
erals Office was not a particularly
happy one. even aside from the actual
results. The operators were called TO
account by Mr.. Brown. They were told
that he Is not satisfied with them. They
were told they must demonstrate prog
ress in the art Of flying. They were in
formed that the speed with which they
ny the airmal is not sufficiently daZ-
cling and should be improved. They
were warned that they need not look
to the military branches of the Govern
ment for support in their time Of dis
tress. as the military people were prone
to speak of civil aviation with some
contempt"
Though the operators did not protest
these statements, unpleasant though
they must have been, Rear Admiral Will
liam A. Moffett. chief OF the Navy Blu
reau of Aeronautics, felt it his duty to
take issue with the Postmaster General
He denied emphatically that he or the
people In his service regard civil avia-
ton in the United States with contempt.
we believe" said Admiral MofIett,
that under the regulation and the
efficient management Of the Bureau Of
Aeronautics Of the Department OF Com
merce the planes are safe and efnc1ent
for the purpose for which they are in
tended and the pilcts have no SUI
periors"
He said that the Navy has encouraged
commercial aviation throughout and
that to do 50 is one of the features of
written naval policy. He said he regards
commercial aviation as a valuable ad-
5unct to military aviation in time Of
var.
Big Cut Approved.
So potent proved the adjurations of
the Postmaster General that the COM
mittee came back with a plan which
will cost them 81 000, 900 year In pos
tai revenues, on the basis Of the amount
Of mail now flown. This Is loss Of
nearly IS per cent, they estimated. One
OF the largest systems under this plan
stands to lose $500 900 a year and 9TH
ers face losses Of from $3.50, 900 to $780,
900 q year
Some Of these losses will be made up
by increases in schedules and volume
OF mail flown. Some possibly may be
made up in increased passenger and ex-
press revenues. The committee, after
agreeing on the reduction, continued
work on coordination OF schedules over
the various aerial passenger lines.
In the meantime independent action
on the airmail situation was under
way at Capitol Hill. The House Ap-
preparations Committee reported TO the
House in the second deficiency bill an
item of $4,000, 900 for extension by the
Post once Department of present
81, - &C.
the Inauguration of airmail service be-
tween the National Capital and Pitts
burgh over the route now flown by pas
senger planes Of Pennsylvania Airlines.
The $4,000 is to be made available
Immediately to pay for operation Of the
Washington-Pitts service as an
extension of the Cleveland Pittsburgh
when the regular annual airmail ap-
preparation, which includes funds for
airmail service from Pittsburgh to Nor
folk, Va. becomes available.
The appropriation was urged by W.
Irving Glover, Second Assistant POST
master General in charge Of airmail,
who expressed the conviction of himself
end other postal oficials that the Ma
tional Capital should have direct COM
munication with the transcontinentsl
lines at Pittsburgh and Cleveland"
An Army Phen0menon.
When an eclipse of the sun occurs,
scientists prepare months in advance for
the observations they must make DUR
ing the few seconds of the phenomenon
and then for months afterward they
study the results of their observations
The coming maneuvers Of the Army
Air Corps. which will involve the con-
centration OF $40 combat airplaneS in
the National Capital and at other points
along the Atlantic Coast next May, will
be 70 military observers and participants
what an eclipse Is to the astronomer
Preparations for the maneuvers have
been in progress for months already
and the results will be subject for men
tai struggles for many, many months
after the maneuvers have passed into
history. For the approaching maneu-
vers. which will be the largest ever
held, the War Department is creating
the atmosphere of a great national
emergency. AS in case Of such an emer-
gency, the department is drafting for
active duty the graduating class Of the
advanced flying school az Kelly Field
Tex, and calling National Guard air
units 70 active duty. Every piece OF
available equipment, aside from train
ing planes, which ara worthless for
combat purposes, will be pressed into
service.
All this Is being planned as an acid
test of the adequacy of the Nation s
aerial defense organization To met any
situation which may arise, according to
F. Trubee Dawson, Assistant Secretary
Of War for Aeronautics. The War De-
partment expects among the results the
answers TO many problems of supply.
maintenance and command which have
heen haraSSinR those resDonsihle for