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Show Public Is Air Shy Although the United States government gov-ernment is spending about 30 mil-ion mil-ion dollars a year in aid of commercial com-mercial flying, the aviation industry indus-try is in serious dfflculties, according accord-ing to Postmaster General Brown. Passengeer air lines carried a paying pay-ing load of only 36 to 40 per cent of their cappacity last year, and operating op-erating losses have been so great says Mr. Brown, that "the very life cf the passenger transport industry is in the balance." He further points out that If the air lines should collapse through lack of public support the millions which the government has contributed, contrib-uted, as well as much of the money, invested by the public, would be lost. The trouble appears to be that air lines have been extended too rapidly. Only a small percentage cf the public will as yet trust themselves them-selves to the airplane for long flights. Every airplane disaster which is spread across the front pages of newspapers tends to make people afraid of this form of transportation. trans-portation. The public generally will become "air-minded" only when convinced that air lines assure safety as well as speed. |