The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-02-16

By Z. r. PYLE
NEA Service Special Correspondent
Washington, Feb. l6.-With one
stroke Of the pen, the Roosevelt ad-
ministration has called an abrupt
halt on Americas air transport indus
try. Has, In the words Of the flying
fraternity, grounded" It.
With cancelling Of all airmatl con-
tracts In the United States. based on
charges Of fraud in letting contracts.
the industry stops, bewildered, and
looks blankly into the future.
What will happen? The only true
answer is that nobody knows.
Some think that with this drastic
purging. the industry will start out
anew, In a much healthier state. ana
soon will overtake itself and 60 on
ahead, still holding It's present world
leadership.
Some think that the sudden scrap
ping will be death blow and that 1t
will be many, many years before
America again Is abreast Of the world
in commercial aviation.
Some think the government must
and will take over the whole air
transport system and run the cir lines.
both passenger and mail. perman-
entity.
For, financially and politically, the
air transport industry is mess. Such
q mess that the administration felt
something drastic had to be done
about 1t.
But, paradoxically, the American
air industry Is without peer IN the
world when it comes to efficiency.
modernism, and scope Of Its actual
flying operations.
X \ +
NOW ALL THIS CEASES
Briefly. Americas air transport sys-
tenn today Is this:
A network OF $1,000 miles Of routes
(three transcontinentas and numer-
Gus up-and-down feeder lines) over
which 5000 employees direct the flying
Of l75,000 miles every a hours.
Five hundred planes run on fixed
schedules, and 500 Of the worlds most
skilled pilots sit at the wheels. Every
year these planes cover more than
40 O00, 900 miles, carry half q million
passengers, and 100000 pounds Of
mail.
Total investment runs into hun.
dreds Of millions. Last year the gov
eminent paid out for this service q
subsidy Of $l9.ooo,O 900.
And on Monday. Feb. 10. all this
ceases. The army takes over the fly
ing Of the mail. A few Of the present
lines will continue carrying passen-
gers for = while, but they can't con-
tinue long without postal subsidy.
And thus, because OF the crimes Of
q few, some 5000 people may lose
their jobs: and, what IS worse. their
equity in what was to be = life work
In aviation.
But for many Of them, there 4
something that cannot be taken
away. That Is their memory Of proud
participation in the most romantic
chapter In modern history-the build.
ing Of the airmail.
Their memories Of blizsardy nights
out over the bleak Wyoming prairies
Of for and sleet over the Allegheny
Hell stretch" Of buddies who flew
away and never came back. Of "flyine
collins" Of the early days, Of the con-
tinuouS and lonely struggle with
weather and darkness and death, Of
the old motto Of the mail must g
through" Of the fatalistic, daredevil
spirit which dominated the whole
thing. Z spirit which does not and
cannot exist today-these are thu
memories Of the night airmau.
= = II
AN VICTORIOUS START
Although airmail in the y. 8. may
be said to have had it, birth In 1911
when . pouch was carried 10 miles
on . New Jersey stunt flight, airmail
had its real start In 1918. And It wa
pretty bum start.
It was the opening day Of service
between Washington and New York
President Wilson rode down 70 thu
polo field, on the banks Of the Poto.
mac, to see the first plane take Oft.
A young army pilot sat In the cock
pit Of IN army plane. ready to speed
north toward Philadelphia and New
York.
But the mail never got to New Yori
that day. A few hours after the
take-oif. the young army pilot. hope.
lessly lost. landed In = cornfield 4
miles from his starting point, headed
IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION
The next day he tried II again. and
got q hundred miles farther. stu Il
the wrong direction. The Washing.
ton-New York line was abandoned af.
tor . few months.
+ = +
WRITE DRAMATIC HISTORY
And then the airmail really started
on IT. epochal career. The postofficl
department. decided to ny the mail Il.
CONTINUED on Page Tvo)