Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1943-03-11

NxOk CONCA, doAAS AAOAA AsASAJ
Gen. Harold George, head of the
Command, all other high officials are
on military leave from the airlines
Airlines' ground crews and pilot:
are taking the lead in the A.T.C. anc
are being sent all over the world
not only assisting in the war effort
but laying permanent groundwork
for future and postwar operation.
Mrs. Luce, fully aware of all fac.
tors, has one more demand to make
to assure Americas future sky hege.
mony. This was well expressed il
her husbands weekly, newsmaga.
zine, Time, (Feb. Is, 1943), wher
in a rare news-editorial. on thu
newsstands several days prior to hel
speech, it said:
Conjugal Cooperation.
Though the u. S. has the equip.
ment and the experience, it is still
poor on pivotal bases on which all
transports depend. These bases be.
long to u. S. Allies-Britain, Russi;
d.
and China. -. Unless U. S. states.
men can wrangle the rights to theil
use, the U. S. will be left at the post
That is why air1nen say now is the
time to face the situation"
And presto change, such states.
man Cor ,stateswoman) appears il
the person of the editors own wife
Marriage Is wonderful.
In the same article, Editor Luce
offers a viewpoint program which
he says vaguely, airmen are seeking
Obviously "airmen" is sufficiently
vague for Mr.. Luce to recruit then
to his cause. The program follows
l. Ownership of bases.
2. Ownership of customs $50 tha
transient passengers and freight car
pass freely.
8. Radio communication.
4. Operations 6 without unreason-
able interference. r.>
5. Weather observation.
The latter three points are, o.
course, merely those technical re-
quirements which are essential fol
any air operation, although No. 4
apparently has political implications
The first two contain sufficient germ:
to destroy a good percentage of the
worlds merchant marines, factor
which Luce and his hackers obvious
ly have in mind.
Air routes do not follow sea OF
land routes. They operate on what
navigators call great circle courses
These have cut distances to such ar
extent that one can travel by all
from New York to Moscow today ir
less time than by train from New
York to Miami.
One can only imagine what revo.
luton this will develop. Large
centers were once founded on ses
lanes and populations developed by
ocean commerce. But today airway!
over great circle courses threaten
to reorientate the entire world anc
open vast new areas--for develop.
ment.
New Imperialism Growing.
This Imperialism of the Air is de.
finitely a child of the war. Priol
to it, authorities on air transporta.
ton seemed convinced that air freigh
would be only of a light variety
Today opinion is different. Aircraft
ranges approaching 10000 miles ane
loads equal to freight car capacity
are here. The near future will un.
doubtedly expand these consider.
ably.
Today, in front of us, stands thu
threat of merchant fleet of thu
air. Imperialist rivalry between
United States, Britain and Russia ha.
not reached the. end of the road
Just as were the automobile and the
radio, this new field stands ready
and waiting; and it contains life.
giving fluid which, when injected
into the capitalist system immedi.
ately following the war, may pro-
long its existence for several score
years. f,l' re-.
1t is force which few Socialist
have weighed for its true worth
but which our capitalists and i'm.
perialists recognize as their hope O.