The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-11-16
LIMIT NOT
WANTED ON
AIRCR
No Nation Would Curb
Development of Air
Conquest.

Washington, Nov. 16.-(By the
Associa,ed Press THE first meet
ing OF the technical committee to
which the armament program of
the American delegation was re-
ferred yesterday, adjourned at noon
today not to resume until tomor-
row. Various phases of the Amer
lean plan were taken under consid-
Grafton by the individual experts
for each power preparatory TO FUR
ther committee discussion later.
Washington, Nov. 16.-tBy the
Associated Press. decision of the
American delegation to the con-
ference on limitation of armaments
to exclude aircraft from proposals
from reduction and future llmita-
! ton of naval forces goes deeper
TOR it's reasons than Secretary
Hughes indicated in his statement
! saying merely that the ready con-
vertibiIity of commercial aircraft
! to war purposes made the writing
of aircraft limitation impractical
Beyond the obvious fact, however,
/ lies the desire of every nation that
no impediment should be placed in
the way of development of air nav
| igation for the benefit OF all man
! kind.
War Was Impetus.
Great strides in the air were
made by all powers under the war
! impetus. Both in gas-carried craft
and in machines tnat rely on the
/ lifting power of tilted planes things
were done undreamed of for few
months before they were accom-
/ pIished facts.
| All the economic barriers that
hem in peace time developments
were swept aside by the urgent
needs of war. Dollars and cents
! did not matter. But back again tC
days of peace, aircraft development
is moving at a snail's pace all ovel
the world. The place of air naVi,
CATION in the commercial scheme
of things is not established yet OF
any profitable basis, and if govern
menIs do not carry on the expert
mental work in connection witt
armies and navies, the newest anC
most promising field of transporta
ton probably would lie neglected
for years to come.
viii Limit War Uses.
This is the view taken by thu
army and navy officials OF th'
United States, and it is reflected
in the American proposal to th'
conference 1t is to be expected
! as the conference moves along, tina
rules to limit the use of aircraft
to curb bombing of defenseles
cities and the civilian nOn-com
batants. hospitals and the like il
war. will be written. There Is
definite place for that on tn
agenda, but no government coul
look with favor on any projec
that would tend to discourage in
ventors and public and private en-
terprise from plumbing the posi-
bilities of air routes with view t
, finding cheap, fast methods OF com
munication and transport
. AS to the conyertibility. 1t
apparent offhand, officers say, tha
any plane capable of carrying tn
mail or any other burden could b
loaded with bombs for war pu1
poses, equipped with machine gun
and otherwise be put into fightin
shape in a matter of hours. Will
:, out any change whatever, con
mercial plane would become imm'
diately available in war for II
prime purpose of military and n;
val aircraft, scouting to locate el
: emy positions on land or sea
. Adds New Factors.
. Navy officials are far from sa
, isfied that aircraft have reached
point where the old time surfa
craft of the battle line have 10
their importance as the main rel
ance in war at sea, but they adm
that air developments have add'
new factors to the game of wa
; and that in the future may lie sue
radical advices in air work as ma
| in fact. wholly revolutionize nav
warfare. American observers e
pected no serious proposal durir
the conference for any form Of az
craft limitation that would inhit
such development.