Air Policy

The Air Board, appointed by President Coolidge to investigate the nation's air policy and recommend the best means of carrying on development of military, naval and commercial aviation, last week got its inquiry under way. Dwight W. Morrow, chairman of the Board, and his associates including Senator Bingham, Admiral Fletcher, retired, and General Harbord, retired, temporarily put away all their private affairs and settled down in an intensive effort to complete their work by the third week in October and present their conclusions to the President not later than the latter part of November. Mr. Coolidge has laid down this stiff program for them, presumably because he wishes to know their recommendations in time to include them in his message to Congress when it assembles early in December.

During the first three days, hearings were systematically undertaken:

Army Day. The first four witnesses were Dwight F. Davis, Acting Secretary of War; Major General John L. Hines, Chief of Staff; Brigadier General Hugh Aloysius Drum, Assistant Chief of Staff; and Major General Mason M. Patrick, Chief of the Army Air Service. The Board had presented to them a series of questions: 1) Should the present aviation organization be continued in its present form? 2) Should there be a single Air Service maintained for Army and Navy but separate from them? 3) Should the Air Service be made into a separate corps analogous to the Marine Corps in the Navy? 4) Should there be a single U. S. Air Service, headed by a Cabinet officer with control over military, naval and commercial aviation?

All of the officers called on the first day favored continuation of substantially the present organization, except General Patrick, who favored the Marine Corps plan for the present with later an independent Air Service. After each of the witnesses had made his statement a few questions were asked.

Said Mr. Davis:

In warfare "unity of command" is essential. Lack of such "unity of command" has probably been the cause of more defeats and disasters in military history than any other one contributing cause. It nearly caused the defeat in, and undoubtedly prolonged, the two greatest wars in our history--the Civil War and the World War. After such experience it is unthinkable that any nation could deliberately prepare its forces for national defense, so as to insure divided responsibilities and divided command in every possible theatre of operations. Yet that is just what is proposed.

General Hines mentioned, as an example of divided command, a case during the World War in which 150 U. S. planes were led off to make an attack, and in their absence a German squadron appeared and did damage to U. S. ground forces.

Senator Bingham: "Who was responsible for that foray?"

General Hines: "It was General Mitchell."

General Patrick disapproved, at least for the present, of the plan of his former assistant, General (now Colonel) Mitchell, for a Cabinet officer of National Defense with control over co-ordinate branches, Army, Navy and Air

Force, but he criticized the present organization:

The Army Air Service had been treated I She a stepchild rather than as a regular member of the family.

There is too much of a tendency to look on the Air Service as an auxiliary of the Army and the Navy. We have got to revise some of our ideas of national defense; we must virtually rebuild the entire doctrine. There is a real reason for a change right now.

Navy Day. The second day's testimony was given over to hearing Secretary Wilbur; Admiral Edward W. Eberle, Chief of Naval Operations; Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the Naval Air Service; and Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, of the General Board of the Navy. The same question had been posed for them as for the Army officers. All without exception favored the present organization of the Service with no great changes, although Admiral Moftet said he desired such arrangements as would "protect the interests of individuals whose careers are to foe primarily aeronautic."

Secretary Wilbur spoke first and afterwards listened to the testimony of his subordinates, sometimes prompting them. He made one suggestion while Admiral Moffett was speaking which the latter did not hear or ignored.

Mr. Wilbur frowned: "I am afraid you were not listening to my remarks!"

The points made by the naval officers were that the main reliance of naval warfare was still on dreadnaughts; that aviation was still in experimental stages, that it was nevertheless an important arm of the Navy; that to make it independent would be to reduce the efficiency of the fleet in every way. It was declared that no other navy had an air arm as efficient as ours, and that separate air organizations had failed in Europe where they were tried.

Said Admiral Eberle:

First and foremost, a naval aviator must be a seaman to be able to judge conditions of wind and weather at sea, to pick up and distinguish vessels at sea; and, should his plane be forced down, to be able to handle her when she becomes a surface boat. He must be a good navigator. He must have a knowledge of battle tactics and fleet formation ; and also a knowledge of all units that make up a naval force--this being most essential to enable him to give correct information to the commander-in-chief regarding the dispositions of the enemy's force. He must also haves a knowledge of gunnery in order that he may give an accurate report of spots that is, to make the proper corrections for range and lateral error, and be able to distinguish splashes of various calibres.

He must be familiar with the rate of fire, the doctrine of fire-control and fire-distribution, to enable him to determine promptly the targets assigned to various ships in the battle line, and to follow the shift of fire to other targets as laid down in the doctrine. He must be familiar with naval radio and signals to enable to communicate promptly and accurately.

He must be familiar with the organization of the fleet and its activities.

To acquire these qualifications, a naval aviator must be a naval officer.

Commercial Day. The third day's hearing was given over to testimony by Postmaster General New on the Postal Air Service and by Secretary Hoover on Commercial flying, and to their subordinates.

Said Mr. New:

It is, of course, understood that the Postoffice Department has no place in any differences existing among military and naval authorities as to the best method for carrying on their aeronautical operations. Our activities in the air have been directed toward the performance of an important public service in a manner to demonstrate to men of means that commercial aviation is a possibility. This is what we have had in mind in carrying the transcontinental air mail. . .

Up to this time the Postoffice Department on all its air mail operations has spent about $10,000,000.

It may have spent a little more, because during the earlier years most of the air mail expense was paid out of star route and railway mail appropriations, but the amount diverted could not have been very large, as the operations themselves were not very extensive. For the sum spent we have carried on the service to date and are now taking in about $60,000 a month on the transcontinental line alone.

We have built about 1,900 miles of lighted airway, built our shops at Maywood, our hangars at all division points, paid all operating expenses and have on hand assets valued at $3,653,000 as of Sept. 15, 1925.

Mr. Hoover told of a survey of commercial aviation throughout the world. In Europe in 1923, 49,000 passengers were carried by air transport, and in 1924, 85,000 passengers. In 1923, 4,700,000 pounds of goods, including mail, were carried. (The U. S. Air Mail carried 232,513 pounds of mail in the year ending June 30 last--the first of the transcontinental day and night service.) None of the European companies are selfsupporting. All receive Government subsidies of from 50% to 95% of their costs.

He believes that commercial aviation would be profitable in the U. S. with only indirect aid from the Government. He recommended:

1) The establishment of an Aviation Bureau in the Department of Commerce, to provide beacons for night flying, air charts, and other aids such as are given to water navigation;

2) The letting of contracts for carriage of the air mails to private companies (measure already instituted);

3) The establishment of landing fields or airports by municipalities, just as docks are now provided for shipping.

Mitchell Arrives. Colonel William Mitchell, relieved of duty as Air Officer of the 8th Corps Area and ordered to Washington because he was one of those whom the Air Board wished to examine, telegraphed the War Department for permission to take with him 800 pounds of documents on aviation. The usual baggage allowance is

400 pounds. Permission for the extra weight was granted.

When he reached the capital a great cheering crowd met him in front of the railroad station. He was hoisted on the shoulders of two War veterans, and paraded around the circle in front of the Union Station with a drum and bugle corps leading the procession.

In the War Office, an unnamed "high official" sighed to reporters: "Well, it certainly proves that the only way to get attention is to raise a riot."

Asked whether he would run for Congress, if he were ousted from the Army at his coming court-martial, Colonel Mitchell made answer: "I am not thinking about politics . . . The first thing I'll do if ousted will be to take a prolonged hunting trip in Africa."