Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03

the Federal AVIATION COmmlSSl
scope is being prepared for in
a few days.
Airmail operators, through the Aero
nautical Chamber of Commerce, have
addressed urgent pleas to the Presi-
dent and Congress to increase airmail
payments, declaring that majority
of them face early bankruptcy if pres
ent rates continue. The Mead bill
would meet this situation by author
izing the Interstate Commerce Com
as well as down.
Increase of the route mileage limit
from $4,000 to $4,000 miles and total
annual flown mileage from 10000, 900
to 100000 miles is proposed in the
pending legislation. The Post Once
Department also would be empowered
by the Mead bill to extend indefinitely,
subject to rates to be prescribed by
the I. G. c., the contract of any air
mail operator who has rendered at
least nine months Of satisfactory
service. Such contracts may be term
mated upon so days notice.
Provision Vigorously Fought.
One provision of the Mead bill is
trenuously opposed by airline oper-
ators. 1t would empower the Post
master General to designate certain
routes as primary or secondary routes,
subject only to the provision that at
least three transcontinental routes
shall be designated as primary. The
law prohibits any company from
holding more than one primary route.
The airmail contractors fear that
the proposed amendment would put
them in constant jeopardy. Under
it, they say, the Postmaster General,
without hearing, notice or reason,
could rob a company Of contract by
declaring any two Of its routes to be
primary routes.
In some respects the New Deal
airmail legislation Of last year
has proved inequitable or unavoidable.
The proposed amendments are in
tended to correct the worst of the
existing evils and to provide work
able law until such time as Congress
may enact the proposed national
transportation law providing for uni
fed control of transportation by land
sea and air.
Local Airway Busy.
The Washington-New York airway
scene of the worlds first regular air.
mail service and at one time the
most heavily travelled airway in the
world, today ranks as the second
heaviest travelled airway in the United
States, with nine round trips a day
being flown by Eastern Airlines.
The nine schedules each day are
being flown with Douglas and Condor
airplanes, the flying time over the
2O3 smile route ranging from rs min'
utes for the Douglases to ITO minutes
for the Condors, which make inter-
mediate stops at Philadelphia anc
Baltimore.
South of Washington Douglas
planes are used exclusively on the
Miami route, while both Douglas anC
Condor planes fly the New Orleans
airway.
The Washington-New York airway
reached its maximum activity before
the business depression, when the
pioneer Ludington Airlines. later abb
sorbed by Eastern Air, operated sched-
ules in both directions every hour or
the hour from early morning tc
nightfall. During this period pas
senger records were established which
have not been exceeded in regular
service in any part of the world.
Eastern Airlines, by intensive cul-
tivation of passenger traffic along the
Atlantic seaboard, gradually is build
ing up again to the levels of the
boom" days Of 1929.
British Discuss Airships.
On the evening of February - the
U. S. S. Macon, last of the great
American airships, as many believe
went to a Pacific oblivion. At the
same time. in England, presses were
rolling off an exceedingly interesting
article on the whole military airshir
question by Capt. j. A. Sinclair. for
merry of the British Royal Air Force
The Sinclair view is that the airshir
has a very definite value; his article
contains pungent arguments in be.
half of lighter-than-air development
1t is. of course, pure coincidence
that while the Macon was going down
a paper like that of Capt. Sinclair
sturdily supporting the airship should
be in process of publication. The ar
ticle deals in some detail with the
Macon and the whole United States
airship program.
THE cost of airshipS and their vul-
nerability are the foundation Of all
arguments against this type of air.
craft" says Capt. Sinclair in his ar
ticle, printed in The Aeroplane
From our shiftless policy and spas
modic efforts during the past Is years
no true estimate of expenditure and
return can be given. We must there
fore 60 to our worthy cousins across
the Atlantic, who at least have some
sort of policy. and who have pursued
in spite of equally hard knocks. a
steady course of airship develop
ment."
Favor English View.
Even while the words were being
printed, the United States airship
policy apparently was going to the
bottom of the Pacific with the Macon,
and the United States, having had
enough of hard knocks, was becoming
one with England in the matter of
an airship program.
Sinclair pointed out that the United
States, for its entire airship program,
including the airship fields and docks
at Lakehurst, N. j., and Sunnyvale,
Calf; the airships Shenandoah, Ak
ron and Macon; the British-built air
ship, R-38; airship equipment on the
U. S. S. Patoka, and five airship
mooring masts in various parts of
the country. has spent $780, 900
about SIS, 100000.
1.-THE total sum is little more than
half the amount this country has
spent during the same period on one
particular aircraft carrier, and is con-
siderably less than the cost of single
L.,