Evening Star Newspaper, January 1, 1930, Page 34

INFANT INDUSTRY SHOWS SPECTACULAR PROGRESS Domestic Radio-Telegraphic Networks Laid to Serve Public—Progress in Television Augurs Success. BY ROBERT MACK. PURRED on by a responsive and ' expectant world, radio, that vig- orous, almost reckless, youngster of industries, has crashed its way | through another year of spec: tacular achievements. Entering the homes of half the Na- tion’s populace, broadcasting set out to | outdo itself. and succeeded. Hardly a | week passed without some accomplish- | ment that shoved its immediate prede- | cessor from the public eve. Record | broadcasts and nation-wide hook-ups, | gala events even the year before, were | Telegated to the commonplace. and in- | ternational rebroadcasts stepped into radio’s “big time.” | The year 1929 will be remembered | principally as broadcasting’s year of | rehabilitation. From the regulatory | side it was devoted largely to the re- claiming of reception from squeals and interferences which had engulfed it dur- | ing preceding years of lax regulation. | But there was no stopping of the| record-smashing pace in its varied other | phases. Scientifically and industrially | there was phenomenal progress. Now the microphone presents the greatest | show on earth every night. The royalty of the world’s performers who long hesitated to tread before the unseen afidience yielded to the spell of radio. Cold figures, it is expected, will show | that radio has jumped into the select group of world industrics, with a gross| turnover in the billion-doilar region. Radio-Telegraphic Development. It was on radio’s serious side that the greatest development took place. In those upper reaches of the ether known as the high frequencies invisible lines of communication took shape. The year 1929 saw the beginning; 1930 will see the finished product. Domestic ra- dio-telegraphic networks—communica- tions roadways of the sky—are being laid out to serve the public like the wire companies. They will supplement those existing transoceanic radio-telegraph services that reach to every civilized nation and to some not so civilized. Television again gripped the public's imagination and was the primary ob- Jjective of the scientific research. It still remains within the confines of the laboratory, although progress in 1929 was material. The actual product it- self—pictures of animate objects hurtled through space—is coming as sure as fate, but the process necessarily will be slow and guarded. Too much was ex- ted of it. It peeped out of the ry prematurely, and a world's aroused fascination is doomed tempo- rarily to disappointment. Despite the lack of real entertainment value in the type of pictures trans- mitted, the “looking audience” grew during the year. The number of visual broadcasting stations increased from 10 to a score, all on an experimental basis and under severe restriction. Tele- visi broadcasts are conducted in the short-wave spectrum over special chan- nels 10 times the width of broadcasting channels. Radio amateurs or mechan- ically inclined fans make up the siz- filgm group of “lookers,” estimated at Some of the mist that blurred tele- vision pictures was erased as 1929's contribution, and the visual art took on clearer Just as the year closed the Westinghouse company revealed thel development of a process whereby tele- vision may be flashed on a motion pic- ture screen so that large audiences may see it, as contrasted with the current method of looking into a “peephole” on the televisor. Crowning Achievement. ‘The crowning scientific achievement ©f 1929 was the introduction of ship-to- shore telephony on commercial scale, 50 that every single telephone in the United States—and there are 19,000,000 of them—can be connected directly with ships on the high seas equipped for such service. ‘The broadcost band, clessst to the hearts of the people, was turned topsy- turvy by the sweeping reallocation ef- fected in November, 1928. Then there was the readjustment period for broad- casting. The assignments on the air of 94 per cent of the 600-odd stations were juggled about to conform with the Davis equalization law. Although there remain troubles aplenty in broad- casting, it is generally conceded that today conditions are the best they can be under the physical limitations. A Race for Supremacy. Vying for the affections of the lis- teners, the two national radio chains, National Broadcasting Co. and Colum- bia Broadcasting System, staged a spectacular race for program suprem- acy. The result has been all in favor of the fickle audience, with the finest in entertainment now featured regu- larly. Columbia fortified its position somewhat through a financial affilia- tion with the Paramount Famous-Las- key Corporation, which secured a 50 per cent interest in the chain. ‘There was a definite trend toward higher power for broadcast stations. As the year ends there are eight sta- tions using the maximum power of 50,- 000 watts, as compared to half that number the preceding year. In addi- tion, six others were given authority to erect super-powered transmitters, while & dozen applications are pending. The year saw the inauguration of in- ternational interchange of programs, whereby European programs were heard by American listeners, air line, and vice versa. International rebroadcasting on regular schedule has been arranged by both chains and is promised full swing during the ensuing year. Short-Wave Spectrum. ‘Those inexplicable, peculiar short waves which have the faculty of skip- ing over broad expanses of territory ge!ore they come down to earth and may be received, showed the greatest development from the economic stand- point, But they were not without legal entanglements. Even now there are pending in the courts half a dozen ap- peals from the commission’s method of parceling out these tremendously valu- able channels to private companies for the setting up of networks for public service. Only recently discovered through the experimentations of the amateurs, the continental spectrum lies just above the broadcast band and cmbraces 639 | channels of standard width. It is in | this space where television must go. Commercial aviation, entirely pendent upon radio for its communi- cation, has been allotted blocks of these !ruguncles. Ship-to-shore radio-teleg- raphy and telephony are accommodated in it. Emergency radio services, ama- teurs, necessary experiments and, in fact, all of radio’s overflow, must be provided for in these bands. Radio’s New Paradise. It was a scant few years ago that the high frequencies were considered radio’s graveyard. Now they are radio’s new paradise. Tremendous competition for seats in this ethereal theater de- veloped among private enterprise, so there’s standing room only now. But the commission intervened with the edict that only public utilities, or those guaranteeing general service to the peo- ple, would be accorded channels. Mu- arctic, totally without wire communica- tionsy geophysical workers who use radio waves in ofl and other under- ground explorations; electric power companies, which must keep their dynamos humming during devastating storms that tear away wire lines—these are some of the necessary private serv- ices for which the precious channels were provided during the year. As 1930 dawns the Universal Wire- less Communications Co., Inc., throws open the first segment of its proposed nation-wide network for a domestic communication service. A dozen cities, largely in the East, are linked. By the end of 1931 it must tie up, without wires, 110 cities throughout the country. Universal obtained the bulk of fre- quencies available for such service be- cause it claimed, and proved to the commission’s satisfaction, that it could do more with them from the engineer- ing standpoint. The others in the wild scramble for frequencies were left in the lurch, with only the Radio Corpor- ation of America getting domestic fre- quencies. News dispatches from all corners of the globe will come into the United States via radio, to be redistributed among domestic newspapers, again by radio. The continent itself should be “covered” like a blanket, through radio transmision of news, as one of 1929's contributions. Press Wireless, Inc., a public utility organization which must serve all press interests alike, was formed during the year. International Communications eIn the international portion of the short wave band, from the operations end, there was little of moment. But the threat of foreign domination of communications grew more real as British and other nations merged their wire and cable holdings, while Amer- ican communications, blocked by thé statutes, were forced to go it alone, and, withal, severely competitive among themselves. A determined move to lift the statutory barrier is being made as America’s only hope of retaining her high place in world ‘communications. A fusion of R. C. A. International Tele- phone and Telegraph and Western Union, the three competitive com- panies, each globe-girdling in itself, is sponsored by Owen D. Young, head of e former company, and by Sosthenes Behn, the I. T, & T. president. International radio-telegraph and radio-telephone services were in opera- tion full blast during the preceding year, working with every continent. In international negotiation as to the use of these frequencies, both in the domestic and transoceanic portions, there was activity. At a technical con- ference held at The Hague in September, the leading radio minds of the world agreed upon reduction in the width of these channels by one-half, because of material progress made in apparatus design, which permits operation on narrower channel widths without in- terference. This had the effect virtus 1y of doubling the number of fre- quencies available to the world. Aviation in Radio. After months of experiments, avia- tion found its communications haven in the low, intermediate and high frequen- cies. Both radio-telephone and tele- graph communications from planes in flight to the ground were established, and are being increased day by day. Because aviation i3 entirely dependent upon radio for communications, it was given the pick of the ether. In August a plan for orderly alloca. tion of channels among the air trans- port lines and for the use of taxi or itinerant planes was worked out. The 69 channels were divided up, a portion for use co-operatively by the air trans- port companies, for telephone and code contacts, and the other apportioned equi- tably for specific uses, The Airways Division of the Commerce Department supervised the distribution. Particular precautions were taken to provide a reservoir of frequencies in anticipation of commercial aviation's growth. Radio alds to air navigation, like range beacons, were added to during the year. The greatest of the aviation hazards, flying through fog and “soupy” weather, are being obliterated through the use of radio “homing” devices. By the simple expedient of watching an instrument on_his dashboard the pilot can tell when he is on the right course. The entire country is being charted with directive beacons so that & pilot can fly to the exact location of the beacon and thereby locate the landing field without ever seeing land. The Industry. A temporary recession at the year's fag end, brought about by the general business hesitation after the stock mar- ket crash, did not deter the radio in- dustry from vaulting over its record of the preceding year. Although only rough approximations are available, it is estimated that the one-billion-dollar mark was reached in annual turnover, ‘There was a material reduction in prices of recelving sets, tubes and other accesories during the year. Brought about to some extent by mass produc- tion and general stabilization of the market, the predominating factor, how- ever, was the intense competition which developed. The year's new wrinkle in recelving sets was the screen grid tube, heralded as making possible extreme fidelity of reproduction, and bringing to the lis- tener velvety depths of tone never be- fore achieved. Remote control opera- tion of receivers was boomed for 1929, but did not win national listener ac- claim. Radio’s 1928 turnover was estimated at $650,000,000 by the trade. The in- creased activity in radio-telegraphy with scores of new transmitters purchased, a decided upturn in export trade, the almost universal adoption of installment selling of sets, and the price decline united in making 1920 radio's banner year, trade leaders declare, A survey made by the Commerce De- partment during the year concluded that, in all its branches, from mes- sengers to magnates, some 350,000 per- sons are provided livelihoods by radio. The pay roll itself is estimated at about $400.000.000 annually. ‘The stupendous growth of radio since 1921, when it had its advent, may be gleaned from other industrial figures. |In 1929 there are 800 manufacturers of | sets and accessories, 14,000 wholesalers, jobbers and distributors, and more than 35,000 retailers. In broadcasting it is estimated that the 382 commercial sta- tions have about 10,000 local and na- tional advertising accounts, which translate themselves into expenditures olfsl $75,000,000 annually for radio adver- t! ng. Some 62,000,000 American people— more than half the Nation's population —listen to radio programs, grouped about 13,000,000 receiving sets. This is the estimate made by a large broadcast- ing organization toward the ye: nd. Arduous Year for Regulation. It was another arduous year for radio regulation. The art has outgrown the law, and Congress now is in process of measuring it up for new legislative handcuffs_and strait-jacket. It pro- icipal police services, to catch fugi- tives bv the quick dispatching of in- structions by radio: scientific expedi- Mmns like the Byrd party in the Ant- g poses a P 1 commission on com- munication to control wires as well as radio, fix rates, and otherwise clear up ambiguous provisions of the old law. NG _STAR, WASHINGTON minutes, then, after a pause, flight, (1) Comdr. Byrd and his pilot (2), Bernt Balchen, who made history In their flight over airplane, of ancient Maya cities in Central America have added to his laurels as an aviator; set a new speed record of 332.49 miles per hour; (5) Capt. Frank M. Hawks, who Eckener, who flew his Gral Zeppelin around the world in 21 days, the Atlantic and was never heard from again; 8 hours and 26 setting a new mark of 420 hours and 21 minutes; (13 and 14) Capt. Dieudonne miles, without a stop; (15 and 16) Maj. Tadeo Larre-Borges and Licut. Leon Challes, (8 and 9) Roger Q. Willlams and Capt. Lewis A. Yancey, ; on to Rome; (10) Maj. Roman Franco, who, landed in the ocean and drifted for a week before being picked up: (11 and 12) D. C, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1930 —h—%———:“—% spanned the continent twice within a the South Pole; (3) Charles Lindbergh, Flying Officer R. L. R. Atcherly of the British Air Service, who day and a half flying time; (6) Dr. Hugo whose discoveries, by minutes; (7) Urban Diteman of Montana, who flew East in an attempt to cross Dale Jackson and Forest O’Brien, who flew to Spain across the sea in 31 hours and 31 with three companions, tried {o fly from Spain to the United States, but whose plane ‘who broke the endurance record for sustained Coste and Maurice Bellonte, who flew from Paris to Manchuria, 4,486.6 who flew from France to South America. But Congress is conducting a sweeping | investigation into all communications. Charges of an illegal radio monopoly against the Radio Corporation of Amer- ica have been bandied about almost since the war, and are being investi- gated from the ‘standpoints of com- mzmmuw, manufacturers and pat- ents. Two new faces appeared on the com- mission during the year to replace Commisisoners Sam Pickard and O. H. Oaldwell, who had resigned. They are Maj. Gen. Charles McK. Saltzman, retired, a close friend ef President Hoover, to. succeed Pickard, and William D. L. Starbuck, as Caldwell's successor. Ira E. Robinson remained as chairman, with Judge E. O. Sykes and Commissioner Harold A. Lafount held over. Litigation. Jurisprudence got its first real dose of radio litigation during 1929 and found it & hard potion to swallow. The highly technical nature of the subject, with no legal precedent, made it par- ticularly difficult for the courts to ren- der apt and learned opinions. It may be said without hesitancy that the lower courts hedged in their decisions and avoided the necessity of passing upon the major issues, like property rights, and the status of radio in performance of public service. These are being re- Supreme Court of the United States. Nevertheless, radio law was written during the year, and many bothersome points cleared up by court interpreta- tion. Whereas only half a dozen radio cases have bgen before the courts since radiy’s advent as a public necessity, last year alone saw more than two dozen invade the Court of Appeals of the Dis- trict of Columbia. This court, under the radio act, is the body just above the commission and may review its actions. All of the cases were in the nature of lrpelh from decisions of the commis- sion, Important Patent Cases. Litigation in other courts for the most part involved patents. The most im- portant was the issuance of a perma- nent injunction against the Radio Corporation of America in the tube licensing case. The court held the Radio Corporation of America had vio- Jated the anti-trust laws by requiring set manufacturers under Radio Corpo- ration of America patents initially to equip their sets with Radio Corporation of America tubes. Aside from the basic regulatory ac- tivities, the Government continued its radio activities on large scale. The military services, the greatest users, however, maintained their operations largely behind the scenes, for they sim- ply carry on in peace times to be pre- pared for emergencies, when communi- cation is the vital connecting link that spells victory or failure. ‘T:chnical and scientific agencies, like the Bureau of Standards and the Naval Research Laboratories, continued their relentless pursuits in trying to oblit- erate static, and generally to clear radio’s throat of all extraneous noises. The process is gradual and results slow, but these laboratories know no failure. Amateurs Continue to Score. served for ultimate judgment by the | BY JAMES L. WEST, Assoclated Press Staft Writer. Political soothsayers turn now to the crystal formed by the criss-cross events of 1929 in the hope of descrying what lies in store for party fortunes in the forthcoming congressional elections. Looming largest within the mystic ball is the peculiar pattern formed by developments in the Senate tariff re- vision controversy and the routing of the ant{-Smith Democratic-Republican coalition in the election of an old-line Democrat as Governor of Virginia. What effect each is to have in the selection of a new House of Representa- tives and one-third of the members of the Senate next November is the ques- tion to which these intent observers seek an answer. ‘Will the tariff fight, which has thrown a gulf between the Northwestern Sena- tors and the President, cause a political uphcaval comparable to some of those which, in the past, followed in the wake of general tariff revisions? Does the result in the Virginia guber- natorial election portend a sway of the pendulum which will erase gains in the House which the Republicans made in the Old Dominion and several \other Southern States a little more than a year ago as Hoover split the solld South for the first time since reconstruction days? Effect of Others. Along with these go puzzles as to,the effect of other, although lesser, politi- cal events of the passing year. There is the matter of the President’s effort to consolidate his Southern gains by form- ing coalition patronage committees made ward into the great unknowns of the ether during 1929, and again discovered. ‘This little group of 17,000 experimenters, to whom radio is hobby, actually maintained two-way jnternational com- munication on channels beyond 23,000 kilocycles, now regarded radio’s road's end. Engineers predict a great new band of frequencies will be opened there, as a result of the ethereal mean- derings of the amateurs. The world owes to the amateurs a debt of everlasting gratitude. They first discovered th: | cles—everything above 1,500 kilocycles —existed, and pointed the way to their use. Then, while the world greedily scrambled for - the fabulously valuable domains, the amateurs, the discoverers, quietly backed away, and sought new ‘The amateurs, that hardy advance guard of radio explm'ei. pushed on- worlds to conquer. (Copyright, 1930.) ¢ the high frequen- | tees PECULIAR POLITICAL PATTERN STUDIED FOR 1930 RESULTS Tariff Controversy Among Events Which Have Formed Criss-Cross in Congress Circles. up of anti-Smith Democrats and Re- publicans and & “house cleaning” within the Republican organizations in some of the States of Dixie. There also is search for an answer to the question of to what extent national political feeling was expressed in the Off year 1929 elections, in which the Democrats held the Kentucky Legisla- ture, re-elected a mayor of New York City and put into ofice mayors in a number of normally Republican cities in Indiana. Events in the Senate have been vari- ously translated by political students. They have consisted first in disagree- ment between the Northwestern Repub- llean Senators, including Borah of Idaho. and Brookhart of Iowa, and President Hoover principally on the tariff, and secondly in the formation cf an independent bloc around Borah, La Follette and Norris, Coalition Formed By Bloc. ‘This bloc has formed a coalition with the Democrats similar to that existing Just before the 1924 elections and when a tax revision measure was before Con- gress. The old guard Republicans final- 3 fluflt‘r}d;fig) to :l:l: ooldmnn on the , findin mselves hopeless| ouan':x‘mb:nd, 5 R of that situation sprang up a “Young Bloc” of Mmmhfilmn n- ators fairly new in their jobs, but intent on gettis some action on the tariff. This legislation, always the main point of difference between the old political parties, still is in the making with a long controversy in prospect and one on which the Democrats will go to the country. Failure of Congress. Jouett Shouse, who took over direc- tion of national Democratic affairs early in 1929 with headquarters in Washing- ton, made this clear in a statement issued at the end of the special session g;r U&l:’;e:ll And’ln Which he laid blame ailure of Congress to act on the Both” pariics ave prep ring for the S are prepa: lor impending contest for the support of the voters. Claudius H. Huston, a busi- ness executive of Tennessee, new chair- man of the Republican national com- mittee, is co-?erlunl closely with the senatorial and congressionel commit- s, Mr. Shouse, who was appointed John J. Raskob, chairman o ptom Dem:’-' cratic national committee, has been ex- ceedingly active both in With His i the ‘cons committees g:uhnll ne:nmuhnn': :hl.n in issuing passing political evepts. - FORUM 1S FEATURE OF YEAR IN RADIO Nation Meets Prominent Of- ficials in Weekly Discus- sions of Vital Subjects. In retrospect, 1929 was a_year of outstanding importance to Washing- ton in the realm of radio. The governmental heart of the Na- tion, Washington has, of course, been looked upon as one of the leading broadcasting centers, but its position in this respect was not firmly estab- lished until this year. The coming of the Columbia Broadcasting System, which selected Station WMAL as its outlet in the Capital, was largely re- sponsible for this assuring recognition. keen competition that developed between Columbia and its rival, the National Broadcasting Co., resulted in an increased number of program fea- tures originating in Washington being sent over the respective networks. Out- standing is the National Radio Forum arranged by The Star, which has served to introduce to the Nation cabinet members, members of Congress and prominent Government officials who have spoken in this weekly series of broadcasts. The forum, which started early in March, is now a firmly in- trenched weekly feature carried bi WMAL and a coast-to-coast networl of Columbia stations. Columbia re- gards it as one of the most important programs originating in Washington, in view of the tremendous response re- ceived by the weekly talks throughout the country. Regular concerts by the Army, Navy and Marine Bands have other prominent features which the networks have carried to the country during the year, The Pan-American concerts also figured prominently in the network broadcasts, but one of the major events of the year handled by both the Na- tional and Columbia systems were the inaugural ceremonies for President Hoover. STRAWBERRY SHIPMENTS EARLIEST IN 15 YEARS Mild weather and the absence of heavy rains have helped farm work in Florida. Fertilization of groves, plow- ing of staple crops and shipments of u.rlymvelmhlu and citrus are pro- Rress| 3 Shipments of tomatoes in carloads have in from the southeastern part of the State, and strawberry shipments in carload lots are being made. This is the earliest that strawberries have been shipped in carload lots in 15 years. its of beans, squash and cucumbers from the State continue to move. OCitrus movements to North- era markets conijaue unabated. Commercial Firms S BY OWEN L. SCOTT. HICAGO, January 1—Avia- tion became a _billion-dollar industry in the United States during the past year, and at once turned its eyes toward the not distant future when the use of the fiying machine will be as natural as that of the motor car today. At the same time this youthful giant among American commercial enterprises encounteredJroblems and competition that revealed important shortcomings. It is evident that scientists and engi- neers have a tremendous task cut out for them before this country can have machines which test the real possibili- ties of air commerce. But this task now is being shouldered, and the gains made in an unprece- dented year of development will be ex- tended rapidly. Two things character- | ized the development—first, an amazing influx of capital, which gave the indus- try really more inoney than it could use, and, second, the rapid extension of commercial service. ‘When stock market prices were at their height it is estimated that ap- proximately $1,100,000,000 was repre- sented in aviation securities on all ex- changes. The late October and early November crash in stock prices cut ap- proximately $400,000,000 from this pa- per total and ended the financial honey- moon. When it is appreciated that all | civil aviation four years ago probably could have been purchased for $5,000,- 000, the extent of the boom can be appreciated. United States Leads. Out of this hectic period of sudden and tremendous stimulation has come such progress that the United States, according to the National Committee on Aeronautics, now leads the other | nations of the world in the use of air- craft for commercial purposes. This group points out in reporting to Presi- dent Hoover that the day is not far | distant when the use of planes will be | most common. | But, it adds, “the public is not willing |to pay the present costs of travel by air.” ~Here is the rub, so far as com- | mercial operating companies are con- | cerned, and the committee properly as- | serts and the men in the industry agree | that scientific research must go forward unremittingly to cut costs so that air travel may be no more expensive than | travel by rail and bus. At the same time science must find ways to eliminate accidents so completely that the human being’s natural disinclination to get both | fert off the ground may be overcome. | Progress Reveals Shortcomings. | IS has been the extent of this yea | progress which revealed the industry saortcomings. What the growth of av | | otion has been is best revealed by Pres- | ident Hoover in his message to the present Congress. He says: “During the last year progress in civil | aeronautics has been remarkable. This |is to a considerable degree due to the | wise assistance of the Federal Govern- ment through establishment and main- | tenance of airways by the Department |of Commerce and the mail contracts | frowa the Post Office Department. “The Government improved airways | now exceed 25,000 miles, more than 14,000 miles of which will be lighted and equipped for night flying opera- tions by the close of the current year. Airport construction through all” the States is extremely active. There are now 1,000 commercial and municipal airports in operation, with an addi- uon:l 1,200 proposed for early develop- ment. is building a sound aviation system operated by private enterprise. More tl 6,400 planes are in commercial use, and 9,400 pilots are licensed by the Government. Our manufacturing capacity has risen to 7,500 planes per annum. The aviation companies have increased regular air transpportation until it now totals 90,000 miles per day, one-fourth of which is flown by night.” Graduated From “Stunt Stage.” ‘The fact story told by President | Hoover 1s a succinct summarization of | a really dramatic development. The in- dustry in one year has graduated from the “stunt” stage into full-fledged par- ticipation in t rounded scheme of national transportation. As one of the largest of the operating companies has just remarked: “The gold rush days of air transporta- tlon are over. Alrplane manufacturers and operators recognize that they are heading into an era when air business is to be highly competitive with other forms of transportation. This means that every energy must be exerted to- ward improved service and lower operat- ing costs.” ut where other transportation enter- prises have done their pioneering and are thoroughly grounded financially, aviation still has a transition period ahead. ‘The industry with a capitalization of well over $£500,000,000 is likely to yield an income of less than $100,000,000 in 1929. It is estimated that between 6,500 and 7,000 planes will be manu- factured in place of the 12,000 to 15,000 which early in the year were expected to be turned out. This production and sale of airplanes, engines and other aviation products will probably yield the industry $85,000,000 this year. Carriage of air mail is counteg on to give $13,000,~ 000, making & total of $98,000,000. Pas. senger business is widespread, but up to the present it has not n carried on at a consistent profit. An estimated re- turn of $2,000,000 from this source is considered liberal. Four Units Principal Factors. ‘To share in this business there are over 150 companies. It is figured that 90 per cent of the profit will go to 15 companies. The situation is much the same in the operating fleld. So that out of the year's feverish activity have developed four units which at the mo- ment are principal factors in the in- dustry: The United Aircraft and Trans- port Corporation; the Aviation Corpora- tion (Delaware); the Curtis-Wright Corporation, and Bendix Aviation poration. The group which includes the Universal Air Lines and the Western Air Express, while co-operating, is not a single unit. If it should unite, then it would step up as one of the largest of the concerns. The German Dornier plane, Do-X, which has carried a 20-ton load has been the most sesational of the year's aircraft products. This flying boat can carry 169 persons, including a crew of 16. It plans a transatlantic flight dur- ing the next year and because of its carrying capacity may help solve the problem of high operating costs. Be- sides, the Europeans have come forward with the flying wing, designed with cabin compartments in the hollow air- foil. Again the object is to get greater carrying capacity at lowered cost. ‘What the Americans have done, how- ever, is to develop a Diesel engine which may revolutionize costs of operation. The Packard Company already has given this new type engine a thorough operating test and it only remains to seen whether it will stand up under high speed for prolonged perions. The engine affords a weight reduction of ENTERS BILLION CLASS DURING PAST YEAR “Through this assistance the Nation | 2 DOLLAR trive to Reduce Cost of Travel While Science Must Find Way to Eliminate Accidents. centrating on that type, but. the experi- ence with Diesel driven engines in tests shows that a change may have to be made in the not distant future. Concentrating on Safety. The industry is devoting its most concentrated attention to the problem of safety. Several developments oc- curred during the year which point to important improvements. One of these is the perfection of the automatic pilot, which includes a gyroscopic control de- signed to keep the plane stable on three axes. Now the pilot must keep the plane_under control at the same time that he is guiding it. With the auto- matic pilot he will simply keep his ship on its course and instruments will hold it steady. Another improvement coming is the true level altimeter, This device would give the pilot not simply his height above sea level but his height above the ground. It would be somewhat sim- tlar to sounding devices now used at sea and in use would have prevented the crash of the T. A. T. plane on a mountain side in New Mexico and of thedaerman Lugthansa plane in Eng- lan Besides, by the first of the year at least one of the biggest operating com- panies will have 12 ground stations in operation for radio-telephone communi- cation with the planes in flight. Pilots 12,000 feet up in the air will be able to talk with these stations to obtain weather news and get instructions. Shortly the service will be extended to permit passengers to hold communica- tions with ground stations and the time is not far off when a business man in the air will be able to talk with his office in_the normal course of a day's work. This improved communication is an added safety factor. Coupled with the radio directive beacon now operated on cross-country flights it in- sures the pilot a path through any sort of weather. Solution of Fog Problem. Likewlse, increased safcty is to be built into the planes themselves. The safe aircraft competition now being conducted by the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Acronautics is expected to yield some results that will alter the principles of airplane con- struction, increasing immensely the safety factor. Already the fund re- ports “a solution of the hitherto un- solved last phase in the problem of fly~ ing through fog. Under conditions pre- senting the densest fog, reaching from any altitude to the ground, Lieut. James H. Doolittle, conducting the experiment, was able to take off from the airport, fly from it and return to a given spot and make a landing.” This important achievement is ex- pected to be followed by others when | the five planes remaining in the con- test for prizes of $150,000 have shown all of their ibilities. In the fleld of aviation accomplish- ments during the past year there were extremely important happenings, but few immensely sensational vnes. The mest remarkable was the flight of Comdr, Richard E. Byrd in which he and his companions piloted the tri- motored plane Floyd Bennett over the South Pole. Comdr. Byrd was the first to fly over the bottom of th> earth and the first man in the world’s history to ggl over both the North and the South les. No New Lindbergh. There was no new Lindbergh to draw the acclaim of the world with a daz- zling single exploit, but the accomplish- 'nts of planes rivaled that of the Spirit of St. Louls. Lindbergh, who did much to popularize flying, withdrew more from the public eye during the year. He flew the malls to South America and helped launch the Trans- continental Air 'rranxemn service, but more and more sought seclusion. One breath-taking achievement oc- curred on September 7 when Flying Officer R. 7. R. Atcherley of Great Britain fl" a Rolls-Royce S.6 at a speed of 332.49 miles an hour, the fast- est time ever made by a human being. Then Capt. Frank M. Hawks did something equally as remarkable when he flew alone from Roosevelt Field, New York, to Los Angeles in 19 hours and 10 minutes, and then almost immedi- ately turned around and flew back to New York in 17 hours and 44 minutes. The air event which took the prize for sustained interest was lurpllad by the German Graf Zeppelin, the glant flying ship, which cruised 19,500 miles around the world during August. This T70-foot sky liner set a record for cir- cling the globe, its cruise occupying 21 days 8 hours and 26 minutes. In actual flight it went around the world in 288 hours and 22 minutes, or a fraction more than 12 days. The American Army flyers who made the circle sev- eral years ago in a plane took 15 days and 6 hours of actual flying time. ‘The accomplishment of this lent interest to the two air crulsers which the American Navy now is build- ing—almost twice the size of the Graf Zeppelin. These craft, now to be turned out at Akron, Ohio, will have a gas or helium content of 6,500,000 cubit feet. Less Atlantic Crossings. ‘The Atlantic crossing fad which so entranced flyers during previous months and caused the death of.many was less in evidence this year. A Montana outh, Urban Diteman, on October 22 opped off on a west to east flight in an open monoplane and never was heard of again. Roger Q. Williams and Capt, Lewis A. Yancy, Americans, flew the Atlantic to Spain in early July, crossing in 31 hours and 31 min- utes. They falled, however, in accom- plishing a non-stop flight to Rome, their objective. One attempt that re- sulted in important information was that of the Spanish flyers, Maj. Roman Franco and three associates, who sought to fly from east to west. They went down and floated for a weck on the At- lantic in heavy seas before being res- cued by the British aircraft crulser Eagle. This attempt showed the, sel worthiness of the huge new seapianes. An epidemic of endurance flights which broke out during the Summer proved that a man can live nearly two weeks in the air and survive. Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine at St. Louls kept up for 420 hours and 21 minutes and then came down only when or- dered. Probably of more importance in show- ing the flight possibilities of the air- plane was the non-stop trip of Capt. Dieudonne Coste and Maurice Bellonte, Prench flyers, who guowd the plane Question Mark from Paris 4,486.6 miles into Tsitsihar, Manchuria, a record- breaking performance. Ten-Year Dreams Realized. In the commercial fleld the year was marked by realization of a 10-year dream of the air mail to have a service from coast to coast with the loss of but one business day. On May 1 over 2,700 miles of alrway were lighted at a cost of $1,000,000, and this 36-hour c;nu;m\mtry mall service went into effect. During the next year cross-country mssenler services are to make the trip 30 hours from New York to San Francisco. One company has been fly~ 20 per cent compared with the gasoline driven motor. It consumes 33 per cent less fuel while saving 75 per cent in fuel cost. The Industry is committed to the fan-shaped line driven motor and its man uring units are con- N ing big tri-motored planes over the '.".f锓u‘."‘&.:"'gm““’?é“‘u&“ practicabiity 3 Al of this route, red cgr:o into the Ppassenger business the Spring. * (Copyright, 18800 -