Evening star., 1935-11-03
BY GASTON NERvAL.

0HS OAN &~AASN <1A<s
TINE recent visit to Washington
Of the directors Of aeronautics
Of several Latin American re-
publics has served to empha-
size the unparalleled development in
aviation which the southern coun-
years.
Invited to attend Air Navigation
week in the United States, the Latin
American officials arrived in Wash
ington by plane, 1ittingly and OBJ
jectively demonstrating how much
aviation has shortened the long dis
tances separating the countries of the
Western Hemisphere.
It was only a few years ago that
Herbert Hoover, during his good will
tour of South America. foresaw this
development and spoke in one Of his
official addresses Of the day when the
New World would be crossed by air.
lines from one end to the other. His
prediction was then called prema-
ture. and one New York editorialist
referred to it as IAN optimistic glance
into the future, with a Jules Verne
touch"
At that time the Pan-American Air
ways Co., operating an airline to
Cuba, was just beginning to extend
its services from Miami 70 the west
Indies. In February of that same
wear, 1929. Co.. Lindbergh few the
first load of mail to the northern part
| of South America from the Florida
base. In August the Nybra Line was
only carrying passengers on a west
Indian hop of 125 miles.
Great Gain in Six Years.
Merely six years have elapsed since
those pioneering attempts were being
carried out in an atmosphere OF doubt
and skepticism. Today. more than
200 planes of all types cross the con-
tinent regularly from The Anglo
Saxon American shores TO the SOUTH
ernmost Latin American capitals.
One hundred and thirty-four of them
belong to the Pan-American Air
wsys. the largest air communications
system in the world, with 1926 miles
of airways linking 246 airports, and a
world record for regularity OF service
and dependability with 99.74 per cent
Of schedules maintained on time. Inc
rest fly the flags of various Latln
American commercial airlines.
! Until aviation came along, Buenos
Aires. rib de Janeiro, Santiago, Lima
Bogota and nearly all the important
cities in South America were between
two and three weeks from New YORK
bv boat. They are now only 1eW
days, by plane. Buenos Aires is with
in a week of Miami and within three
DAYS of any capital in the Southern
continent. Panama and the Canal
Zone. Colombia and Venezuela, the
Dominican Republic and the Central
American countries are all within two
days of Miami; Havana and Mexico
City are but hours away.
The influence of aerial communlca-
ton between the Americas is two-fold:
moral and material. The first to de-
rive benefits is. of course, interna-
tional trade. With the aid of aerial
transportation. commercialinterchange
is greatly encouraged-not only be-
cause innumerable commodities OF
small volume can be directly conveyed
by air express, but mainly because the
airmail service, rapid, immediate in
itself, greatly facilitates commercial
operations. financial arrangements and
all business transactions in general.
Samples Sent By Plane.
United States exporters. previous to
| the inauguration of airmail to Latin
America, had to struggle with the lack
of facilities for the rapid conveying to
South American markets of samples,
parts and other articles which were
urgently needed to overcome European