Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1924-12-18
President Making. Effort to Put
Service on Footing of
It's Own.
CURRY BILL IMPORTANT
Written Specially for The Leader
By Edward Percy Howard
Thru AufncaStcr Service

BY 6QWaIQ HGlCy I1OWd1O
Thru Autocaster Service
Washington, D. c., Dec. 18.-
France has $4,000 airplanes in
actual service.
Japan has seventeen factories
working night and day turning
out airplanes.
England has an air Admiralty
and startling national develop
ment in aeronautics.
America invented the airplane
but America has no air service
worthy of consideration.
These facts have burned them
selves into the mind of President
Coolidge. Quietly he has been di-
gesting the growing comment of
the press on this subject. Calmly
and without any splash he has
been analyzing the situation rela-
tive to our national defense. Now,
without any dramatic message he
has set out to give America her
proper and sensible place in the
air.
The President is disposed to believe
the airplane is destined to supplant
the batt1eship as Our first line OF de-
fense. He is determind to know whe-
ther his judgment is correct He has
put the subject before an expert
board and ordered thoro investiga-
ton and report. While the war ex-
perts are working out their problem
the President has sent to the Budget
Bureau for facts and figures covering
the small appropriation allotted to the
various government departments for
airplane purposes.
Want Air Department and
Secretary in Cabinet
Peculiarly, while the President is
thus pressing his inquiry, Charles F.
Curry, Representative from California
has introduced bill providing for the
creation of department of aeronau-
tics to be headed by Secretary OF
Aeronautics who would have place
in the cabinet and direct the entire avla
ton plans of the governmental is not
known whether this measure comes
as a result of conversations with the
President or indirectly at his sugges-
ton, or whether the provisions are the
sole creation of Mr.. Curry, but there
is every reason to believe the Pres1-
dent looks with favor on the move.
Unless the political dragon shows its
head such a measure stands strong
chance of adoption. Certainly it will
lead to a greater unihcation Of the air
service. The President seems deter
mined no longer to permit the service
to remain as the unfortunate verni-
form appendix of our other govern
mental bodies to be cut out whenever
a financial pain is felt.
The naval policy of the government
seems fairly we'll defined The navy
will be kept up to the full treaty
strength, but no more. This it is felt
will permit of reasonable expenditure
for the development of our air service.
Whether the expansion will come, as
suggested, thru the more extensive use
of airp1anes by the Post Office De-
partment, is not known, tho some of
the members of the Congress who are
strongly in favor of vigorous aero
nautic program believe this would be
wise way to meet the situation. They
contend that great air mail service
should be established and bring to the
government such income as it might
be reasonable to expect The balance
of the cost could properly be charged
to the cost of peace.
President Senses Value
of Yankees in Air.
Here and there complaint is heard
that the development in aeronautics is
so electrical that as soon as one type
of airplane is built it is obsolete. The
President, however, pays no attention
to such arguments. He knows that the
scrapping of airplanes is as nothing to
the cost Of scrapping battleships. He
senses the fact that one daredevil
American with some high explosive
and Yankee pluck can sink a battle
ship with its thousand or eighteen
hundred men the twinkling of an eye.
1t is safe to say that now the Presi-
dent has set himself to this investiga-
ton it will be perused to its logical
end, regardless of influence or politics.
Mr.. Pat Feingold, one Of Albany s