Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-01-02
THE FREEDOM OF THE AIR.

THE FREEDOM OF THE AIR.
undoubtedly take up is navigation of the air.
It is evident at glance that it is going to be
necessary to restrict the freedom Of navigating
the air. AS the automobile proved great aid
to criminals and law breakers in aiding them to
escape, the airplane is capable of giving even
greater aid to them. No one can recognize or
identify an airplane flying at great height.
One can imagine that it might be put to many
uses by criminals and especially |. w. W. Grim
nals if the possession and operation Of airplanes
is as free as motor cars Take for instance the
business of smuggling. How are tariff laws to
be enforced against commodities of small bulk
and high value if arplanes can cross internation-
al lines at will in the darkness of the night and
drop package at some lonely spot across the
international line where a confederate shows a
light. At present the airplane gives notice of
it's presence by sound that is pretty sure to
be changed in the future by new devices if it
is desired to change it.
A hundred suppositious cases can easily be
marched before our mental vision where the air
plane might become danger to society if not
for criminal purposes. Most people think its use
will become common in the near future for car
rying mail and passengers and.all sorts of trips
where speed is desired and long distances inter-
vene. 1t may also come into use as pleasure
craft. The lives and property of people on the
ground will need protection against the careless
ness or malice of people travelling in the air
above them How are we going to police the
air? 1t is big subject, and one which we know
so little about that it may be a hard task to de-
wise code of laws for the navigation Of the air.
Any such code which We do devise will no doubt
require amendment as experience develops such
need The highways of the air are far greater
in extent than the highways of the land or the
sea. They cover the whole earth. ANY adequate
policing of the air by air patrols would seem
to be impractical, and the more SO as such trans
portation may be made invisible by darkness.
1t would therefore seem that any regulation of
this traffic must begin with a very strict IL
cense code, SO administered that no airplane can
leave the ground without the authorities know
ing who has control of the machine, where it is
going and what its errand is, or at least that it's
errand is legitimate Anyone can see at glance
that if these air ships are to be multiplied in
numbers greatly and their use become general
we will have to restrict the freedom of the air
very radically, and the term "free as the air.
will no longer retain its old meaning.
Great Falls people have special sort of interest
in this question from the fact that Great Falls
has been selected as one of the main stations
on the coast to coast airplane mail route. 1t
is a matter that the commercial club ought to
take some interest in, especially as movement
has been inaugurated by Helena people to have
their city selected the distributing point for
all arplane mail in this state. Great Falls offers
special facilities for airplane mail service owing
to the character of the surrounding country and
the location of the city with reference to the
rest of the state, east Of the Rocky mountains
We should see to it that these advantages are
properly presented to the postoffice authorities
and learn what is desired by them in the way of
cooperation and landing facilities. The con-
quest Of the air by flying machines is fact now
fully demonstrated and it takes lively imagi-
nation to even forecast the possibilities of the
future developments which that fact may bring
about. It is entirely possible that flying may
become as common as automobile transport is
row.