Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-02-07
AVIATION COMMITTEE REPORTS TO
LIONS CLUB ON AIRPORT QUEST

sonal survey. not only of our airport
facilities. but also of our community
| its industries and its possibilities. We
are happy to report that he was so
impressed that he agreed to place be-
| fore the civil aeronautics authority q
supplemental application, which. in
effect, would mean that if their appli-
cation was granted to his company.
that Cut Bank would be designated as
stop.
During the several months that We
have been working on this project. We
have cultivated the friendship of sew
eral prominent men in Great Falls
and Helena. who have been very ac-
tive in the promotion of airfields and
air travel in the state for many years
1t was through these contacts that We
we're able. from time to time. to pre-
vail on people who We thought might
at some time be Of assistance to U.s.
to come to Cut Bank. and look over
not only the field itself. but the COM
munity. We wish to call your particu-
lar attention to the fact that we were
able to entertain group of filters from
the Minnesota National Guard We
were ably assisted in the entertaining
of these guests by Slim Brown. Jack
Marshall. Charlie Miller and others
who took them on fishing trip that
turned out very successfully. Later
through the efforts Of 1t. Col Clar-
ence Olson. who is now in service on
the west coast with the Montana Ma
tional Guard. we had land on our
field a medium-type Douglas army
bomber from McCord Field, Tacoma
Wash, under command of the chief
operations officer at that base. We as
sisted him in filling out rather COM
this area.
Last summer. at the time Col Royce
came to Great Falls with the three
| flying fortresses from Hamilton Field.
| California. We were invited to be the
guests CT the aviation committee Of
the Great Falls Chamber Of Commerce
Col. Royce was kind enough to give
your representatives time to present
! our material. and assured us that he
would. if opportunity presented itself,
assist us in presenting our care before
the proper authorities. Accordingly. we
gathered data which included maps.
weather statistics. etc. and sent 1t to
the commander of the first wing of
the army air corps at Riverside Calf.
who in turn gave the material to the
chief engineer of his wing for further
consideration. We are now actively
engaged in developing and bringing to
the proper authorities the advantages
of Cut Bank and its field in a nation
al defense program. We hope that the
citizens Of this community and the
Cut Bank Lions club will not be i'm
patient with our efforts.
1t would indeed be unfair to the
community and its citizens if we did
not at this time call your attention
to the splendid assistance We have had
at all times and on all occasions from
| the engineers here at Cut Bank. the
city council. county commissioners. to-
gether with many prominent citizens
who have contacts either with the air
lines or with the different federal de-
partments. We wish to further call
your attention to the splendid assist
ance We had from the Honorable B.
K. Wheeler. senator: James E. Muir
ray. senator. and Congressman James
F. O'Connor. who responded faithful
ly and whofeheartedly on every occa
sion. in presenting our material to the
proper departments and officials in
Washington. We believe that. without
their wholehearted assistance. our eff
forts might have been in vain.
In closing. We wish to thank the Lii
ons club for its confidence during the
time that We have been working on
this matter The circumstances under
which it was necessary to work could
easily bring about criticism However
instead of criticism We have on every
occasion received from your members
and the citizenry at large words of en-
! couragement
We now recommend that the Lions
club take the lead in this community
to the end that Cut Bank and Glacier
county shall provide ali suitable and
necessary facilities required by West
ern Air Express and the civil aero
! nautics administration to make Cut