Evening star., 1934-05-04
NINE FIRMS GIVEN
15A|RMA|L ROUTES
Five of Contract Winners
Are VeteranS-ServiCe
Covers 16,797 Miles.

BY the Associated Press
The airmail. untouched by private
hands for nearly three months, will
go out within 80 days in the ships
of nine commercial companies over
routes totaling 1921 miles
The nine companies held today the
first contracts awarded by the Post
Office Department in its move to re-
turn the airmail to private operators.
Fifteen temporary contracts, each for
80 days, were awarded.
Five of the lines formerly held air.
mail contracts; four are newcomers.
simultaneously postal officials sent
out call late yesterday for bids on
10 new routes to be opened May Is.
along with new offers on two routes
for which proposals were rejected.
Analysis of the new contract max
ing showed five companies out of the
dozen or so which once carried the
mail were given IL of the awards.
One route apiece was handed to the
newcomers.
OtuoANus
Postmaster General Farley and Of
ficials of other departments have been
studying for more than week to
determine how fully the old contract
holders met the strict reorganization
orders that followed cancellation OF
all previous contracts February on
charges of collusion
The reorganiZations, Farley said,
were not complete in detail. He added,
however, they had apparently been
undertaken in good faith" and had
been approved upon the advice OF the
Attorney General after assurances
changes would be completed shortly.
A low bid of the Kohler Aviation
Corporation, Grand Rapids, Mich. for
the Detroit Milwaukee run, was dis
carded, Farley said, because the COM
pany retained an officer, Richard w.
Robbins, who took part in the 1880
conference of operators which, he as
serted. resulted in awards of illegal
contracts.
Two other low pids were rejected
and three were held in abeyance to
await more information on qualiflca-
tions of the companies.
Mileage to Be Increased.
Farley said the routes now outlined
and those for which new bids will De
obtained May Is would bring the air.
mail mileage network to 28,548. When
the old contracts were cancelled, 25.-
248 miles were being flown.
He estimated the cost of the en-
larged network at $4,000 600 a year, as
compared with SIG 9.454 $50 in the 1888
fiscal year and the $14,000,000 appro-
priated for the 1894 fiscal period
The transcontinental routes went to
reorganized former carriers Three
carriers got three contacts each.
United Airlines, Inc, obtained three,
one of them the Newark Oakland run.
Eastern Airlines. Inc, received the
Newark Miami. Newark New Orleans
and Chicago-Jacksonville routes.
American Airlines, Inc, Chicago,
was the other company credited with
three.
The Newark-Los Angeles mail will
be f1nown by TWA, Inc.
General Airlines, Inc, Burbank,
Calf. received a Salt Lake City-to-
San Diego contract.
Four Are Newcomers.
The new concerns receiving con-
tracts were Long g. Harman, Inc,
Dallas, Tex; Pacific Seaboard Air
lines, Inc, San Bruno, Calf. :;
Wyoming Air Service, Inc, Casper,
Wyo.. and Central Airlines, Inc.
Pittsburgh
The bids to be opened May IS will
be on comparatively short routes, de-
signed for the most part to serve as
important links and feeder lines.
The other bids rejected were those
of the Northern Air Transport. Inc,
of st. Paul, Mimi, bidding on the
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