The Washington herald., 1920-11-28
AMERICA NAY
GET ZEPPELIN !.
OF LATELY
Lieut.. Culver Goes Abroad
. To Take Seat in Aero
nautical Commission.
MAY FORCE GERMANY
Belligerent Has Not Yet AS.
sented to Plan for
Compensation.
BY 8. b. coNGER.

for the United States to acquire
gratis a new German Zeppelin of the
latest commercial type or the COM
ponent parts from which one of these
air leviathans may be put together
in America Is offered in connection
with the demand just submitted to
Germany for compensation for the
seven new zeppelins destroyed by
jealous patriots at Scapa Flow. At
the time of the signature Of the
peace treaty, the compensation, ac-
cording to the terms laid down by
the interallied aeronautical COM
mission of control, may be paid In
cash, completed airships or their
parts and divided among the nations
represented on the commission.
The American government, except
for a battleship and other warships
sent to the United States under the
agreement, heretofore has come OF
empty handed in the distribution Of
the spoils OF war because it was
not represented on the interallied
control commissions set up under
respondent learns, the United States
has decided to delegate officers as
members of the various control
commissions and therefore will be
entitled to call upon Germany TO
construct for II a modern Zeppelin
IL the new American representative
upon the aeronautical commission.
Lieut.. Culver. who Is reported to be
IN D.~
in time to participate in the distri-
button. Unless he does. England,
France. Belgium, Italy and Japan
plan to appropriate the proceeds Of
Germany's punishment, whether in
cash or completed airships. for
themselves.
Germany Has Net Agreed.
Americas prospective dirfgibie
may seem putative rather than ac-
tual In view. OF the fact that, Ger
many as yet has not assented to
the justice Of the demand for COM
and has the option OF
making good the destruction In cash
rather than in Kind, except for the
last orphans of her once mighty
aeronauticaI neet--the two CONNER
cial dirigibles. Lake Constance and
North Star-whose surrender Is de-
manded as part of the compensa-
tion.
Financial considerations and de-
sire to provide employment for the
Zeppelin plants will, however, impel
her to accept any proposal to build
instead of to pay and as for her
protests that the airship account
was wiped out by the Scapa Flow
nrntnSfl nf
past record of the interallied aero
nautical commission under its ener-
getic chairman, Commodore Master
man, leaves little doubt that in the
end she will be compelled to make
good for the missing air cruisers.
Must Build Only Small Craft.
When or il in the future Germany
Is able to resume construction of
commercial Zeppelins for her own
Use or for sale, she will be permit
ted, according to the present intent
OF the aeronautical commission, tn
build only moderate-sized dirigibles
OF about the type of the Lake Con-
stance and North Star, but ships of
this size, which have a lifting ca
pacity of only four and a half tons.
do not offer a very bright prospect
for successful commercial future
1t is doubtful IL the service which
was maintained last year with
these airships between Berlin ana
Switzerland with an Intermediates
landing at Munich ever paid. de-
spite the heavy patronage. Hum
dreds of international travellers
used this service at a time when
the rail trip from Berlin to Switzer-
land took two days with standing
room only on~trains.
The two Zeppelins were ultimately
laid up in March when the entente
nrst attempted to secure their sur
render on the score that they were
really military and not commercial.
The zeppelin company's personnel
struck for fear of losing their Jobs
and refused to prepare the aircraft
for delivery until they had received
assurance that be Lake Constance
and North Star and the Friedrichs-
hafen balloon hall and construc-
tive buildings would be left to Ger
many. The demand in this form
was ultimately dropped, but the
service since has been
as dead as the construction depart
ment. The long layoff in building
was imposed by the
to give other nations
a chance to catch up with the ad-
which Germany formerly
possessed in this field.
Navy Action Is Commended.
The action of the American NAVY
in delegating Lieut.. Culver as its
representative on the aeranautical
commission without awaiting rati-
hcation Of the treaty will be Of even
greater Importance in giving tbe
government the benefit of a mass of
technical information ON the con-
struction secrets Of navigation rath-
cred by the commission than in the
possible production of a new ZEN
pelfn. This information, gathered
from surrendered aircraft and DE-
signs and in visits to airdomes and
plants. hitherto has been treated As
the property of the nations repre-
sented on the control commission.
The American attaches In Berlin
have been forced to content them
selves with scraps of Information
picked up casually or from German
sources. -