Evening star., 1937-04-11

SNfSt'HS W.
cluded in this bill is concerned only
with carrying the mails, it is reason
able to contemplate it as the fulcrum
for ushering in great possibilities of
passenger and express service, as we'll
as the quickening of mail transporta-
ton, since the enormous planes that
will carry the mail overseas will also
transport passengers and express. If
this appropriation Is approved, the
tenth year following the flight of the
Lone Eagle to Paris will witness the
beginning of the regular trans Atlantic
air and passenger service, with four
round trips or eight single passages
week, carrying mail, passengers and
freight between America and Eng
land
When it fell to my lot as president
OF the National Press Club in 1927 to
introduce Col. Lindbergh to an i'm
mense and wildly enthusiastic audi
ence at the National Capital on the
night Of his return from his historic
flight to Paris, l little imagined that
a brief decade would usher in the
establishment of regular air and pas
senger service across the Atlantic, or
that it would be my privilege as a
member of Congress to report an .p-
preparation for that purpose
With these modern argosies of the
skies, vehicles of transport and car
riers of intelligence, operating on reg
ular schedules between landing fields
at New York and London, we may
we'll say that the genius of our avia-
tors has accomplished marvellous re-
suits in overcoming the vast stretches
of treacherous ocean and bringing
the two hemispheres close together.
Il 1NDER provisions Of this bill
transatlantic airnail service
will start with an appropriation of
s750,000 for that part of the fiscal
year 1898 when this service is ex-
pected to be in operation. The de-
velopment of the transatlantic air
program, of which this is the begin
ming, has been a matter of slow
growth, featured by numerous inter-
national conferences. During the last
year number of missions came over
from foreign countries to discuss the
problem with officials of our Govern
ment
The negotiations between the
British and our American officials
early took the lead among these pour
parlers and reached a climax when
an understanding was arrived at on a
practical working arrangement for
the establishment and operation of
transatlantic airmail on a strictly
reciprocal basis. 1t is to carry into
effect this $3.50 compact between the
two great English-speaking nations
that the initial appropriation is car
ried in this bill. The plan provides
that America shall operate two trans
Atlantic round trips a week and the
British shall operate the same num-
Der, making four round trips per week
half Of which will be a British serv-
ice and half of which will be q
United States service There will
be two contracts. We will have
our own contract with United
States contractor for service going
from this country, and the British
are going to have similar amount
of service with a British contractor
two round trips week from their
country over here"
MR.. LUDLOW outlined in detail
the arrangements for financing
the project through revenues from
airmail postage, for sharing the ex-
penses and for guaranteeing an equit-
able distribution Of the mail car
goes. He turned to the projected
routes
THE distance by the Northern
route from New York to London via
Shediac. Nova Scotia, and Ireland,
he explained. "is 3,418 miles. The
step-off from Newfoundland to Ireland
is sheer distance of more than 2,0OC
miles over water, without any land
ing places. BY the Southern route
VIC oLoOdliSC llOlll INtW VI 10 iOll-
don is about 5000 miles, but the
hazard Of flight is relieved by nu-
merous landing places The variou;
legs Of this flight are as follows: New
York to Bermuda, 773 miles; Ber-
muda to Azores, 2,067 miles; Azores
to Lisbon, 1850 miles; Lisbon tc
Gironde, 500 miles; Gironde to Lon.
don, 500 miles; total, 4,999 miles.
'The Northern route, it will be seen
is the shorter of the two routes by
more than 1,500 miles, but the safety
factors are on the side Of the Southern
route, and will be until more expert
ence has been acquired in combating
storms and ice in the high Northern
latitudes. Until such time, therefore,
it is expected that most of the flying
will be by the Southern route, which
is safe at all seasons Of the year. The
scheduled time for making the flight
by the Northern route will be be-
tween "a and 80 hours and by the
Southern route between SO and 40
hours. When we recall that the fast
est steamships-the Queen Mary and
the rmandie-conSume days and
20 hours making the transatlantic
trip from port to port, we have an
idea of the extent to which the new
air service will quicken mail, passenger
and express transportation"
To maintain the transatlantic
service on the basis of full performance
as he outlined it, Ludlow explained,
would cost the United States Govern
ment about $1,800,000 a year
Two departments Of the Govern
ment-the Post office Department
and the State Department-are deeply
interested in the establishment of this
transatlantic air service" the Indiana
legislator told members of the House.
.'It also Is cordially approved by the
War Department, which sees nothing
Objectionable to it from a national
defense standpoint. AS an argument
against delay it is contended that it
would be in the interest of America
to close the matter at once while it
has British acquiescence.