The Washington herald., 1916-05-02
BY T.. B. JOHNS.

Over 100000 in appropriations are in
CIuded in the naval appropriation bill
for aviation AS il is rcpOrteed to the whole
committee by the Subcommittee on naval
affairs Among other things provided FOR
ie the establishment OF a naval flying
corps and aeronautic school for the i'll
struction of student flyers.
The naval flying corps is to COnsist Of
I5O officers and enlisted men all Of whom
are to be selected from civilian aViators,
There are to be five flight commanders,
one Of whom is TO be the senior flight
commander The other officers Of the
naval flying coIps will consist of ten
fight lieutenant commanders. thirty fight
ioutenants. junior grade, and twenty-five
flight ersgns. The enlistedpeTsonnelof the
fyinC corps will consist Of ten chief war
Iant officers with the rank Of ,hirt
machtnists and fCtcon warrant officers
with the rank OF machinists enlisted men
who qualify As aViators are to have the
pay OF mdshipmen and the officers tn"
same pay and allowance as line officers
of the same grade
Already considerable opposition in the
whole committee is developing to the pro
position by which civilian aviators are to
have the same pay and allowance as
officers Of the navy who have taken
course at Annapolis and ed fifteen or
twenty years in the navy. While it is
generally recognized that expert aviators
would be a valuable addition to the navy.
some members Of the committee insist
that the government would be paving too
high a price to give them the commits
sions conferred on the officers of the navy
after a course at Annapolis and years Of
service in the navy.
BY the provisions Of the Naval Ap-
preparation bill, a 5 it is now pending
ing in the committee. for the first two
years naval and marine corps officers
are excluded from the proposed naval
flying corps After that time only
limited number would be eligible to
service in the flying corps Naval and
marine corps officers who can he
transferred to tn" flying corps are
limited to one commander. two lieu
tenant commanders, five Heutenants
and five lieutenants. Junior grade, in
one year
Evidently the purpose of the pro-
visions is to I'LL the flying corps en-
tirely from civil life. The secretary
is authorized to establish an aero
nautic school for instruction OF stu
dent fiers. While attending the
school the student fiCrs are entitled
to the pay and allowance Of midship-
men and upon graduation are eligible
for commissions in the flying corps. An
enlisted man of the navy Is required
to pass a satisfactory examination for
appointment. as student f1ier. The
provisions are so loosely drawn that
some of the members of the naval af-
fairs committees are insisting that
there will be virtually no restrictions
upon the Secretary of the Navy for
the first two years.
In its effort to provide for more engi-
neering officers the subcommittee of the
Committee on Naval Affairs has inserted
into the appropriation bill a provision by
which thirty civilian engineers between
the ages Of % and 26 years can be ap-
pointed acting ensisns. After three years
of probationary service they are eligible
to appointment as ieutenants Gunior
grade) in the line of the navy. From this
grade they are eligible for promotion in
the line Of the navy. but are kept on en-
gineerirg duty.
The provision. however. in the opinion
of the authorities at the Navy Depart
ment. does not give the relief which is
needed in furnishing the navy with ex-
pert engineers. 1t will be three years
before they can qualify for engineering
duty, and by that time under the bill
passed at this session there will be about
400 graduates from Annapolis to fill va
Cancies in the navy.
Another objection toNthe provision IS
that line officers would not take the post
graduate course in engineering if this
special corps of civilian engineers was
created. The engineering officers would
be qualifying for this duty and there
would be no occasion for naval officers
TO take the postgraduate ceurse.
Advices have been received by the Ad-
jutant General that the transport Kilpat-
rick arrived at Cristobal April 2S, bring
ing the Fifth Band, Eighth Fifteenth.
seventy-third. Eighty-sevenkh and One