Evening star., 1933-02-12
KELLY PROPOSES
A|RMA|L SHAKE-UP
Reorganization of System to
End Alleged Abuses Asked
of House.

Complete reorganization of the Ma
tons domestic airmail system as "a
means of wiping out the alleged abuses
which have led to elimination by the
Senate of the entire airmail subsidy is
provided in a bill introduced In the
House by Representative Kelly of Penn
sylvania and referred to the House
Committee on Post Offices and Post
Roads yesterday,
to be sought during the present session
of Congress as means of saving the
Nations airman system, is intended to
smash the alleged monopolistic fea-
lures of the existing system, to increase
the use of the airmail service, lower
the postage rates and eventually to
wipe out the element of subsidy COM
pletely by putting the airmail on self
sustaining basis.
Postage Rate Cut.
airmail letters at 5 cents for each half
ounce and establishes distinctive air
mail postal card at cents.
Payments to contractors for carrying
the air1nail is limited to mills per
pound-mile, with an absolute limit of
SO cents per airplane mile The pres
ent route certificate system, which has
been roundly abused by members of
Congress, is to be wiped out entirely
and new system of route warrants
established which will give the Gov
ernmenv closer control of the system
than is now possible.
As step toward smashing the al
legged airmail monopoly which has
driven one after another of the inde-
pendent airlines out of existence, the
bill provides mo route warrant shall be
issued to any airmail contractor who
has any financial interest in or partici-
pates in the management of any line
other than that covered in whole or
in part" by the route warrant issued to
him.
, The bill would permit the Postmaster |
General to put airmail aboard passen-
ger planes of any line which has been |
IN regular daily operation under author |
ity Of the Secretary of Commerce for |
not less than six months, provided this |
does not duplicate existing service.
To curb inefficient and non-profitable |
airmau routes, subject of much criti- |
cism by Congress, the bill provides that |
any extension over which regular air.
mail service has been operated for a |
period of IL consecutive months shall
be Cancelled whenever the length of the |
extension does not exceed Is pounds |
for any consecutive three months OF |
operation.
Route Certificates.
The last Of the existing route certifi-s
Gates under which the airmail now is
being flown is to be Cancelled on or
before April 6, 1896, transportation of
eirmail under the certificates being pro-
hibited after that date.
7 AS a result of long fight made by
Independents and members of Congress,
the bill requires that the Postmaster
General place all airmail on planes
scheduled to fly the most direct route
between any two points Such a regu-
1ation would have saved the lives of a
number of the independent airlines
which have been forced out Of exist
ence by the Big Four" of the airmail
service during the past few years, it is
claimed.
The bill requires the Postmaster Gen.
eral to conduct detailed examinations
Of the accounts of each airmail con-
tractor at least once year and to
employ examiners for this purpose at
q cost not to exceed $4,000 year.