The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-11-19

the date. At present they are large ly subsidized by the government. The budget for this year provided about sl2,00o.090 aud, the largest item in it approximated s7,0000O for works. airdomes, technical laboratories and meteorological services, Something like S3,00o,00o was set aside for sub s.dies for the French aerial com- panies. We shall have to continue to subsidize our air industries for some wears to come, but we believe it will pay in the development of our commerce and in the national de- fense of the republic"
 This matter of national defense re- ferred to by Minister Eynac, is the milk in the cocoaput of the vast amounts of money which France, England. and other countries are spending on commercial aviation. Airships and airpfanes are bound 10 be one of the necessities of the wars of the future. Just before leaving Washington I had a talk with Major Bickan. who. under General Mitchell. has charge of our army air service. He says that the wars of the future will be fought in the air, and that every nation should have a large aNfdlio0 tHuu6lFlai ptaut WniCn II Cdn turn over to military uses in time of war. The life of an airplane is short, and the war planes deteriorate rap idly if they lie idle In war. a plane lasts only from six to twelve weeks. Even in commercial work. fmo:or will run for 200 hours at the most The flight from Paris to Warsaw takes about half a day. On that line motor is worn out in 10 round trips and a new one must be in- stalled As motor is worth s12.000 this makes 1t cost about s60O per trin. Other parts of the airplane are less perishable but all soon wear out. although it may be better when the machines are made entirely of steel.
 We Might Give Planes to Japan
 It takes time to build up an air plane industry. and in case of sudden war the country that has no in |. dustrial aviation establishment will be at a great disadvantage. For this reason France is doing all she can to develop airplane factories, and is now manufacturing airplanes for other countries at little more than cost. especially for the South Amer ican republics. Major Hickam says it would pay us to make planes at a loss or for nothing for export to JApdHs anu lHak II We NOuAu SuPHtS the Japanese with all their planes. military and otherwise, our profit .n case of war would be enormous. As a result Japan would have a splen- did aviation armament when the war broke out, but in the course of two or three months it's airplanes would be worn out and the country would be at our mercy, for our commercial plants could be easily turned to mak- ing military planes in time of war. This is the reason why England is subsidizing her airplanes and air ships. and it is the cause of the great anxiety that prevails in every coun- try of Europe as to the aviation in- dustry.
 Commercial Flying an Established
 Industry
 In the meantime commercial flying has been put on a sound and per manent basis in this part of the world. Our people seem to consider it an experiment., a plaything. and more or less of joke. Here it Is an established industry which is rap idly growing. The European thinks little more of flying 10 London. Brussels. or Warsaw than he does of taking the train.
 Le Bourget, where I spent day.
 
 rope, and perhaps in the world. It covers several hundred acres, sur- rounded by airdromes with planes coming in and going out almost con- tinually There are airplane offices and depots. In the latter are bulle- tin boards giving the hours of ar rival and departure. and showing. at an times just where any plane Is. There Is 8 regular customs and pass port service for the passengers, and inside a glass case Is what looks like weather map upon which are great round pins with arrows att tached. These show where the planes are on the aerial routes and also the winds and fogs of teach locality. Another map registers the height of the clouds by means of slides which pull up and down. giving an ss- curate hourly survey of the upper air between Paris and London.
 Paris has airplane aviation time tables, just like the alway guides of the states containing the arrivals