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Show Aiwlanes as Commercial Carriers UTTNQUESTIONABLY we, who have U passed through the stone, bronze, iron aud steel ages and are now passing through the age of steam and gasoline, are entering upou a new age the age ot air," said an official of the Aero Club of America. , Recently, at the secoud Pan-American aeronautic congress in Atlantic City, the problem of airways over laud was taken up aud regulations adopted. As defined in these regulations an "airway" is a trauscon-tiueutal trauscon-tiueutal or coastal airliue: connecting links between are designated "air routes." An airway is a belt eighty miles wide and au air route forty miles wide. "The congress selected a number of these routes, great care being taken to avoid the most dangerous enemies of the airman mist, fog and wind. This aeronautic congress also approved a bill which will be introduced iu Congress for the regulation of civilian flying; It is snid to have the approval of President AYilson and Secretary Redh'eld. It creates an aircraft air-craft board io the Department of Commerce of three meu named by the secretary. Almost simultaneously the International Aeronautical Federatiou was holding a session ses-sion in Paris. The purpose of its meeting was uniformity in air laws to rule the conduct con-duct of flying throughout the world. The delegates voted to present lo the officials in charge of aerial affairs of their respective governments the following proposals: First. That, the liberty of aerial navigation navi-gation be re-established as soon as pos -bible, iu conformity with the decision of the Peace Conference. Second. That civilian aeronautics in (he various countries be placed under the control of (he aviation ministry or depart de-part incut. Third. That all the aero i-Iubs alliliated wilh Ihe Till ernn t ional Aeronautic Federation Federa-tion be represeuled on the international commission on aerial navignt ion. which is lo be created afler peace is signed. Fourth. That in cery couulry lh National Aero Club be represented in the national commission ou aeronautics. Air transportal iou as a business propo- V sitiou has already beeu successfully tried out. An airship passenger service was maintained between Berlin aud Hamburg . for two years before the war and in the last few weeks au airplane bus, the "Bat," has started ifiaking regular trips between London Lon-don and Paris. It cau carry two passeugera and- has an additional freight capacity of one ton. This is a lieavier-than-air machine, too a thing which a few years ago would have been jeered had it been suggested. sug-gested. The Canadian Pacific Railway has applied to the Canadian Government for' a charter permitting it to operate an air service. Regarding this new venture, Grant Hall, vice president of (he road, says: At present aerial transport is a distinctly expensive matter, but. the progress beinS made both in airplanes iuid dirigibles is so rapid that it. is quite in order for a company com-pany such as the Canadiau Pacific to be ready to enter the field so soou as air transportation trans-portation comes withiu the range of practical prac-tical policies. There are, however, many costty features fea-tures about au air service which will militate .against any hope of very low rates, particularly par-ticularly tiie necessity of suitable landinlt spaces at frequent intervals iu case of engine en-gine trouble. So that 'any one. w-ho is under the impression im-pression lhat air transportation in the iienr fiilure will reduce either rail or steamship rates is likely to be disappointed. In a word, the future of commercial air transportation trans-portation is bound up iu the question of cost. At present the fastest transcontinental train in the world, the new "trans-Canada" express of the Canadiau Pacific, goes from Montreal to A'ancouver, a distance of miles, in ninety-three hours thirty minutes. A special courier airplane the other day averaged 1ST miles au hour between Loudon aud Paris. Taking eveu half this speed for an average High! an airplane could make the dislance between Montreal and Vancouver in about thirty hours. 'The possibilities for coast to const travel are apparent to every business mini |