Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-14
FOR FLYING CORPS
IN THE j. s. ARMY
Officers Pleased by Bill Re-
ported by House Military
Committee.
SITE IN POTOMAC PARK
FOR AERONAUTIC SCHOOL
Measure Provides Permanent Assign.
ment of Officers and Men and
Increases In Pay.

AeTonautical experts OF the War De-
partment are much eIated over a bill that
has Just been reported from the military
committee of the House 10y Representa-
tive HAY Of Virginia They say it marks
the greatest concrete advance in aero
nautic legislation that ever has been TAX
en in this country Briefly. it may be said
that the bin provides for an extension of
the Signal Corps devoted only to aeronau-
ties without imposing upon the officers
thus employed any outside duties and
without taking aeronautics out of the
province Of the Signal Corps.
Under the proposed arrangement there
Will be assigned sixty officers and two
hundred and sixty enlisted men for serv-
Ice in connection with the air. 1t is un-
derstood that this work will have to do
principally with aeroplanes. although it
will touch also upon dirigibles, spherical
balloons and anything else connected with
he science OF the air. The officers as
signed TO this duty viii b. exempted from
he operation Of what is known in the
army as the "Manchu law" 50 that after
a man becomes an expert aviator he will
not necessarily he detached from the
hSipAtdHAAC SCI vice ut the tA p4EdllOn DI d
'our-year tour Of duty.
Provides for Promotions.
Provision IS also made in the bill for
getting over the difficulty that heretofore
1as stood in the way of getting officers
assigned aviation duty All of the Off
,ers 10 be selected will be under the grade
IF captain. and when they are assigned to
he aeronautic service this assignment
will create a vacancy in the regiment
rom which they are drawn and this va
,ancy will - filed by the promotion of
he remaining officers and by the selec-
ion Of new second lieutenants. either
rom West Point the army or civil life. as
s now provided for under the existing
aw.
The aviation officers assigned TO this
lew branch Of the service will be graded
Is students. junior aviators and military
IViat0rS. The student aViators will he
given a - per cent increase Of pay while
N active flying duty. Junior aviators
viii have the benefit of an increase of one
lumber in rank and a - per cent increase
# pay. while the military aviators will be
siven a - per cent Increase. Provision is
made for the payment of one years sal
Try To the assignee of any officer killed on
aviation service. For the enlisted men in
he new division there are increases in
say commensurate with the work done
IND provision is made also for training a
ertain number of enlisted men as avia-
ors. a thing that is not now done in the
IrIny.
Approved in the Army.
This bill has received the enthusiastic
approval of officers in the War Depart
nent interested in the development of
teronautics. 1t is the work purely of Mr.
Iay a. a result of the recent hearing on
military aeronautics before the House
committee on military affairs.
Some OF the experts in the army say it
not too much TO hope that Congress will
hortly appoint an investigating commit
&c 10 90 abroad and see for itself the de-