Evening star., 1934-05-20

washington QlTeCC alrI1ldll scr
Cleveland and Detroit; Atlanta
Additional passenger and exp
ington to Detroit and from Y
Chicago by way of Charleston
Friday the Post Office DepartI
service from Washington to Dali
Virginia and the Tennessee '
Chicago by way of Charleston,
apolis. Both lines are through
Although it has been known for
some time that Washington is to have
the heaviest air transport service in
its history before the end of next
month, no action has been taken to
improve the local airport facilities, al
ready inadequate. The Gibson bill,
providing for emergency improvement
of Washington Airport, pending the
construction of model airport at
Gravelly Point is gathering dust in
the pigeonhole of a subcommittee
headed by Senator Glass of Virginia.
No action has been taken at the House
end of the Capitol. With the present
session of Congress hurrying to a close.
there appears to be no likelihood of
local airport legislation this year.
This means that the National Capt.
tai, undergoing period of great avl-
alton growth, must muddle along with
an airport which has been denounced
as too small, unsafe and diSgraceful
by many of the country's foremost
aviation leaders. Into an area made
quate for the operations of three years
ago must be crowded air transport
activities twice as large as any the
city has known.
Asks All Mail By Air.
Shipment by air of all first-class
mail is advocated by Maj. Ernest
Jones, former chief of information of
the Department of Commerce aero
nautics branch, in an article in the
first issue of Air World" successor
to the magazine Air Transportation
Pointing out that only mail which
moves by the swiftest available means
is worthy of classification as first-claSS
mail. Jones declared that mail by rail
''lS on longer of the first class in fact"
only l per cent of the present
available mail volume now goes by air
and this at discouraging penalty
postage rate" he said. 1T costs
nearly 20 million dollars to transport
this l per cent. 1t cost nearly another
20 million more dollars to transport
the other SO per cent by rail. The
entire available amount could be flown
for less than 40 million"
At the standard 3-cent rate of post
age, Maj. Jones asserted, without
added cost to the taxpayers, cit is en-
tirely possible to move the bulk of all
non-local first-class mail by air over
the greater portion of the country"
Eventually" he concluded. all
non-local frst-class mail must go by
air. That is generally admitted. The
present would seem to be an entirely
logical time to inaugurate the next
certain step in the further develop
ment of postal facilities"
Conference Is Called.
Proposed amendments to the air.
WorthineSs requirements for aircraft
and a projected bulletin dealing with
design information for aircraft will be
discussed Tuesday at conference be-
tween officials of the Department OF
Commerce, aeronauticS branch, and
aircraft manufacturers. The confer
ence will begin at 10 am. at the Com
merce Department.
The manufacturers or their repre-
sentatives will be invited to present
comments and suggestions on the pro-
posed notifications of the regulations.
The airworthiness requirements sub
1ect to modification are to be brought
up to date, in the light Of aviation
progress of the past year.
AS a result of intensive study Of
manufacturing and design require
ments, officials of the Commerce De-
partment feel that the modified re-
quirements agree more closely with the
expressed opinions of the aeronautlcs
industry.
Pay Dispute Settled.
Pay of transport pilots on scheduled
airline service will be based on hours
and mileage flown, according to de-
cision by the National Labor Board,
in settlement of a dispute jointly sub
mitted for arbitration last year by the
Airline Pilots Association and the
principal airline companies.
The pilots favored mileage basis
of pay, while the companies held out
for an hourly schedule. The decision
is a compromise which is expected to
care for the adverse differential In
rates of pay to pilots flying the new
higher speed transport planes.
The boards award, it was an
nounced, provides for "a basis of pay
under which both the company and
employees would share in the Dement'S
accruing from the new equipment ana
bear the burdens that will attend its
introduction in the beginning"
A wage strike which had been
scheduled by the pilots for October l
last was averted by the National
Labor Board. which soon afterward
took jurisdiction Of the dispute and
appointed Fact-finding Committee
headed by Judge Bernard L. Shientag
of New York. The report Of this
board was followed by long series of
conferences between the board and
representatives of the pilots and the
airlines, resulting in the award just
announced.
With the coming of faster transport
planes the pilots were faced by
great increase in the mileage flown or
material reduction in monthly hours
of employment on the hourly basis OF
pay. On a mileage basis there would
be sharp decrease in monthly hours,
on a basis of the same routes.
The combination of hourly and
mileage allowances, the Labor Board
explained, will impose no undue bur-
dens upon the companies" The new
method has the further advantage of
simplicity of administration and a
just basis of compensation for the
pilots, it was pointed out.
The board has ruled that:
Eighty-five hours of flying shall
constitute the monthly maximum for
airline pilots.