The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1920-02-19
AIR SERVICE.


involved, has been a go-as-you-p please
raid on the public treasury. The leaders
in the raid are the War Department, the
Navy Department and the Post Office
Department, while trailing along in line
are the Coast Guard Service and the For
est Patrol Every one of these have
out that wholesome restraint which
should be put on public servants. About
a billion and half dollars have been ap-
propriated in the last three years for
aviation and when the armistice was
signed it is said that we had only 70
servicable planes on the fighting lines
and only one of these was first class
fighting machine. We had here at home
a few hundred acres of aviation fields
and here and in various parts of Europe,
10000 air flivers about as like first class
machine as Ford is like Packard. 1t
was stated on the floor of the Senate
few days ago that nearly all of these
planes were obsolete and that we did not
now have single fast pursuit air plane.
This statement was not questioned by
anyone This, with the exception of
several new millionaires, is all we have
to show for the expenditure of nearly ST.
500, 100000 A bill is now before Con-
gress which provides for an Air Depart
ment which shall alone carry on and be
responsible for such service as it may
have authority to perform and give
Messrs Baker, Daniels, Burleson and
few lesser lights little more time to at
tend to their own business.
After all the expenditure which has
been made we are informed by the pro-
ponents of the bill that an appropriation
of S54, 900, 600 will be needed for new
construction and $4,000, 900 for general
expenses will be required before an Air
Department can begin and for one year
carrv on the work of making our air
service what it should be, and doubtless
other and larger appropriations will be
needed in succeeding years.
A great country like the United States
should never be without readily available
means of defense. If attacked, air planes
will be one of the first needs and it must
be admitted that it will be wise to pro-
vide for ample and p-to-date military
and naval aeronautic equipment and
skilled operators. What the future of
commercial aeronautics will be nobody
knows, but the possibilities are great.
This fact is generally realized by all the
progressive nations of the earth. France,
sidy to encourage ventures into aviation
for commercial purposes. She pays 1000
francs a year on the salary of every
aviator employed by private concern
and pays one-fourth the price of every
air plane bought and used for commercial
purposes. England, Japan and Italy are
appropriating money for the promotion
of both defensive and commercial air
service. This country must do the same
or lose step with safety and progress.
None of these countries are spending
large sums of money, as sums are men,
toned in these days, but they are max
ing start with view to future develop
ment along sensible lines. Here in
America Secretary Baker, Secretary
Daniels, and P. M. G. Burleson insist on
doing business as they have been doing
it and each has asked for special appro-
priations for that purpose, which aggre-
gate about S160,000,0O0. They have
demonstrated their unfitness and we
have had too much boasting, too much
waste and too little to show for the money
spent Air service, if it ever is to be-
come a source of satisfaction and utility,
must be put in charge of some man who
has at least business instincts and also
has some acquired knowledge of bust.
ness. 1t has been demonstrated that two
lawyers and an editor proved to be lack
ing in these essential qualifications. A
submarine diver could not have made a
greater failure than these men made in
the management of air service The
country will, we think, approve of the
establishment of an independent air de-
artment but will demand that the ap-
preparation therefor shall be a modest
one and that the man appointed to spend
the money shall have an ample fund Of
practical and scientific knowledge con-
corning the work to be done.