Evening star., 1935-03-10

As a concession to objections raised
by the airmail operators to the sec
ton of the original Mead bill author
izing the Postmaster General to deSlg-
nate any route in the country as a
primary or secondary route, with the
single exception that at least three
transcontinental routes shall be prl-
maries, the committee added a clause
that no route less than
500 miles in length shall be deslg-
mated as a primary route. This Is
not expected to overcome entirely the
objections raised by the operators,
who fear the grant of such power to
the Postmaster General constitutes a
threat to the wellbeing of every air.
mail contractor operating more than
one route.
Clause Covers Losses.
Another new section, added at the
behest of Second Assistant Postmaster
General Harllee Branch, requires that
the Interstate Commerce Commission,
in fixing rates of airmail pay, shall
disregard any losses of airman con-
tractors resulting from the unproft-
able maintenance OF NOMINAL sched-
ules." This issue was raised by Mr..
Branch in a speech at ElkinS, w. Va,
during the past week.
Another new section Of the bill
would permit the Postmaster General
to prescribe the number and time OF
departure of all airmail schedules and
permit him to put airmail on any
scheduled passenger or express flight
over all or any portion Of the route
of an airmail contract holder.
Still another new section prohibits
any airmail contractor from main
tanning an off -the-line passenger or
express service which will In any way
compete with similar service upon
another airmail route. The same new
section also would prohibit airmail
contractors operating along essentially
parallel routes from merging or en-
tering into any agreement which
might result in common control or
ownership.
The employment of unnaturalized
aliens AS officers or directors Of a
or radio operators on any airman route
Is expressly forbidden.
Other essential portions Of the new
bill are substantially the same as In
the original Mead bill.
Pacific Air Service Nears.
The greatest pioneer air transport
undertaking in years is about to get
under way with the completion by
Pan American Always Of arrange
ments for airline service across the
Pacific Ocean. Flight testing OF the
big S-42 flying boats to be used In
the service is in progress and a new
operating division for the trans
Pacific service has been established
and is functioning.
The trans Pacific operating division
of the airline, which has been func-
tioning for more than two years as q
skeleton organization, has been ac-
tually formed and put into service.
The organization was completed with
the appointment of the department
heads who will administer the pioneer
ing ocean air service between Cali
fornia and China.
Clarence M. Young, former Assist
ant Secretary of Commerce for Aero
nautics, who has been named manager
of the Pacific division, has established
headquarters on the Pacific Coast
after months of preparatory work In
the New York offices.
c. H. Schildhauer, noted Navy big
boat" pilot and former assistant op-
erations manager of the Caribbean
division, who for the past year has
been engaged in field work in prepa-
ration for the trans-Pacif1c service,
has been named Pacific division op-
erations manager.
Leslie to Be Acting Manager.
]. c. Leslie, assistant division en-
pineer of the Caribbean division, has
been detached from Miami to become
acting manager for the operating
division, while G. w. Angus. acting
division communications superin-
tendent of the Western division, has
been made communications superin-
tendent of the new unit. K. A. Ken
nedy is to be acting division traffic
manager
For three years Pan-American
quietly has been gaining experience
in the type of operations it will face
this Spring over the Pacific. Nearly
three years of preparatory work now
is nearing a climax with the service
testing in Southern waters Of the
great flying boats to be used on the
Pacific run and with the setting up
Of operating bases and radio beacon
eo,,innsnt an the Pacific islands