Evening star., 1934-07-26
A|RMA|L FUTURE
GRAT|F|ES CHIEF
Radio Forum Address by
HarIIee Branch Promises
EHaced Debit.

The belief that many of the r1ors
important sirnaii routes viii become
seif-s1lEtsininE within a very few
years" vas voiced last night by
Harllee Branch. Second Assistant
Postmaster General speaking in the
National Radio Forum, arranged by
The Star and broadcast over a Ma
ton uide network Of the National
BfosdcAsting Co.
When this point Is reached. the
Interstate Commerce Commission will
be enabled to reduce the maN-pay
rates fo= these lines TO at least the
amount 0i the postal revenues de-
rived from mail carried by them, and
perhaps to an even lower figure. so
that the Post Once Department may
derive some profit" he said
Branch. who Is in charge OF this
service. reviewed the changes in the
airrnsil lineup growing out Of the
congressional investigation which
brought about cancellation OF all the
old contracts. and visioned greatly
enlarged operations in the future.
within the next three years, he
said. he expects to see lines opera
ting between continental Unied
States and Europe, Hawaii and
Alaska.
Right nov, he said, the service here
"a far In the lead" Of that in any
European country.
The text OF Mr.. Branch's speech
follows.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Perhaps no activity Of the Post
once Department appeals so much
to the interest and Imagination OF
the people OF this country as does
the airmail. II is the most glamor-
Gus. most adventurous and most ro-
mantle Of all the multiple services
offered the American people by the
department and 1t is not without It's
tragedies.
The development Of the CONNER
cial air transport service, which is
due almost entirely to the support
the industry Is receiving and has re-
ceived through the airmail pay has
been so rapid that few outside Of
the industry have kept informed Of
its remarkable and astounding prog
ress.
1t was Just 1e years ago that the
airmal service was launched between
Washington. d. c.. and New York
City. At that time II covered q route
OF only 2l8 miles and the service
naturally uncertain and to a large
degree undependable-was equipped
with a few remodeled Army air.
planes, flown by a small group Of
pilots who had received somewhat
limited training in the World War.
Today the domestic sirmail system
OF the United States embraces 81, ,4S7
route miles and serves many of the
principal cities In as Of the 4s States,
employing approximately 400 mod
ern airplanes and $50 specially trained
pilots.
In It's early stages the Government.
which operated the service, expended
less than 100000 per annum for air
mail, while today the private invest
nents in our transport companies
having airmail contracts amount to
approximately $25.285 1888.
3o,0oO,oo0 Miles.
During the first year approximately
CU,uUU Ulllts we're IOWD. 1l1l& year
s0000,000 miles will be flown.
Sixteen years ago 1t required az
10 hours to fly from Washington to
New York, a distance Of 21s miles,
while recently plane flew from Los
Angeles TO New York in ii hours 81
minutes, the distance being $500
miles.
Americans lead the world in the
manufacture and operation of trans
port airplanes. The one-seater, one
motor, open cockpin of l6 years ago,
carrying small bag of mail, has
developed into the great tri-motored
airliners of today. which easily carry
Is to ls passengers, their luggage and
heavy loads Of mail and express.
These great ships have commodious
and comfortable cabins, with all con-
veniences, and cruise from 125 to 400
miles per hour, as compared with a
speed of rs miles per hour for those
Of the early days.
While the pioneer planes carried q
few pounds of mail, at present 1t is
not unusual for planes now flying the
more important transcontinental lines
to carry 1000 or more pounds. The
first ships were crude affairs and in
cluded in their equipment no real
safety devices. Today all airplaneS
transporting mail and passengers in
clude in their equipment directional
beam, radio and other instruments
Along each route are emergency land
ing fields at regular intervals and
the whole route is constantly served
hxy
regular landing fields are lighted anc
over routes where night schedules are
flown the Government maintains q
system of lights for the guidance oi
the pilots.
1t required several years for the
Post Office Department to convinct
the Congress that the transportation
of mail and passengers by air woulc
become practical and servicesble in.
dustry. but as the years went on anc
the service developed. Congress be
came more and more liberal in Id
appropriations. Cities all over tn,
country began to build sirports ant
to clamor for airmsil service, with tn
result that Congress increased its ap
preparations and the service was ex
panded
Service Demand Gains.
In the growing public demand TO
eirmail service and in the increasing
iberality Of congressional sppropria
tions. stock promoters and their bank
ing associates saw an opportunity 70
big profits, They organized loboie
in Washington 10 insist on larger ap
preparations and they carried on
Nationwide propaganda to back u
their campaign. AT the same time
they were beSieging Congress an
propagandiZing the country. they wer
organizing holding companies and op
Grating companies While they wer
convincing the public that the manu-
fscture Of airplanes and the operation
OF transport companies would. at n
distant day. develop into one Of tn
country'S greatest industries, the
were selling millions of dollars wort