Evening star., 1934-06-17

llIS, anu ny LllG 1NdIlOlldl LdUOT c
with rates Of compensation and
There was, as this was written. but
one fly in the sweet and soothing
ointment; this rogue by special prayer
of the Postmaster General and his
airmail aides, is the object Of concen-
trated efforts on the part of con-
gressional fly removers and ointment
purifiers. Departmental officials were
confident the obnoxious fellow would
be extracted.
The extraction is to be performed
through the medium Of an amend
ment to the new airmail law which
would do away with the necessity of
cancelling one of United Air Lines
primary" route contracts and five Of
the eight astonishingly low contracts
of American Air Lines. The law, as
enacted, would compel the Post Office
Department to limit airmail contracts
to any one company to a single "pri-
mary" route and total of three Sec
ondary routes or one primary and two
secondaries. The primary routes are
defined as four transcontinental routes
and the Eastern and Western coastal
routes.
Postal officials are hopeful that an
other month or two will bring perma-
net peace to the battle-shaken airmail
world and that, under the new law, a
period of steady and permanent prog
reSs will be ushered in.
Competition Becomes Keen.
Facing the first real competition be-
tween Washington and New York
since the Ludington Lines were forced
out of the picture, Eastern Air Lines
has just boosted its round trip sched-
ules between Washington and New
York to eight day. For six years
Eastern and its predecessor lines has
been without competition, except for
the three-year rivalry Of the Luding-
ton organization, in all the territory
east of the Alleghenies and south Of
New York.
Under the new airmail set-up,
American Air Lines, which, under
Cord control, has enjoyed a musn-
room growth, becomes direct COM
petitor of Eastern Air Lines. Its New
York Fort Worth route. soon to be
inaugurated, directly parallels East
ern from New York to Washington,
one of the most heavily Travelled air
ways in the world. Competition be-
tween the two lines Is building up,
even in advance of the actual Amer
lean opening, as witnessed by the
Eastern increase in schedules.
American Air Lines has inaugu-
rated service on the Nashville-Fort
Worth section of the new route and
expects to begin flying mail over the
New York Nashville section about
June 30. Passenger operations over
the Washington-Nas section may
be delayed for some time pending in
stallation of necessary facilities in this
new air transport territory. 1t is pos
sible passenger operations over the
entire route may be inaugurated next
month.
Under its new schedules Eastern
Air Lines sends Is and 18 passenger
Condors out of Washington Airport
bound for New York at $40, 5:35,
8 and II am. and 8, 4, and pm.
daily.
This Is the closest approximation
to hourly schedules since the pur-
chase of the Ludington System by
SSoN-
succeeded by Eastern Air Lines. Lud-
ington was the first air transport
organization to intensively cultivate
passenger traffic on a single short
route. Inaugurating service every
hour on the hour, this line from the
first month began smashing all world
air transport traffic records and
proved to a skeptical aviation indus
try the feasibility of frequent sched-
ules. Inability to meet the subsidized
competition of Eastern Air Transport,
with its airmail contracts, brought the
pioneering venture Of the Ludlngtons
to a close.
Without competition, Eastern Air
Transport speedily curtailed the fire.
uuency of passenger service between
Washington and New York, reaching
at one time low of three round trips
day. With eight Condor schedules
a day, Eastern Air Lines now has
more passenger seats available regu-
larly than the Ludington service, with
its smaller planes, had at the peak
of its service.
Pennsylvania Also Expands.
The New York Washington situa-
ton is repeated to the west and the
sharpest sort of competition is de-
veloping between the pioneer Pennsyl-
vania Air Lines and Central Air Lines,
which has just obtained the Wash
tngton-Detroit airmail contract.
Pennsylvania yesterday increased lts
schedules from washington to the
West to four round trips day, two
to Cleveland and two to Detroit. West
bound planes leave Washington Air
port for Detroit at 10:40 am. and
$40 pm. and for Cleveland at l:4O
and $40 pm. Direct connections are
made at Cleveland with planes OF
American Air Lines and United Air
Lines and at Detroit with Trans
continental and Western Air.
With Pennsylvania and Central In
competition, traffic over the Ale
phenies between Washington and
Cleveland is heavier, with the single
exception of the New York-Chicago
crossing, than on any mountain air
line in the world.
PENNSYLVANIA Air Lines, one OF the
real pioneers among American air
transport organizations, is the Oldest
airline out of Washington. 1t oper-
ated from Hoover Field before WASH
ington Airport was established. Penn
sylvania lost its airmail contract last
February when all contracts were can
celed and was underbid by the newly
organized Central group for the exist
ing contract between Washington and
Cleveland.
Aerial Golf Scheduled.
Washingtons first aerial golf game
is to be played next Sunday. Twenty
or more pilot golfers are expected to
play nine holes at six different air.
ports for three prizes. The unique
match is under the auspices OF the
Washington Air Derby Association and
is one of the monthly series OF sport
ing events for local amateur pilots.
The flying golfers will make drives
miles in length off the tees, carrying
the ball by airplane from green to
green. The flight will count as one
stroke in each case. Arriving at the