New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-29


carry certain quantity Of weight ~
what they want is a high power, speed
machine. Now
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-No; am not will
to admit that what we want is h;o,
cred machine. You have been led >,
leve that for the last sixteen month";
was not adopting an engine to existin,
dltlons, but what was attempted wa. :.
adopt everything to that particular r,..-
the planes, war conditions, weatbe, -
elements, everything had to be cbano.a =.
utilize your motor. 1t was all wrong "A.
plause. 'P
Mr.. BORLAND-Is it not fact -.
ever, that the machine that is going ~ :.
adopted for postal and commercial sorn;ss
will be a heavier and slower machine 49,
the military machine?
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-It will be q, a.,
bombing machine.
Mr.. BORLAND-I want to call attentio,
TO this that the army would have bsor y.
great loss in its motor truck service e :.
had not been for the high development =.
commercial motor trucks and if il had 49,.
been for the training of q large number =.
commercial chauffeurs, and the army hoa
those Immediately to draw from. Sunno..
they had not had any commercial apnarstn.
or aviators; that we did not have anv cor,
mercial or postal machines for the sr,.-
to draw upon in future war; mat ever
thing was military. Would that be an ~
vantage?
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-No; il is entire,,, Il.
ferent. We still in the experiment
stage in aviation, and all the Posto3,,
Department Is trying to do is to try TN.
out want to save money. think thai
IS our duty-unless | am entirely xronr
unless it is not the intention Of this Cor
gress to save money If VIC continps -
appropriate the way we do, | do not kno.
how we are going to pay for it. am con.
cerned, inasmuch as my state pays big
| part of the taxes of the United States
think we ought to have something to sav
about it. AS | said, we are still in the ey.
permental stage, and what we are irving
to dc now is to centralize the experiments
When we arrive at the commercial machine
period, as we have in the motor truck and
automobiles, and they can be as safely
operated, it will be time then to give the
postoffice machines of its own to operate
Mr. LAzARO-If the gentleman will per
nit, the gentleman said while ago tha,
these men who are now at the aviation
camps could be used to better advantage
carrying the mails.
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-Yes
Mr.. LAzARO-Is that correct
Mr.. La GUARDIA-Yes.
Mr.. LAZARO-The gentleman does not
mean to say that we would have no avia-
ton camps where these men could do these
stunts and practise for war purposes IN
cases of emergency You would not wan,
TO use them all in the mail service?
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-Before he starts to
do his stunts, if we can give him good
deal of flying he Will acquire the art Of
advanced flying much easier. We could
give the pilot the preliminary training ex-
perience in actual cross country flying and
then go into acrobatcs. We could make
three or four months postal flying part OF
the course, after he has taken his pilots
test. That would give him what he needs,
actual experience. If we can give each
pilot three or four months of postal flying
and then train him further in aerobatics,
if he desires, we would than have an ideal
expert flying pilot
Mr.. LAZARO-What does the gentleman
think, with the number of aviation camps
We have in this country, as to the advan-
tage of using them i'll the future during
peace times? Can the gentleman give me
any thought concerning that?
Mr.. LA GUARDIA-No. All know #.
what General Fou!ois told me on that. And
he said
mind the future commercial use. On the
map that | have before me, as said be
fore, we have no fields from Illinois to
California at all, and Of course, we wouir
have to lay out series of lields all along
the line
Mr. JOHNSON, of Washington-l under
stand the gentleman to say, in addition 10
these items, the government has not got
with route from Indianapolis to Texas
and from Chicago to San Francisco-the
government has not the money?
MIR. LA GUARDIA-Neither has the post
Office, and if we got s2,00O0O0 and even il
We start regular service from Chicago
TO New York, and start to buy planes and
earn what it costs to keep up these
planes, they will come back with SIS,
100000 or s2o,ooOooo deficit in the next
appropriation bill. That, gentlemen, IS
absolutely certain. Two hundred thousand
dollars is not enough, and it Will get the
Postoffce Department in considerable trou
Bile. 1t viii cost us several millions more
unless we take it out of their hands en-
tirely
The CHAIRMAN time Of the gen
tleman from New York has expired.
Mr.. LA GUARDIA l ask unanimous
consent for three minutes more.
Mr.. SMITH, of Michigan ask unani-
nous consent that the time of the gentle
man be extended five minutes
Mr.. NOON have no objection to his
getting five minutes.
The CHAlRMAN-ls there objection