Omaha daily bee., 1917-07-15

the $600,0O0,O00 appropriation for avi-
alton, Brigadier General Squier right
ly remarked that, considered in
terms of winning the war, it is a pos
tive bargain" Considered in terms
Of what it will mean after the war, 1t
appears more of bargain than ever.
1t may seem a little early to talk
about "after the war" when the air
feet is not built yet, and there is no
sign of til wars ending. But to the
nation as to the individual who can
look ahead are power and prosperity
granted; and no less than four Eu-
ropean nations are already planning
seriouslv and in detail how their
great aerial navies can be of use to
them after the war. The United
States itself has just taken the first
step in that direction.
This was the introduction of joint
resolution in congress providing for
the appointment of commission on
aerial navigation whose principal
function will be to investigate the
commercial possibilities of aerial
transport. The proposed commission
will consist of three senators, three
representatives, general, an admi-
raj and a civilian engineer. Their re-
port is to be presented before Decem-
Der 4 of this year.
There is no doubt in the minds of
those who have studied the situation
that the aeroplane as a means Of
transportation, carrying mail, passen-
gers and certain classes of freight,
has come to stay The war has i'm
mensely hastened its development.
The nations that are sufficiently pro-
gressive and far-sighted to take up
commercial aerial transport quickly
and on large scale will gain a con-
siderable advantage in domestic de-
velopment anu commerce after the
war.
England has already appointed an
investigating committee similar to the
one r-onCocd for the United States.
1t is known as the commercial aerial
transport commission and has Lord
Northcliffe for its chairman. Eng
land has been considering the COM
mercial possibilities of the aeroplane
seriously for some time, and so have
France, Itals and probably Germany.
Each of these nations sees itself with
a constantly increasing supply of
aeroplanes and trained pilots on its
hands. The excellence of machines
and mechanics is continually growing
more marked. What were once not
able feats of daring in the air have
become tie merest commonplaces,
unworthy even of line in the news
papers. These nations regard it as
inconceiv.. that their highly devel-
oped mac. mes shall be scrapped and
their trained men put back into other
pursuits after the war. 1t is the hope
Of all colcerned that the immense
military and naval aviation services
will not have to be maintained as a
part of national armament in ex-
pectation of another war. The flying
fleets will be available for purposes
OF commerce after the conclusion of
any satisfactory peace.
England has taken up the problem
more enthusiastically than any other
nation, partly on account of its inn
perial question. The maintenance of
huge empire is dependent entirely on
means of communication. Had it not
been for the improvements in trans
portation made in the nineteenth GEN.
tury the British empire of today
would not exist. If the aeroplane can
be used further to perfect transporta-
tion methods, England sees in it a
means of linking the units of the en-
pire still more closely into a whole.
All the British colonies are repre-
sented on the aerial transport COM
mission.
The problem is being soberly con-
sidered all over the world by practi-
cal men. There is no talk of the aero
plane supersed;ng the railroad, the
steamship, or the automobile. 1t prom
ises to supplement them all, and to
take away their business in certain
lines for which it is particularly fitted.
An analogy can be drawn from the
development of the railroad. River
navigation was the accepted means of
inland travel before the railroad came.
The course of the rivers determined
the course OF history. It has been
said that had the great American riy-
ers drained into the Atlantic, there
would have been no civil war. The
river furnished means OF transporta-