New-York tribune., 1921-06-18
Senate May End
q z,iiyiiianControl
OF Air Services
gorah Resolution, Believed
Forerunner of Inquiry,
Would End Authority of
National Advisory Body
For Single FederalAgency
Hinted That Certain Navy
Officials Made Rules for
Bombing Tests Impossible
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WASHINGTON, June i7.-Portents
II q Senate inquiry into conditions in
the air services and air agencies of
the government were seen to-day in
resolution with was offered by SEN
ator Borah.
The resolution, which is understood
TO be only forerunner of other things
to follow, provides for abolishing .ehe
organization known as the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
and transferring its property and
duties to existing governmental
agencies. 1t was referred to the SEN
ate Military Affairs Committee, of
which Senator Wadsworth is chairman.
and is said to have strong support in
that committee.
Back of the resolution is purpose,
il is asserted, to bring about unified
sir service of the government, ia ac-
cordance with the ideas OF General
william Mitchell, assistant director of
the army air service.
Further than this the measure is
indicative of the fact that there is
keen Senate interest in what is going
on with respect to the governments
air services and in the tests of the
effect on warships of bombing from
airships. Senators are watching plans
for these tests closely and some of
them intimate a belief that Navy Off
cials, opposed to development of air
facilities, have shaped the rules for
the test in such fashion as to make
it almost impracticable for the army
planes or even navy planes to show
what they can do.
Watch Results of Bombing Tests
In this relation, there is talk that
by putting the warships, which are to
be targets, about sixty miles outside
the Virginia Capes it will be difficult
for the army planes to go out and
return without any chance to alight
until they have travelled 120 miles
and more.
The Borah resolution and the bomb
ing tests have no connection on the
face, but it can be said that Senator
Borah and other Senators who are we'll
disposed toward unifying the air SER
vice are watching the bombing devel-
opments keenly. The charge made as
to the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics is that it is controlled
by civilians and army and navy men
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ments or progressive aerial policies.
One of the members is Major General
Charles 7. Menoher, who is at odds
with General Mitchell. Another is
Rear Admiral D. w. Taylor, of the
Navy The committee is not friendly
to General Mitchell's policies and is
credited with having been an influence
IN trying to oust him.
Consolidation for Economy
The Borah resolution holds that "the
necessity for economy demands con.
solidation, where possible, of govern.
overlapping and whose duties result in
duplication" In proposing the abolish
ment of the National Advisory Com
mittee it is planned by the resolution
to transfer the technical duties of the
committee to the Bureau of Standards
Department of Commerce, and the
technical equipment also is transferred
to the Bureau of Standards.
The buildings and real estate of the
committee, at present of military and
naval reservations, are transferred to
the War Department or the Navy De-
partment, as the case may be.
Such duties of the committee as re-
late to its advisory capacity on aero
nautics are transferred to the War
Council, as created by the national de-
tense act of June 3, 1916 and amended
by later acts.