Evening star., 1924-03-30
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
ROM courier to radio; from
T bfunderbuss to deadly gas

ROM courier to radio; from
X bfunderbuss to deadly gas
fumes; from camel to super
dreadnaught airship-you have
the progression of national defense
within the last $50 years of our ma
tionaI life.
Longfellow immortalized "the IA
nous ride of Paul Revere" in the first
days Of the revolution; Ebert Hub
bard has sung for future generations
how the Message to Garcia was car
ried during the Spanish-American
war. Today we have Secretary Hoover
as dictator of the air and Congress
considering radio control legislation
as result of amazing developments
of that new science of communication
during the world war.
In our earlier wars the great prob
lem of the fighting man was to keep
birth to a new and most deadly
agency of destruction during the
world war, in which the Muscle Shoals
plant was but one link in the chain
Of production of chemicals and gases
that are now being turned to peace
time production of food supplies and
in fighting epidemics and conf1agra-
tions.
Scarcely seventy years ago Congress
made an appropriation of $4,000 to
the War Department to start a camel
corps, and as a result seventyfve
ships Of the desert were imported
for use in Texas and New Mexico
shortly before the civil war; today
the air service is recognized as the
dominant force in national defense.
and an investigation of the aircraft
industry is under way.
The way in which the long-derided
army mule" gave way to droves OF
motor trucks during the late war is
another indication of the tremendous
change that has come about in max
ing warfare-a proving ground for sci
ence While the Army overseas new
er had all the trucks it needed during
the period of hostilities, yet before
the armistice there were 10000 ship
ped, SO, 900 of which were received in
France, ranging in size up to five
tons
Future of Air Service.
There are repeated indications in
Congress that the air service is going
to be developed as the outstanding
safeguard of this nation. While ap-
preparations generally are being held
! down and curtailed, it is significant
to note that the amount recommended
| for the national advisory committee
for aeronautics is s427,o0 for the
next fiscal year, as against current
! appropriation of s270,ooo, or an in
crease of s157,0o0.
In the Army appropriation bill con-
sidered in the House during the week,
there are some increases for the air
service, but not as much as there will
be when the people have been aroused
to the Importance of that branch of
the military service, it was empha-
sized. During the debate it was
called to the attention of Congress
| that aircraft rules overseas today
and that Great Britain is now con-
| trolled from the air by France, with
the other big nations determined to
rival the power now held by the
French. 1t was recalled that all of
i the amazing achievements by the
American flyers in the world war were
| exclusively in French planes.
Protection Of Canal.
Making a fight on the floor Of the
House for proper recognition of the
air service, Representative Roy G.
Fitzgerald of Ohio, himself an over
seas veteran, pointed out that the
! Panama canal, in which this govern
ment has invested $500, ,ooG,0 900, can be
defended only from the air. Both
| commercially and for the defense of
the country this giant engineering
| achievement should be adequately
protected-allowing this government
to maintain but one fleet instead of
| being Obliged to support both Pa