Evening star., 1923-12-09

ar ThlS is the cheapest and
most economical as well as the most
efficient factor in the defense of the
nation" says Representative Roy G.
Fitzgerald Of Ohio. the recognized
leader for aviation legislation in the
House.
Prediction that this Congress will
pass at least two important measures
which will bring aviation to the fore
front as an agency of national de-
tense and commerce, as made by Rep
resentative Fitzgerald emphasizes the
scientific progress along this line that
has come within the last twenty
years.
Next week December ~ is the
twentieth anniversary of the first
flight In a motor airplane, operated
by Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk,
n. c. Dayton, Ohio. the home city
OF Orville Wright and of Represen-
tative Fitzgerald, has just spent
100000 for a new field of 5000 acres
which has been presented to the War
Department and which it is intended
to make the greatest center of avia-
ton in the whole world. Included
In this field is the site where the first
experiments of the Wright brothers
with a heavier-than-air flying ma
chine were made. On this field it is
proposed to erect magnificent me-
mortal to the pioneer work of the
Wright brothers in aviation.
AirpIanes Held Vital.
Empha sizing the future of avia-
tion in national defense, Representa-
tive Fitzgerald points out that a bat
tleship with its armament costs s40,-
100000; al airship costs a. few thou
sand.
A battleship costs a fortune to keep
in commission. with great number
of officers and crew, all of whose
lives may be destroyed as we'll as
the ship sunk by bombs from an
airship at SO great a height 1t can
not be reached by any missile from
below, and the explosive bombs may
be less terrible than the gas bombs.
which are capable of destroying
within a few minutes all life on
board the vessel. through envelop-
ment of the ship in most deadly
gas as now worked out by the Air
and Chemical Warfare Services.
We cannot defend either the Philip
pine or Pacific possessions the
Panama canal without a force of air
planes" Representative Fitzgerald says.
ALREADY it Is recognized that
money put into coast defense is money
wasted" he continued. Our planes
are now prepared to meet an incom-
ing fleet many miles off the coast of
the United States. We can put a
fleet of airplanes from the United
States into Peking, China, in three
days In the same period we can
navigate from this country to Europe
by way of Greenland and Iceland.
These planes are equipped with
radio communication. and 1t is diff
cult to realize the tremendous ad-
vance that has been made In both
transportation and communication
within the, last few years"
Favorable to Development.
The appropriations committees of
the House and Senate and the budget
bureau are favorably disposed to-
ward increa sing the appropriations
for aviation development as a mill
tary science. 1t is made plain. how
building of lot of airships for use
in the event of war, but for scientific
investigation, discovery and practical
tests under all conditions. 50 that the |
United States, as a nation, will be
before all tie world in scientific |
knowledge applicable to aviation.
The development of airplanes, with |
ali the marvels already at hand, is in |
. condition Of rapid change. so that
what is a wonder today is obsolete
In a short time. The most valuable
work that our government can do in
connection with the national defense
and commercial aviation" Repre-
sentative Fitzgerald advises, "is the
research work being carried on at
Dayton, Ohio, under the direction of
the Army, where experts of the
greatest ability and highest training
are concentrating their efforts on
improvements in all the factors of
aviation.
TT would be unwise to build more
than a few of any type of our air.
planes as we now know them, but
our energies must be devoted to con-
tinual development and experimental
tion."
The aviation bill introduced during
the last Congress by the interstate
and foreign commerce committee, of
which Representative Samuel Wins
low of Massachusetts, is chairman,
has not yet been reintroduced at this
session. Representative Winslow says
that there have been such develop
ment in the air already as to make
desirable some changes in the bill
He recognizes that there is uni
versal demand from every person
who has made even a casual study
of the question for some law de-
fining the rights of airplane pilots
and regulating the navigation of the
air, landing fields and ships
AS 1t is now anybody can fly, even
in unseaworthy ships. and many lives
have been lost in this way. Com
mercial companies can run such un-
safe ships without any inspection or
regulation.
This is a most important problem
to be solved, demanding just as care
full regulations as are applied through
steamship inspection service, because
Europe has so many commercial lines
in operation. Overseas airship voy-
ages are about as common an occur
renee as buying railroad ticket.
Now, the approved method of cross
ing the English channel is by airship.
Representative Fitzgerald is very
much behind this bill, but he himself
has already introduced another bill