The same six planes that were in operation at the inauguration of the service, and have been in continuous employment during the year, are in operation to-day, and the one which made the initial flight from New York to Washington, May 15, 1918, made the flight May 15, 1919. This is regarded as throwing a new light on the question of the life of an aeroplane and as demonstrating that the mechanical requirements and the operation in commercial flying are more economical and safer and in many instances more practical than in exhibition or military flying. The fact that there were only 37 forced landings due to mechanical troubles during flights makes a record not heretofore approached in aviation and is creditable in the American-built aeroplane and mechanics who keep them in fine condition. Especially is this record a strong tribute to the American-built Liberty and Hispano-Suiza motors. The transportation by aeroplane is ordinarily twice as fast as by train, and on distances of 600 miles or more, no matter how frequent or excellent the train service, the aeroplane mail at the higher rate of postage should equal the cost of its operations. Wherever the train service is not as frequent or as fast as it is between Washington and New York the aeroplane operations should show an immense profit on all distances from 500 miles up. Again, with large aeroplanes and over greater distances, substantial saving in the cost of mail transportation on railroads would be made, besides cutting down the time of transit by one-half. BOSTON-NEW YORK PATHFINDER AERO MAIL Another step in the evolution of the aero mail service was made on June 6, 1918, when Lieutenant Torry S. Webb carried 4,000 letters from Belmont Park, Long Island, N. Y., to Boston in three hours and twenty-two minutes, the distance being 250 miles. With R. Heck, a mechanician, as passenger, Lieutenant Webb got away from Belmont Park at 12.09 o’clock. Two hours later, as the aviator neared Haddon, Conn., he found that his compass was working badly, and he descended at Shailerville and fixed it. At 3.31 o’clock Lieutenant Webb circled over Saugus, Mass., near Revere Beach and Boston, and then planed down on the estate of Godfrey Cabot, now the Franklin Park Aviation Field. For some reason or another, presumably lack of funds, the service was not made permanent. NEW YORK-CHICAGO AERO MAIL