Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-31
TILE I-IoEET0OM OF THE Alp AFRO
RAM REP

advocates of extensive government control
over hylng bring forward a number of prac-
tlcaI reasons why such control is desirable.
For one thing, the government has at pres
eht control OF practically all patents used in
the manufacture of planes It is well known
/ that before the war there was some litigation
IoVer alrplane patents in this country, and that
none or the manufacturers had the use of ALI
! or them. But when the war broke out the
government readily obtained the use of all
patents then existing, and it has control of
all improvements patented during the war
Only a1rplanes manufactured on government
contract, therefore, may embodv all the dis
cOveries and improvements. The advantages,
from a practical and scientific viewpoint, of
having the government act as clearing
house for discoveries and inventions, instead
of leaving private concerns to fight over
them, seem obvious.
Again, the government owns thousands of
planes, has thousands of trained flyers and
mechanics now in its employ, and owns mill
lions of engines and parts. To let this great
plant, equipment and personnel go to pieces
will be an immense waste of the peoples
money.
A third reason advanced for government
control is that large Industrial development
and Tactical use of the airplane must be pre-
cedeo by great scientific development-not
so much in the airplane itself as in knowledge
or the air. Air currents must be studied and
charted, practical means must be worked
out for observing the wind at all elevations.
When the weather bureau is able to furnish
daily reports on weather condition at the ele-
walton of five thousand, ten thousand and ff-
teen Thousand feet, just as it now sends out
daily bulletins for the weather at the sur
face of the earth, flying will be about as
safe as automobiling more So Such
a system of 'igh-altitude weather reports is
perfectly feasible, according to the>axperts;
but it would require much scientific r <earch
conducted on a national scale Such reSAsxeh
would be essentially government task n.
the same way the charting of air routes andN
establishment of landing fields must be carr
ried out in accordance with national plan
to have much value.
For the government to carry on these re-
searches and experiments both in the making
of aircraft and in the study of the air would
be an immense burden upon the taxpayer, it
may be objected, for which he would receive
no return. In refutaticn of this argument, it
is stated that there are number of practi-
CAL money-saving way in which the govern
ment coulI make use of its airplanes and its
knowledge in peace times, and these ways
would multiply with the development Of the
industry.
Carrying mails is of course the most OBJ
vious of these uses But professional forest
ers say that there is also an immense field
for the use of aircraft in the protection of
national and other forests. This year mil
lions of dollars worth OF property were de-
SJrOyeQ Dy IOreSC HTeS III the mo- LHWosI, anu
the same thing has happened several times
within decade, while the loss from smaller
forest fires reaches an alarming total. Yet this
loss is preventable. The difficulty of patrol
ling great areas of wild forest land and of
reaching fires with men and tools after they
are discovered is at the root of the trouble.
Airplanes could patrol to perfection areas
which are now observed with great difficulty
from towers and MONT - t is, Nd large
planes and the small dirigibles used now by
the navy department could bring men to the
scene of trouble in fraction of the time
now consumed.
Airplanes could also be used by the coast
geodetic survey in its work of charting the
coastal waters of Atlaska, according to ex=a
perts of that bureau. And in the far north
and in the tropics, airplanes could be used
for mapping and explorations.