Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-29
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

They deteriorate SO that In. three
years the linen and other fragile ma
terial becomes useless. The Wnole
subject Is in such state of inventive
transition, say Army oincers, ina
what Is standard today will be utterly
obsolete next year The only prac-
teal method of airplane preparedness
is to keep up a strong commercial
for military use. But how shall
country whose outstanding principles
of craftsmanship forbid even a hint
! of subsidizing ever compete with
European countries. where all COM
mercial airplanes are heavily SUB
sidized?
Handicapped by. public, and .espe-
cially legislative indifference. Amer
lean aeronautics have made achieve
ments of which ws may be proud.
The transcontinental mail flights sur
pass any regularly scheduled per-
formances in Europe.
= u
There Is a successful air passenger
service between Paris and London.
But while the passenger pays SIS,
France pays the company another SIS
and England pays another SIS, SO that
the company receives a least s45 for
the fare. There are many such routes
In Europe-aIl subsidized-all train
ing aviators-all keeping factories
making planes and all. in time OF
peace, preparing against war.
In long distance flights England
| has to her credit the trip from London
; to Melbourne, Australia, $4,000 miles,
and from London to New York and
the UrAted States Army flight from
New York to Alaska and return.
5000 miles. and the Army flight from
New York to Rio Janeiro. 6.5S3 miles.
! There are now pending In Congress
two bills to create laws for the
regulation and encouragement of
aeronautics. One introduced in the
Senate, known as the "Wadsworth
short BILL" has already been favora-
bly, reported by the committee on
military affairs and is on the calen-
dar awaiting consideration. 1t pro-
vides that all such civil aircraft used,
in thu, United States must be ownedN
and Managed by American citizens.
1t esta blishes a board under the De-
partment of Commerce. which shall
investigate routes and landing sta
. lions and formulate rules of navt-
cation.
, the "Wadsworth long bill" in the
Senate are simply in committees.
They are identical bills. establishing
| laws and regulations covering many
phases of interstate and foreign air
plane traffic, and even touching or
such intrastate conditions as may
affect interstate commerce on through
trips.
The whole subject of regulating
commerce in the air is SO new that
whatever laws are passed must blaze
the way. The old common law gave
landowner title to all the blue sky
above his land-he owned from the
center Of the earth to the zenith
terranean title and often the pur~
chase Of a farm does not include
minerals under the surface. Cases
have already come into court wherein
farmers forbid trespassfng over their
fields, no matter how high an air
plane may be flying.
Common law also requires-at least
in Spanish countries-that TO perfect
a title, the claimant must take
the premises. To claim farm he
must walk around its borders
1t may be that under the common
law, in the absence of statutes to
limit, II VIII be construed that a
farmer has no title to the heis MS
beyond what he can climb and shat
he has no claim upon an aviator for
| damages for trespass If the aviator
simply passes over and does not land
nor drop anything. In case of O
forced landing his claim would cover
only actual damages done. by the
landing. These are instances of the
problems before the Legislators and
the courts. There are no presidents
i except by analogy to the. use of the
, , ocean or other navigable water on
which land abuts.
tCopyisht. 1924, by Paul v. cellins.l