Evening star., 1934-04-15

TRIM red and black mono
" plane that had been speeding
~ for hours across the trackleSs
4 u wastes of the South Atlantic
turned abruptly from its course
and pointed for an unseen target
somewhere beyond the horizon. There
was, as yet, no tell-tale smudge at the
juncture of sea and sky, but the mod
ern miracle of airplane wireless had
informed Col. and Mrs. Charles A.
Lindbergh that 20 miles south of their
beeline course from Bathurst. Africa,
to Natal, Brazil, and some 300 miles
off the South American coast the
S. S. Westfalen, numbering German
mother ship" in projected trans
atlantic flying boat service, was plod-
ding out toward her midocean post.
In a little while the odd-looking
craft appeared ahead, and a few
minutes later the pilot was circling
about her in aerial salute while he
scrutiniZed curiously the long and un-
gainly catapult deck on her super
structure and waved a friendly hand
at the Westfalen's cheering and ges-
ticulating crew. He was deeply in
terested in this floating refueling sta
ton and launching platform, which
was to enable Germany to inaugurate
the first scheduled tranSoceanic air
plane service, thus gaining at least a
temporary advantage in the race to
see who will dominate the great in
ternational and intercontinental aerial
trade routes of the world. The strange
rendezvous, ere Lindbergh sped on
toward his Brazilian goal. presented
tableau that may be commonplace
enough in the near future, when
planes carrying mail, and even pas
sengers, are plying regularly back
and forth across the oceans.
But commerce makes even stranger
bedfellows than poiitics-at least
when it comes to international COM
petition on the trade routes of the
world. At the moment we have the
spectacle of two nations whose po-
litical differences apparently are ir-
reconcilable making common cause
against the United States for the rich
prize of South American business:
France. this country's World War ally
joining forces with our erstwhile mu-
SNhA N4lCiLy W WlCoO SAlSAC odlIl
the gains that he has made in the
Latin American field. Those prophets
who have been predicting that the
next" war would be fought out in
the air, did they but know it. are on
the very threshold of seeing their
prophecies fulflled-albeit the pend
ing sky conflict promises to be blood
less, unless one counts as gore the
golden life-stream that flows along
the channels of international trade.
Concern of United States.
Behind the recent announcement
that Germany and France have
formed a cooperative pool OF their
South American aviation activities
lies strategy of dire import both to
the business interests and prestige of
the United States-if some method of
checkmating it is not devised. Es-
sentially, this move has aligned COM
mercial Europe in united front
against the enterprising and pro-
ductive Yankee business man at
time when the latter is only begin
ming TO realize the rich customer pos
sibilities of Latin America. BY adroit
coordination of hitherto conflicting
interests it has given the European
exporter a two-to-one advantage over
his American rival.
Heretofore, Fance, Germany and
the United States have operated COM
petitive flying services along the rich
and populous east coast of South
America to expedite communication
between sources of supply at home
and Latin American markets. The
three -cornered rivalry was keen and
the odds more or less even. BY virtue
of the French Aeropostale (now Air
France) and the German Condor line,
plus fast steamer service across the
South Atlantic to another air trans
portation line on the Old World side,
Berlin and Paris were brought within
nine days of BuenoS Aires and eight
of Rio de Janeiro. The Yankee-op-
Grated Pan-American Airways system,
encircling both South America and
the Caribbean, made it possible for
mail passengers and express to reach
Buenos Aires from New York in eight
days or Rio in seven.
Each of these lines operated on a
weekly basis, departure and arrival
dates being suited to the best interests
Of the particular company and the
advantage Of the nationals served.
Now, however, the effect of the agree
ment reached by the French and Ger
man interests is to stagger the sched-
ules of these previously rival organi-
cations, so that the great South Amer
lean trade centers will have semi
weekly airmail service to Europe, as
compared to the old weekly service
along the east coast of the United
States. Neither line need fly any more
frequently than before, but because
they have reached practical working
agreement whereby each will handle
part of the others traffic, frequency
of service between Europe and South
America has, for all practical pur-
poses, been doubled.
That this gives the European busi-
ness man a tremendous advantage
over his Yankee rival is obvious. It Is
equally clear that this country in
scme way must rid itself % the new