The Holly chieftain., 1919-12-18
Gen. Pershint Points Out
Protective Need.
UNITED STATES BEHIND
ALL OTHER CoUNTRItS
Britain Has Contributed ssso0oo. 900
and Francs and Japan Have Both
Appripriatsd Over $22o. 900, 900 for
Avistion-0srmany Ahead of All.

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few days ago. Gen. John J. Perish
ing said: IF the United States is
to keep abreast of the times and
be prepared in times Of war, we
must develop this most important
branch in times OF peace and en-
courage the commercial use of
aeroplanes. The only way of re-
pelling an air attack is q successful
air offensive, and the failure of the
United Sites to provide for this
contingency would be fatal"
It is genel ally recognized in this
country that the airplane has a
future that is vital to national de-
tense and commerce But just how
far the United States is willing to
60 in the matter Of developing the
flying machine remains to be seen.
Congress has thus far failed to
appropriate funds more than suffi-
cient to salvage wartime airplane
equipment. Meanwhile, Great Brit
ain has appropriated more than
$330,00O,O00 for the development Of
her aerial defense and commercial
aeronautics. France has cOntribut-
ed more than 100000, ,000 Japan in
excess OF $220,OO0,0O and, it is de
clared Japan is planning to dupli-
cate this amount the coming year.
A French aviation mission has
been in Japan since last January.
The French lost little time in going
to Japan to pave the way for COM
mercializing French aerOplanee.
More than forty French officers and
aerial engineers have been in Japan
at various times since the first Of
the year. Their work has been well
done Their instructors and pilots
have trained Japanese. They have
shown them how to use the air
plane in place Of other common car
riers. Japan is greatly interested,
and as all reports show, will de-
velop the airplane to the full ex-
tent OF its possibilities.
Great Britain meanwhile is con-
tenting herself with linking her far
flung possessions with great aerial
highways, over which her airplanes
and dirigibles are moving almost
daily.
Even Germany is making more
rapid strides in commercial avia-
ton than Is generally known in
this country She is maintaining
daily passenger travel by way OF
the airplane between important
cities. Her giant dirigibles Of the.
super-Zeppelin type are being test
ed throughout the empire
What have we in America? It is
true that America invented the air
v1n nj %tnA lists, ~ x,ky
inventors Of almost every civilized
periments on flying.
A few days ago the United States
navy was authorized by congress
to purchase large dirigible, the
R-38, now under construction in
Great Britain. sister ship of the
R-S3 and R-34, owned by the Brit
ish government. The navy is pay
ing more than $2,5OO,OOO for the dir
ible, training Of its crew and
hangar now In process OF cOnstruc-
tion at Lakewood, New Jersey. This
is important In that 1T shows the
United States was compelled to 60
outside the country to buy ship
which answered all up-0-date re
quirements. The R-38 probably
will be used on the trans-P Pacific
fight contemplated by the navy.
The public needs the airplane as
much as it needs any other COM
mon carrier. It requires little imag-
iinatiOn for use to visualize the
state of affairs in our present civili-
zation, were it not for the services
performed by the railroads, steam
ships and automobiles, not to say
score or more of lesser transporta-
ton facilities. The airplane is one
Of the utmost interest to the public
today, because it has demonstrated
its fitness as common carrier. It
has been tried out and found
not wanting.
Airplanes today are transporting
United States mails between New
4 York, Philadelphia, Washington
and between New York, Cleveland
s and Chicago. Within the next few
months they will be carrying mails
to the Pacific coast Plans have
been perfected for extending the
service to st. Louis and Omaha,
Nebraska, and before the middle of
next year, we may confidently ex-
pect to have a trans-c0ntinenta
service, extending from New York
to San Francisco with branches
shooting of west of the Mississippi
river to the northwest and south
west.
Congressman from practically
every state in the union now have