Only Large Commercial Companies Are Capable Of Meeting the Airmail Demands, Claims Doriot

"If people would analyze the present airmail situation, they would soon realize why the large commercial aviation companies are the only concerns that can carry the mail successfully, and why the Army has failed so utterly in its attempt to transport the mail," said George F. Doriot, professor of Industrial Management at the Business School yesterday when interviewed by the CRIMSON. "It was perfectly natural to allow only the large concerns to bid for the contracts at the time they were issued, and I cannot understand why so many people are today complaining about this action.

"Aviation has been progressing at tremendous strides, and any plane that was built was sure to about of date in six months. Only a rich company could keep pace with the changes in aviation and it would have been folly to allow small companies to offer their bids. Any man would have been able to buy a few second had planes and submit a bid which would have been lower than those of the larger concerns, but it is certain that the service, dependability, and safety of the mail transportation would have been endangered to a serious extent. Therefore, only large companies were considered and, as a result, American commercial flying today far exceeds that of any other nation.

"If the Army had been properly trained and furnished with the proper equipment, it should have been able to carry the mail far better than it has. After all!" Mr. Doriot exclaimed, "long bombing and observation fights should have been of sufficient training to the flyers to allow them to transport the mail successfully, and even bad weather is no excuse for the many mishaps which have occurred, for a war would certainly demand flying in bad weather."

Professor Doriot stressed the point that he did not blame the Army alone for the failure of the airmail. "The Army would have had far better results had the government given it the money it desired for equipment and research work, but the requests was not heeded, and, therefore, the government is to blame.