the San Francisco Bulletin, for example, sent a woman writer in a plane over San Francisco Bay to drop wreaths on the deck of the ferry boat upon which General Pershing stood and when it dispatched another plane with a Thanksgiving turkey for the Farallone Islands, it is self-evident that the business office as well as the news gathering columns was served. Similar benefits undoubtedly accrued to the business department of the San Francisco Call-Post when it staged a speed contest in which an automobile, an airplane and a railroad train contested for first place. This trial brought out that a railroad train starting with a first edition of the paper and an automobile speeding with a second edition could both be beaten over a 125-mile course by an airplane bearing a third edition. If these were publicity features, they were "news

as well.

The service of the airplane to the city editor in his task of gathering the happenings of the day is of comparatively recent origin. The history of this new adjunct of the "city room" has been an absorbingly interesting one, however. One of the first instances of a bit of genuine aerial reporting was that performed in connection with the burning of the U. S. Army Transport Mt. Vernon, which caught afire 500 miles from San Francisco. Willis T. Chapman of the San Francisco Call-Post with a staff photographer, flew out to the burning steamer in a plane, visualized the situation and on the way back wrote his story on a typewriter in the clouds, thus scoring a well earned "scoop" over the competitive papers of the city.

ASSOCIATED PRESS UTILIZES AIRCRAFT

Recognizing the efficiency of the flying machine, Harold Martin, eastern superintendent of the Associated Press, chartered a Curtiss Seagull" to aid in "covering" the America's Cup Races off Sandy Hook in July, 1920. Robert Wright, of the Associated Press staff, wrote such a vivid description of the races as he viewed them from the sky that his stories were published in practically all newspapers of the agency's membership.

The New York office of the Associated Press felt that the utilization of aircraft was epochal and sent broadcast an announcement in which it was stated:

"Whereas 17 years ago, when the last International Yachting Classic was held, the Associated Press covered the event from ship and shore, this year it is reporting the races from land, sea and air, by wireless telephone and land wire."

Among other newspaper men whose names are familiar to the public by reason of their journalistic adventures in the air are Jesse

Butcher of the New York Times, Jack Binns, New York Tribune, J. Earl Clauson and Harold Wengler, New York World, Richard J. Watkins, New York Herald, Gene Fowler, New York American, Gordon Lamont, New York Evening Post, Frank Hill, New York Globe, Stanley Prenosil, Associated Press, Tom Handley, New York Telegraph, Floyd MacGriff, International News Service, Theodore E. Hedlund Boston Post, William D. Tipton, Baltimore Sun, Morrow Krum, Chicago Tribune, Bogart Rogers, Los Angeles Examiner, and Bill Henry, Los Angeles Times.

Another example of journalistic enterprise was that of the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press in sending a plane to get the details of a cyclone which had swept a district 500 miles from Minnesota City and destroyed means of quick rail or road transportation.

Many other instances, such as the reporting of the World's Series by the Philadelphia Ledger, could be cited to show how the flying machine has served the newspaper as no other agency could. The future use of the airplane by the editor will only be limited by the extent to which airports are developed. Newspaper reporters perform their work under great pressure; speed is their watchword and they cannot take anything for granted. The news gatherer has not the time to investigate if a certain town or city has a landing field. He must have definite information that such is the case before he can employ the plane to get him to his destination.

NEWS PHOTOS FROM THE AIR

The fact that the pictorial end of news getting has progressed more rapidly than the reportorial may properly be ascribed to the ability of the aerial press photographer to do his work without landing. With the supply of war pictures rapidly diminishing, the editors of the picture supplements, a feature of many of our leading journals, have welcomed the advent of the flying machine to provide them with novelties in the way of photographs. Many of these pictures have been supplied by Air Service and professional flyers who have taken up this work as a vocation.

Sky views of estates, beautiful homes, inspiring bits of scenery and cities have found their way into the picture supplements in recent months. Special photographers were sent over the stadia where the collegiate football and World's Series games were played to snap views of the crowds and plays. The field of aerial photography has unlimited possibilities and the newspapers are not unmindful of them.

SPEEDING UP DELIVERY

For every photograph which airplanes have caught and carried to newspapers, they have transported hundreds of copies of the publications themselves. The saving in time in bringing the paper to its readers by the airplane is incredible in some instances. The New York Times sensationally demonstrated this when it delivered several hundred copies of its first edition to the Republican National Convention in Chicago on the same date of issue. Ordinarily, by rail, the Times would reach Chicago the following day, or eighteen hours later. Delegates to the Convention who were handed copies of the paper could hardly believe their eyes and many of them sent telegrams of congratulation on the feat to the publishers.

So, too, the New York Evening Post, which on several occasions utilized aircraft in delivery. One, when rail and water transportation was tied up by strikes, an Aeromarine flying boat carried an edition of the Post far into New Jersey, giving subscribers delivery quicker than under ordinary circumstances. Again, when Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, was notified, a Gallaudet land plane carried a special edition to Poughkeepsie.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer in September, 1919, made deliveries to all parts of Ohio by means of aircraft. It established a record of 67 minutes between Cleveland and Akron. The Denver Post made several deliveries throughout northern Colorado, while the Oregon Sunday Journal similarly used the airplane in carrying its issue to Astoria. The Pittsburgh Press on October 9, 1920, delivered 200 copies of its paper by air to Altoona, Pa.

These instances have been chosen from scores of others where the airplane has demonstrated its worth as a circulation medium. This use of aircraft is still embryonic, but as time goes on there is no doubt that publishers will avail themselves to a greater degree of its benefits as a quick and certain carrier.

Summing up the relation of aircraft to the press it may be stated that aviation as a unit has proven its absolute efficiency. It slashes time, bringing the news to the reader of newspapers hours earlier than otherwise could be possible. It has opened up a new source of pictorial news and ways of "covering" events. While, earlier in the game, editors hesitated to permit their reporters to go aloft on assignments, the lack of accidents have given them a confidence in the safety of aircraft. Could the proper support, however, be extended to a movement to bring about the accomplishment of a unification of such air traffic facilities that now exist and for the

intelligent promotion of landing fields through or under centralized Federal control, it is highly probable that the press will adapt the airplane to its needs to a greater degree.

AIRCRAFT AND THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY

Aircraft were quickly adopted by the motion picture industry as a medium for advertising and publicity; as an adjunct in manufacture or staging; and as an important factor in the transportation of the finished product.

Practically since the Armistice, aircraft have been used in an increasing degree for the making of travellogues; they have to be used like automobiles and trains as part of film dramas; they have brought to the reels greater novelty and beauty of scene taking in addition an almost human part in the action.

Next to the newspaper, the motion picture is possibly the most effective medium for publicity. Yet the motion picture companies have found aircraft as productive of results in advertising their own products as in furnishing publicity for other activities. As far back as March, 1919, Dorothy Dalton opened Paramount Week by airplane, and by the summer of 1920, such films as "The Great Air Robbery" were accompanied by airplanes in dozens of cities

"They have proved a most powerful factor," states the Associated First National Pictures, Inc., "in assisting the exhibitor to advertise coming attractions." Mary Pickford in "Daddy Longlegs," a First National attraction, has been advertised in many places by handbills scattered from the air.

Theatre owners in various parts of the country have found aircraft of great value and one at least, at New Brunswick, N. J., has procured a machine and established a flying station as a regular part of his business.

Aircraft have performed a double duty in news weeklies and travellogues. They have been the means of obtaining the picture and have frequently formed the main attraction in the feature themselves. The Pathé Exchange has consistently used aircraft in filming interesting pictures and important events. The President's departure for Europe on the George Washington in January, 1919, was filmed from seaplanes. Air views have been made throughout the world, and places hitherto inaccessible to the photographer in their grander aspect, such as Yosemite Valley, the peaks of Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Lassen, the Alps and the Andes. Horse races, automobile races, baseball and football games, tennis matches, etc., have been subjects for aerial photography and film weeklies. The 1919 and 1920 World's Series baseball games were taken from the air.

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So quick were the motion picture producers to adopt the airplane as a mechanical aid in the taking of pictures that film stars had scarcely had their first air rides before they were called upon to fly in earnest. Omer Locklear and other pilots flew in serious aerial film dramas. The "Eagle's Eye" was an interesting stunt drama. The Great Air Robbery," featuring Omer Locklear and Francesca Billington, was perhaps the first successful attempt at landing flying and a good story into a homogeneous artistict product. The Associated First National Pictures, Inc., the Metro Pictures Corporation, David Wark Griffith, The Goldwyn Film Company, the Selznick Pictures Corporation and the Universal Film Manufacturing Company have produced pictures in which flying has been an essential part of the action.

The Curtiss "Avion," three-motored "Eagle " type eight-passenger land plane used in passenger work between Los Angeles and San Francisco, was filmed in "The Furnace," William D. Taylor's special production for Realart.

Small airships, blimps, have also been used by motion picture concerns both as outlook for the filmer and as dramatic elements. In "Just Out of College," the hero, played by Jack Pickford, advertises Bingo pickles successfully by using his lighter-than-air craft.

The Marshall Neilan Production Company of Los Angeles successfully employed a Pony Blimp which they had rented from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for getting large-sized views of battle scenes staged for the film "Custer's Last Stand." The airship, during the taking of the picture, was exposed to snowstorms, but operated successfully in spite of the fact that no shelter was available. The result was that the film concern purchased the airship and intends to use it in filming big battle scenes in the future.

Aircraft are also used to produce auxiliary scenic effects. The airplane propeller in action sends forth a formidable gust of air. This has been utilized to create for pictorial effects blasts of wind, rain, sand and snowstorms, to simulate forest fires, etc. The fuselage of the machine, containing the motor with the attached. propeller is used for this purpose, and effects are obtained that otherwise would be impossible. The light during a genuine storm of any kind is apt to be too poor for pictures. "Had they waited for a real snowstorm," says the Goldwyn Company of the directors. of "The North Wind's Malice," "it would have been impossible to photograph it because of the dimmed light."

The Associated First National Pictures, Inc., says, "The airplane motor has solved this production problem (that of storms)