Evening star., 1935-03-08
NEW A|RMA|L BILL
ON HOUSE SLATE
Revised Measure Differs
Greatly From First
Mead Proposal.

Complete reorganization Of the New
Deal airmail law of last year is pro-
yided in a new airmau bill introduced
In the House late yesterday by Rep
resentative Mead of New York by in
struction Of the House Post Office
Committee of which he is chairman.
The bill, revised to meet objections
BY the Post Office Department and
airmail operators, differs in many re-
spects from the original airmau bill
introduced by Mead last month.
The committee amendments include
one demanded by Second Assistant
Postmaster General Harllee Branch
forbidding the Interstate Commerce
Commission. in fixing rates of airmail
payment, to take into consideration
airline losses resulting from "unprof-
liable maintenance of non-mail
schedules"
Retains Rate Control.
The bill retains the provision of the
original Mead bill urged by the Presi-
dent and the Federal Aviation Com
mission empowering the I. c. c. to
raise as well as lower airmail rates.
This is intended to save lines which
face bankruptcy due to operations
losses.
Another new section, adopted to
satisfy objections by airmail opera
tors, would curb the right of the Post
master General to designate as pri-
mary airmail routes any routes Of less
hor v,,iloc lonoth nnprQt0rc
contended the original bill. giving the
postal head power to designate as
either primary or secondary any route
except three primary transcontinental
routes would have given him arbitrary
and unreasonable authority and would
have jeopardized the security of every
airmail operator holding more than
one contract. The law prohibits any
contractor from operating more than
one primary route.
Another new committee provision
directs the Postmaster General to
prescribe the number and time of de-
parture of all airmail schedules and
empowers him to put airmail on any
scheduled passenger or express flight
by a plane of a contractor either be-
~
O route
Merger Controls Placed.
Merging of the companies Of any
two airmail contractors operating
competing parallel lines or the enter
ing into any agreement which may
result in common control or owner
ship of such lines is expressly pro-
hibited by another new section of the
measure.
After June 80 next no airmail con-
tractor will be allowed to maintain,
off the line of his airmail route. any
passenger or express service which in
any way competes with the passenger
or express service of another airmail
route, another new section of the bill
provides.
The new law would prohibit the
holding of an airmail contract by any
company which has as an officer or
director an unnaturaliZed foreigner
or which employs any alien as pilot
or radio operator.
Other Provisions Unchanged.
Other provisions Of the original
Mead bill are retained without much
change. They provide for consider
able expansion of the airmail system,
with a limited route mileage OF $4,000
miles and an annual flying mileage
of 100000 miles. The Postmaster
General is permitted to grant an ex-
tension of any airmail route of not
to exceed $50 miles. provided not more
than one such extension is given to
any one contractor. Pilots, mechanics
and other airmail line employees must
be paid in accordance with rates estab-
liShed by the National Labor Board
and working conditions for such EN-
ployes must conform to decisions Of
the board, it is stipulated in the bill.
The new measure, worked out IN
executive session by the House COM
mittee, in what is believed to be nearly
record time for so important a bill,
now is pending on the House calendar
and Mead is expected to press for
early action on the floor.