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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0608.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 21, 1084 whether this figure would be suitable. It seemed clear, however, that the Post Office would have to retain the present Empire postage rate of l^d. for the first ounce and Id. for each subsequent ounce, otherwise there would be an outcry from that body of correspondents who were not so much concerned with the saving of transit time in their correspondence as with the cost of it. Until, therefore, all first-class mail could be carried by air at existing surface rates, the best policy might be to give the option of send- ing letters by the surface route at the existing Empire rate instead of by air at a higher flat rate. The joint deputation again urged that it was the func- tion of the Post Office to provide for the dispatch of the business mail by the quickest possible form of transport, and that the cost, therefore, of such services should be borne by the Post Office. In his reply the Postmaster-General said that he was very glad to receive the deputation and grateful for all the assistance which the Chambers and the Federation had given to him. So far as the specific points dealt with by the deputation were concerned, the reply would of neces- sity have to be of a general character. The subjects raised were most important both from the point of view of this country and of the Empire as a whole, and he was fully in sympathy with the motives underlying the ideas put forward. Although it was not the function of the Post Office to establish air services, it was the settled policy to use any established air service which offered sufficient regularity and acceleration as compared with the surface routes. The whole question of the air services was at present being examined by the Departments concerned, and due note would be taken of all that the deputation had said to him. They would appreciate that such examination raised ques- tions of much complexity, and that it would take some time before any conclusion was reached. It had been suggested that the duty of subsidising air services should be transferred from the Air Ministry to the Post Office ; but the Postmaster-General pointed out that, although the Post Office had a surplus of 13 million pounds, under the Finance Act of last year lOf millions of that sum had to be handed over to the Exchequer, and certainly this large contribution was most valuable in reducing taxa- tion and thus helping trade and industry. Many people would like to see a larger amount available for the Post Office, but it must be clear that money taken away from the Exchequer must be found in some other way by the general taxpayer. Many people were urging such things as a return to Id. postage, reductions in the charges for telegrams and in many other directions. The position was that for the carriage of air mails the Post Office paid the charges due for the services rendered by the air companies, and the view would certainly be taken in many quarters that it would be unwise for his Department to pay anything in the nature of a hidden subsidy. At present the appropriate subsidy was paid by the Air Ministry, and Parliament and the public knew exactly what was being paid. AIR TRANSPORT IN SWEDEN "A.B.A." Celebrates Ten Years' Operation N June 2, 1924, an aeroplane belonging to the Swedish company A.B. Aerotransport made the first flight on the Stockholm-Helsingfors route. This proved to be the beginning of a regular air route which was to achieve solid success. Difficulties there were, and obstacles had to be overcome, but Capt. Carl Florman and those associated with him in the under- taking never lost faith, and to-day their courage and tenacity have placed the Swedish Air Lines well in the fore- front of well-managed operating companies in Europe. Careful maintenance has always been the watchword of this , line, and one result has been an absence of accidents which has been reflected in the confidence represented by steadily- growing traffic. On June 2 this year the company cele- brated its first ten years of operation in Stockholm, where a number of Swedish and foreign air representatives were present to express their admiration for the good work done by the company. It is somewhat sad to reflect that a check in the work is threatened in the form of talk of stopping the Government subsidy. Swedish steamship lines are said to be behind this threat, as the rapid air services operated by A.B. Aerotransport have proved very serious competitors in the bid for traffic. The withdrawal of the subsidy, if it does take place, will be an obstacle, but like others that have been overcome, we feel that Capt. Florman will surmount this one. A.B. AeTotransport has published a very interesting booklet on it activities during the past ten years, in which many interesting events are recalled. We have not the space to deal with these in detail, but it may be pointed out that the opening of the Stockholm-Helsingfors route on June 2, 1924, was followed by the inauguration of the Malmo-Hamburg route on July 1. In Stockholm the " aerodrome " was the sheltered harbour at Lindarangen, used as a seaplane base, and the scene of the Stockholm Aero Show in 1932. In Malmfj a very good aerodrome was established at Bulltofta. On May 15, 1925, the Malmo- Hamburg route was extended to Amsterdam. In 1928 experimental night flights between Stockholm and London were made during the months of June, August and September. The company uses Fokker and Junkers machines, and recently a Northrop " Delta " has been added to the fleet. We congratulate A.B. Aerotransport on its first ten years, and express the hope that the next ten will be as successful and creditable. ANOTHER FEEDER-LINE MACHINE Built specially for the " feeder-line " services of K.L.M., the Koolhoven F.K.48 monoplane shown here may be fitted with two " Gipsy Major " or " Hermes IV " engines. Four different cabin layouts are available : for " feeder-line " work, air taxi service, joyriding, or for the carriage of freight or mail. In its " feeder-line " form, the machine carries pilot, wireless operator, six passengers and luggage at a cruising speed of 118 m.p.h. For an aircraft of only 260 h.p. this is a very creditable performance. 608
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