Evening star., 1947-10-26
World Air Pact
Americas Aim
Universal Economic Rule
Will Be Objective at
Geneva Parley
Bv james J. Strebiq

O111SAdAo o2S AASNNAAAo SSs
the civil aviation conference at
Geneva, Switzerland, loaded for
bear" They're convinced it's now
or never for their cherished plan
for a global treaty under which every
nation would fly by the same set OF
economic rules.
Never, since the 1914 conference
at Chicago, when major efforts to
write a "multilateral" (many-sided
or many-nation) agreement began.
has the State Department prepared
so carefully and intensively to push
its ideas across.
The conference begins November
8. United States officials are hope
full they can get the pact signed
within a month, but in no event
will they sign an agreement that
does not come up to American
standards of free and fair compe-
tition.
Stated briefly, the Geneva con-
ference is aimed at writing a treaty
for the exchange of commercial fly
ing rights. There never has been
successful treaty of that type ex-
cept between two countries or a
family of states such as the British
Commonwealth.
Aims of Conference
The United States believes any
multilateral agreement should be
based on the agreement 1t signed
with the British at Bermuda. That
established principles of fair play
and method of mediating differ
ences.
Some countries doubt the value
of a global agreement Others want
such a pact to involve lot more
control than the Bermuda plan.
They would like to see the agree
ment provide for centralized eco
nomic control, amounting in essence
to a division of the worlds air trans
port business.
This country today has "a agree
ments with other countries. All but
one, with Colombia, signed in 1929,
are dated after November, 1914,
which marks the birth of the five
freedoms principle.
The five freedoms" are these:
/. To fly across a country without
stopping.
2. To fly across country and stop
for nontraffic purposes, such as re-
fueling
3. To carry passengers from the
aircraft operators home country to
another country
4. To pick up passengers In an
other country and carry them to
the operators home country.
S. To pick up passengers in an
other country and carry them to .
third country.
The fifth freedom" is the bitter
est battle-ground. You will hear more
Of 1t if you follow the Geneva ne
gotiations. because it is a funda-
mental point in the Bermuda plan.
tits basic principle for the long
line operations flown by United
States airlines, because it permits
them to fill up empty seats along
their routes.
u. S. Delegates Instructed
Passengers who ride on planes
flown through country TX" by the
United States do not ride on the
airline operated by "x' between its
neighbors.
However. the Bermuda plan Is de-
signed to avoid unfairness by limit
ing such pickup traffic to the rea-
sonable capacity needed to operate
the long route. Country TX" needs
that long route through its territory
to link it with distant nations. The
price is loss of a portion of its re-
gional traffic.
The United States delegation to
Geneva has instructions which are
basically:
/. To obtain an agreement incor-
porating the Bermuda fifth free
dom" provision.
2. To incorporate fair-practice
rules with provision for advisory de-
cisions in disputes to be made by
some impartial tribunal.
8. Obtain an agreement that de-
termination of routes be left to in
dividual negotiation.
4. Apree on some method for
-'oiii~c re wars
Il, -. :. Az ial