Texas Almanac, 1943-1944 Page: 285

                                
AIR TRANSIiORTATION-TELEPHONES
Air Transportation in Texas.

Wide plains level terrain and the ad-
vantages of almost ideal climatic condi-
tions have helped to make Texas a
center of commercial aviation.
Two years ago (1941) Texas ranked
second in the nation in number of air-
planes, pilots and airports. Today it is
generally felt that Texas might hold the
top position, due principally to the great
development of air transportation that
pours steadily through the Southwest-
both civilian and military. Government
censorship of facts and figures pertaining
to the air transport industry during war-
time makes it difficult to compare one
section of the country with another or
the increase of activity in 1943 over oper-
ations of the past.
Commercial Aviation Comes to Texas.
Commercial flying activity began in
Texas May 12, 1926, with first airmail
between Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago.
First record of passenger-carrying ships
was in 1928 with formation of Texas Air
Transport, Dallas to San Antonio and
Fort Worth to Galveston. Texas Air
Transport was owned and operated by
Temple Bowen and later became the
property of Southern Air Transport,
finally passing into the hands of Ameri-
can Airlines.
Braniff Airways, Inc., came to Texas
in the fall of 1930, and after the Federal
Government had cancelled and later re-
allocated air mail contracts in the spring
of 1934 Bramniff was awarded an air mail
contract from  Chicago to Dallas via
Kansas City, Wichita and Oklahoma City.
On Jan. 1, 1935, Braniff Airways bought
out Long & Harmon Air Service and the
air mail contract for Dallas, Fort Worth,
Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Amarillo,
Corpus Christi and Brownsville.
Eight commercial airlines serve Texas
cities: Braniff Airways, American Air-
lines, Delta Airlines, Transcontinental &
Western Air, Continental Airlines, Chi-
cago & Southern, Eastern Airlines and
Pan-American   Airways. Braniff Air-
ways, which serves more Texas commu-
nities than any of the other airlines, has
its headquarters in Dallas. American
Airlines has regional offices and mainte-
nance shops in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Delta regional offices are located in
Dallas.
Texas Airports.
According to figures of the Civil Aero-
nautics Board-latest figures made pub-
lic-there were 151 airports and eleven
sea anchorages in Texas as of Jan. 1,
1941. Estimates of current facilities are
much higher. Prior to the war many
communities throughout the state were
beginning to build new landing fields in
an effort to attract the growing air com-
merce, heretofore affiliated exclusively
with the larger cities, and accommodate
increased aviation activity.
It is generally expected that immedi-
ately following hostilities Texas will hold
an enviable position as concerns air traf-
fic development

Landing fields and airports, according
to Civil Aeronautics Board, are classified
under the following categories: Munici-
pal, commercial, intermediate, auxiliary,
Army, and miscellaneous (government,
state and private).
Rating of airports and landing fields is
determined by standards and specifica-
tions of the Civil Aeronautics Board, and
all bona fide fields are either, 1, 2, 3 or 4
in the system of grading. Texas has its
share of prominent airports in the 4
group, which is the highest rating ac-
corded a field.
Aviation Business in Texas.
So rapid has been the growth of the
aviation industry in Texas that exact
figures on the number of persons who
earn their livelihood from this source are
not available. Several important aircraft
factories, established  in  North Texas
principally, have influenced the great
influx of plant workers and their fami-
lies. Among these plants are North
American Aviation, Consolidated Avia-
tion, Southern    Aircraft  Corporation,
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and Con-
tinental Motors Corporation.
Despite the fact that air transportation
companies are currently operating with
approximately half their pre-war equip-
ment (most airlines have dedicated 50
per cent of their aircraft to military use
in moving personnel and military sup-
plies and equipment), air passenger traf-
fic in Texas has shown a marked increase
since the beginning of 1942. Similar in-
creases have been noted in air mail and
air express in and out of Texas ports.
Texas Telephone System.
On Jan. 1. 1943. there were 401 telephone
companies operating in Texas. with 1,086
exchanges and 878,687 telephones  This was
approximately 13 6 telephones per 100 popula-
tion
The first telephone line in Texas extended
from the editorial rooms of the Galveston
News to the home of Col A H    Belo, pub-
lisher of the Galveston News and its succes-
sor, The Dallas News. Colonel Belo had
attended the Centennial celebration in Phila-
delphia in 1876 and had seen the fascinating
exhibit of Alexander Graham Bell's telephone.
He returned to Galveston determined to In-
stall a telephone at the earliest moment
possible The first exchange was opened in
Galveston Aug 21. 1879. and the first 'long
distance line was between Galveston and
Houston in 1883
Since that time the industry has grown
rapidly  Today the largest telephone oper-
ating system in the state is the Southwestern
Bell Telephone Company, which at the end of
1942 had 248 exchanges and 697.869 telephones
Other companies operated 838 exchanges with
180,818 telephones
Telephones by Cities.
Below is the number of telephones connect-
ed at principal cities on Jan 1, 1943
Houston ...... 131 066  Galveston ...  17 264
Dallas  ......113,761  Amarillo    16 517
San Antomnio ... 68,578  Wichita Falls . 13 970
Fort worth .... 55,860  Waco   . .. 13,432
Austin  ....... 25,034  Port Arthur  .  11 507
El Paso       19 9 5  Lubbock  ...  9.380
Corpus Christi 18,903  Abilene  .....  8 426
Beaumont      17.534  Tyler  .      7 286

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