Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-16
BY WILL L. KENNEDY.

BY WILL L. KENNEDY.
A WALTON has come as new
~ permanent force in American
life. Aviation progressed with
leaps and bounds. soaring vic
toriously over the embattled fields
of Europe during the last four years,
with the American youth rivaling
the great American eagle. Tut avia-
ton has scarcely started. and in peace
days it viii he much more power
full agency in rsodern life than it has
been during the var
Men Of vision and OF practical COM
mon sense and foresight. provident
men--among the government officials
and in Congress-are looking forward
and making preparations for avia-
ton TO be given every facility for
development and to take the largest
possible place in the future activities
Of this government
Department of Aeronautics.
They propose that there shall be
new government department or es-
adjustment intrHsted with the many
faced task of encouraging the de-
velopment of aviation. The program
is still in an embryonic stage. but it
is proposed to present the PROPOSE
ton to the extra session of Congress.
which it is now thought will be called
about the last of May.
On account of the wide range of
possibilities for aviation, and on &C
count of the newness of the achieve
ment and it's surprising development
during the war, on account of the
hundreds of young men who have
been trained in this service. on ae-
count of changed conditions general
ly-these provident leaders want to
| see some central government agency
| established which will make the most
of the aviation lessons learned during
| the war, develop them to meet even
I larger peace opportunities and at the
same time adequately protect the in
| terests of America in this new science
of locomotion and transportation.
| Some problems related to aviation
| have forced this conviction on gov
eminent officials-as. for example. the
discovery that the United States has
a world monopoly of helium. the only
| non-infiammab1e gas known. which
the Navy Department has been devel-
| oping for balloon work.
| Two Types Of Departments.
| Now, the fact is that the govern
ment service Is made up OF two dis
tinct types of departments: First,
those whose function 1t is to do a
| particular. definite. material service,
and which expend their appropria-
tions in the performance of such a
definite service without any regard
/ for development of a service that
would expand and flow into other de-
/ partments. Second. those which are
| educative. and which gather in in
| formation for the purpose of dissem-
| mating it in a way to help and slim
ulate private initiative to be more
| helpful to the people as whole.
| Examples of the first type are the
| War and Navy Departments and the
Post Office Department. They have
a definite work to do and do it with
out regard for related interests of
private capital. and technical devel-
/ opment outside of their service. Elk
| amples of the second are the Depart
ment of Agriculture, the bureau Of
mines and the bureau of standards.
For example, if the Navy needs some
new sort of valve it cares not how
! the inventor may dispose of it in
private industry. SO long as shop
rights are maintained for the Navy.
But the Department of Agriculture
| or the bureau of mines is concerned
| in the devotion to the public use of
patents developed in the government
| service The Department of Agri-
culture works no farms except exper-
! mental ones. and the bureau of mines
operates no mines. but they advise
with the private capital that does as
| to how more intensive and economic
| work may be done for the better in
| terests of the people generally.
Developed for War Use.
| Now, the War and Navy Depart
ments have done the principal work
| for the last few years in the devel-
| opment of aviation, and these de-
partments are interested only in avi-
/ alton from a military standpoint.
/ Then the Post Office Department