Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-20
INTERNATIONAL AIR
REGULATIONS NEED
Lack of Uniform Rules in
Americas Hindering
Development.

Growth of international air trans
portation in the Americas Is making
daily more imperative the need for con-
certed agreement among the nations of
the new world for an international con-
vention governing commercial aviation.
American private enterprise, backed by
airmail contracts awarded by the Post
Office Department, has taken a lead
ing part in opening South and Cen
trail America to air communication.
The work, however, has been sorely
handicapped by lack Of uniform regu-
lations and by the necessity for in
terminate legal negotiations.
Convention Drafted.
A model for commercial aviation
conventions of the type required for
proper international air development
was drafted and approved at the sixth
Pan American Conference, held in 1928
at Havana. The Pan-American gov
errments. however, have been slow to
ratify this convention.
To date only the United States, Mex
leo, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala
have deposited notifications, with the
result that aviation operating COM
panieS are working as best they may in
the other 16 countries, with no regula-
ton other than private agreements with
restrictions they are subject.
The establishment of an American
air mail and passenger service in most
of the countries of the American con-
tinent was not the work Of few days.
Knotty problems required months Of
negotiation between carriers and gov
ernments. Present operation encounters
almost daily difficulties arising from
misunderstanding over local restric-
lions and inconsistent enforcement of
regulations.
Weeks Spent on Work.
The Pan-American Commercial Avi-
alton Convention represents weeks of
study by delegates to the Havana con-
ference, and its approval followed pro-
tracted controversy based on preserva-
ton of individual national interests.
Principal among these was the United
States insistence on its right to regu-
late all air travel over the Canal Zone
Panama bitterly contested the point,
while holding to the contention that
no multi-lateral convention could de-
prive it of rights over territory undis-
putedly Panamanian.
The incident was marked by verbal
clashes between Henry P. Fletcher,
American delegate, and Ricardo Alfaro,
at that time Panama's Minister to
w VIII olIlCc lids SuCC6eQeO
to the presidency Of Panama.
The issue was settled, however, after
Intervention of Chilean and other dele
gates and the convention was approved
in present form
Principal among its provisions is an
agreement whereby signatories recog-
nize the equal rights of national and
foreign aviation engaged In interna-
tional service.
The right to prohibit fights over re-
strlcted areas is embodied in Article v
OF the convention, which provides:
Discrimination Barred.
Each state has the right to prohibit,
for reasons which it deems convenient
in the public interest, the flight over
fixed zones of its territory by the air
craft of the other contracting states
and aircraft employed in the service of
international commercial aviation, with
the reservation that no distinction shall
be made in this respect between its own
private aircraft engaged In interna-
tional commerce and those of the other
contracting states likewise engaged"
Regulation of all phases of air COM
munication is provided for In the con-
Ventlon, and aviation authorities here
are urging its adoption as 8 basis for
settlement of conflicts which are re-
tardlng Speedier development of air
trafi1c In the Americas.