Transport: Transatlantic Talk

One day last week the representatives of four countries sat down together in Washington, succeeded in two hours in hurdling the difficulty which for years has stymied commercial aviation across the North Atlantic. The four countries were the U. S., Canada, Irish Free State, Great Britain. The difficulty was reciprocity.

Since 1931, Pan American Airways has wanted to launch an airline to Europe, has been prevented by inability to get permission to land U. S. planes on foreign soil. This permission was withheld because European nations insisted their air companies have an equal share in the new route. This was impossible for two reasons: 1) only the U. S. had airplanes economically capable of the passage; 2) the U. S. cannot under present laws let an airmail contract to any but U. S. firms, using U. S. material, U. S. crews.

Last week, warmed by an announcement from Postmaster General Farley that he would ask Congress for an Atlantic airmail appropriation, the conferees agreed to compromise. Tentative conclusions:

Pan American and Imperial Airways will be joint operators, each carrying mail one way, passengers both ways. The route will be New York, Montreal, Harbor Grace, Ireland, London, with an alternate passage via Bermuda, the Azores, Spain. The so-called "Lindbergh route" via Greenland and Iceland will not be used. Giant Clippers of the Martin and Sikorsky types will be flown by Pan American; Imperial may use the same planes or British planes of the same calibre.