The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1922-08-19


"The principal recommendations made by this
commission, none Of which have been adopted, and
which were discredted rather than discouraged
were the establishment Of a department Of air,
with cabinet officer at its head coequal in impor-
lance and in representation with the Departments
of War, Navy and Of Commerce; the establish.
ment of governmental institutions Of education
and training including an air academy all open
alike under proper restriction to military civilian
and naval personnel, and the adoption Of sys-
tenn Of circulating army, navy and civil personnel
through the national air service.
us not the time at hand to demand that an
efficient intelligent and definite policy be formu-
lated and carried out?
"Those who have studied this matter thoroughly
and fairly Of the opinion that this will be i'm
possible as long our present policy Of distrib-
uting our air activities among several govern
mental departments is tolerated and it is neces.
sary that we have a reorganization Of our national
defense agencies If our future an air power is
not to be entirely eclipsed by other nations.
1.-THE Indifference of our government and the
manner in which aviation is being discouraged and
our aviation personnel demOralized may be appre-
cated from what has recently been brought to
light in the navy.
"As has been stated in the findings and recon-
mendations Of the aviation commission, heretofore
referred to, any future war will inevitably open
with great aerial activity on both sides. Lying as
we are between two oceans, our first steps in war
will be over the sea. Early In the war the disad.
vantages of having our Army Air Service as part
of the Signal corps were recognized, and it was
made distinct and separate service Of the army
AS a result our Army Air Service is more efficient
than it ever could have been otherwise as part of
the army. If we to uphold our defense over
the sea we must have an air navy Our naval avi-
alton service must be rounded out into distince
and separate CORPS and then combined with
Army Air Service and our bureau of civil aeronau-
tics into a great, efficient and well-baanced
national air service.
'What we need now is the consolidation of our
War and Navy departments into a single Depart.
ment Of National Defense, with Secretary for
National Defense as its head and an undersecre-
tary for army, an undersecretary for navy and an
undersecretary for air. The underdepartment for
air should have in addition to the undersecretary
for air at its head, three administrative off,
GERS: an assistant secretary for army air. an
sistant secretary for naval air and assistant
secretary for civil air.
"Such an organization would not only foster
greater economy and cooperation between our
present army and navy, but would create great,
efficient and well-balanced national air service.
"Such a service would carry with it a morale
and a spirit equal to that Of our much-admired
Marine corps. It would facilitate the establish
ment Of schools Of strategy and tactics Of the air
and OF WellOlrecteO STUDY OF the science OF aero
nautical engineering. 1t would give the personnel
an opportunity devote their attention to the pro-
motion Of the development of aerOnautics. 1t
would retain all experienced aviatOrs in the
ice. 1t would bring our present more or less dis
organized and dissatisfied navy and army aviation
into a well-Organized, efficient and valuable unit
Of our armed forces.
1.-THE Handwriting on the wall must be seen and
action must be taken. Our future in the air must
be governed and guided not by the selfish desires
of the advocates of the old school but by the re-
auirements of the defense and preservation Of our
national integrity"