TAKE THE AIR

The proposed St. Paul to Boston route of the General Airways System calls to mind the extraordinary backwardness of the United States in all lines of commercial aeronautics. Records for speed and altitute fall before American army pilots, but still the fact remains that there is not a single commercial air line in this country. In Europe during the last six years progress in this direction has been swift and certain. Air lines with regular schedules now connect all the principal cities, while several competing routes join the more important capitals. On one line alone, that between London and Paris, fifty thuosand passengers have been carried since the armistice. With modern well-equipped planes the danger of accident is reduced to a minimum. This mode of transportation is rapidly increasing in popularity due to its speed, comfort and reliability. It is said, too, that the majority of the tourist air travellers are Americans.

Perhaps the success of European air transport may be attributed to the fact that it is heavily subsidized by the governments. Notwthstanding the present program of strict economy at Washington, government support for needed air lines would be entirely justified by the benefits such rapid transportation would confer upon the country. Much of the early railroad construction was carried out by means of state or federal subsidies in one form or another, and the results have in most cases amply warrented the expenditures. Through judicious government aid there could be built up a system of air transportation which would be of immense benefit to all parts of the United States.