Evening star., 1934-02-18

the result OF q SuQQen OeterIulIls
ton with one lightning blow ratl
business of untangling every 70
around the corrupted heart OF I
Whether or not he had plan when
he aimed the blow which shook
American aviation to its heart, 1t is
believed that some plan must be
Forthcoming very soon. Use Of Army
combat planes for the carrying Of the
mail obviously Is temporary expedient
Moreover, unless some plan Is agreed
upon soon for re-estahlishing the
civil air transport industry. it Is pos
sible that q. tremendous amount OF
damage may be done to civil aviation
In America damage which this coun-
try cannot afford to infiict.
Not only Is the air transport indus
try being shaken to its foundations,
but the aircraft and aviation engine
manufacturers also ere facing the
devastating wrath Of Q Government
which apparently Is determined to
clean its house and scotch the vermin
which infest it.
It has been objected that aviation
Is suffering too much; that 1t Is no
more guilty than other industries
which should feel the cleansing 1ires
and that 1t should not be singled out
for summary treatment. That Is
entirely beside the point. Aviation,
because Of its newness and its
glamour, has occupied an unusually
prominent place In the public eye. It's
v>~,,xssSv.~an~ iv. tba v,n,l1fr mind hos
increased the scandal Of its corrup-
tion and made necessary greater Sc
versity in the infliction Of its punish
ment; 1t must make expiation in the
public market place.
The country. however, has the
right to hope and to expect that the
speed with which the Government
struck will be matched in speed by
the undertaking Of the reconstruction
work. The work should be thorough
and careful, but it should be ac-
complished without any unnecessary
delay.
German Traffic Heavy.
The Deutsche Lufthansa, great sub
sidized German air transport system,
has completed the best year In its
history, according to q report to the
Commerce Department from Berlin.
During 1888 the total number of pay
passengers carried was reported to be
100000, an increase Of nearly Is per
cent over the 1892 total.
A large part of the success of the
system was attributed to its continu-
alton, for the first time, OF the Sum-
mer night schedule into the Fall and
Winter months. Christmas travel was
heavy and flights to Winter resorts
especially popular.
A German government air ofncial
estimates that Germany's share Of the
worlds commercial air trafiic is about
rs per cent Of mileage flown, IL per
cent Of pay passengers carried. and 80
per cent Of total freight carried In
world air trafnc.
It Is the intention Of the German
line to gradually retire singlc-motored
airplanes from. service during the
current year and to replace them with
tri-motored planes. It Is predicted
that single-motored passenger planes
will be entirely eliminated from the
German system by 1895.
The German passenger trafdc last
year, according to this report, was ap-
proximately one-f1fth as heavy as that
Of the air transport lines In the
United States last year.
In view Of the controversy in this
country over the subject Of pilots pay
and promotions. there Is more than
ordinary interest In another report
received by the Department Of Com
merce concerning the employment
terms and conditions for German
commercial pilots.
German pilots are grouped In eight
salary classes, according to length Of
time In service. The groups range
from those in service one to three
years to those in service more than
II years, and base pay ranges from
325 marks . month for the junior
class to TOO marks q month for the
2l-year men. The average rate Of
exchange Of the mark at the latest
report was 1924 cents paper and
1881 cents gold, the Department Of
Co1n9eree eYnInfned