Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-01
DEPARTMENT
TO DEVELOP FLYING
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
war. as shown in the last few years.
When this country entered the war it
had to go at tremendous pace to
catch up-to expend millions upon
millions of dollars to have "look-in,
and was only getting into its stride
when the armistice was signed: and
Immediately the current set in the
other direction and the United States
started unloading airplane material,
its airdromes and aviation fields.
Big Programs Planned.
In two years the Army had con-
tracted to expend s1.672.oOo,000 on air
craft. including parts. airdromes and
equipment. and the Navy $3.50. 900. 900.
very great amount of this money
was expended. The Army air service
had on hand about 10000 liberty mo-
tors. 100000 feet of spruce for air.
plane construction. and II. 600. 900 yards
of special airp1ane linen. These ma
terials the government is planning to
sell. or has sold, in great quantity,
In the combined service it has 10000
aviators. and it cost in the neignbor-
hood Of $4,000 a man to develop them.
There were, too, about 10000 skilled
mechanicians and assistants. These
men have been and are being demo-
bilized. The Army and Navy combined
plan to keep about 5000 pilots and a
corresponding number of mechanics
Senator New does not urge that the
government retain the services OF all
of the men 1t trained for the air serv-
ice. nor does he aim to keep all of the
materials on hand. But he does de-
sire to see established a single air
service, under Responsible head.
whose duty it shall be to look to the
development of aeronautics in the
United States for peace as well as war
purposes.
How British Got Results.
The British floundered around dur
ing the first three years of the war.
trying to get the best results for their
air service. and. finally, were forced
to adopt plan for separate air min
istry, a distinct department. Then it
of letting go now. Great Britain is
continuing. with a seven-year build
ing and development program. and is
s100.000.000 a year for
the air ministry, whose head is a
member of the British cabinet. In
Canada, too, progressive policy has
been undertaken. and the Dominion is
planning to expend $50.000,000 a year
on aviation.
Senator News bill will not provide
for any specific building program or
but will merely create
a department of aeronautics. The ap-
preparations will come in other bills.
Incidentally. Senator New has before
the Senate rules be amended SO as to
provide for a regular standing COM
mittee on aviation. He intends to
press it, and. if the committee is Gre
ated. his bill will go to the new COM
mittee. Senator New was one of the
airplanes which have for months been
flying over Washington. Scores of
other senators and representatives
have been taking flights also, some of
them flying from Washington to New
York and return. There is the strong
ton and it's possibilities among the
1t is realized that the departments
which are already engaged in aviation
work will resist the effort to form a
separate department, which means the
taking away from them Of their juris-
diction over aviation. Senator New
expects this. He is prepared to fight
it, It will be urged in some quarters
that now the end Of the war has come
there is no real need of creating a
separate department of aeronautics.
But the end of the war is not going
to arrest all progress
Rivalry Between Types.
In the development of the airship
for commercial uses. the real contest
will be between the heavier-than-a
and the lighter-than-air machines
The records show wonderful flights
by both classes of machines The
most wonderful of all is the recent
feat of the NC-4 in crossing the ocean,
a heavier than air machine. Aviation
officers Of this and other countries
have covered over 1000 miles. One
of the giant Handley-Page. 1900
machines built originally
to bomb Berlin left Martlesham. near
Ipswich, on a flight to Karachi, carry
ing six passengers distance of $500
miles. It has a span of 127 feet, and
weighs with fuel and passengers
$1,000 pounds.
The air ministry in Great Britain
has issued notes on airships for COM
mercial purposes, and in them pre-
diets there will be constructed and
operated airships of 100000 cubic
feet capacity. or about five times the
capacity of the German Zeppelin.
They will have 5000 horsepower. car
ry 200 tons of freight and have a speed
of eighty-fve miles an hour. They
will be LOO feet long and $50 feet
high. with the ability to stay in the
air for three weeks. and possess a
range Of $4,000 miles. or approximate
ly the circumference of the earth.
The British have already made ex-
periments with lighter-than-air ma
chimes, the dirigibles so called, that
give great promise.
1t was an American steamship that
first crossed the Atlantic ocean 100
years ago. American sailing vessels
surpassed those Of all the world, and
the United States was great carry
ing nation up to nifty or sixty years
ago. But it allowed the countries of
Europe to drive 1t out of the carrying
trade. Now that an American airship
mas Deen the nrSt 10 cross the ocean,
is this country going to repeat it's
performance of the past and allow
Europe to wrest control Of the future
commerce via the air routes from it j?
WARSHIP IS CHRISTENED
IN HONOR OF HERNDON