Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-12-18
Air Service Sponsored
By President Coolidge
PRESIDENT MAKING EFFORT TO
PUT SERVICE ON FOOTING
OF ITS OWN
BY Edward Percy Howard

BY Edward Percy Howard
France has $4,000 aeropIanes in ac-
tua1 service.
Japan has. seventeen factories work
ing night and day turning out aero
planes,
England has an air Admiralty and
a startling national development in
aeronautics.
Americas invented the aeroplane
but America has no air service worth.
of consideration.
These facts have burned themsel
YES into the mind of President Cool
idge. Quietly he has been digestint
the growing comment of the press on
this subject Calmly and without an.
splash he has been Analysing the sit
uation relative to our national de
tense. Now, without any dramatic
message her proper and sensible
place in the air.
The President is disposed to believe
the aeroplane is destined to supplant
the battlesafp as our first line of de.
tense. He is determined to know
whether his Judgment is correct. He
has put the subject before an expert
board and ordered a thorough investi
cation and report. While the war ex
perts are working out their problem
the President has sent to the Budget
Bureau for facts and figures cover
ing the small appropriations allotted
to the various government depart.
ments for aeroplane purposes.
Want Air Department
and Secretary in Cabinet
Peculiarly, while the President is
thus pressing his inquiry, Charles F.
Curry, Representative from Califor-
MIA, has introduced a bill providing
for the creation of department of
aeronautics to be headed by a Secre
tary of Aeronautics who would have
place in the cabinet and direct the EN-
tire aviation plans, of the government
1t is not known whether this measure
comes as a result of conversations
with the President or indirectly at
his suggestion, or whether the proyis
ions are the sole creation of Mr. Cur
ry, but there is every reason to be-
lieye the President looks with favor
on the move.
Unless the political dragon shows
its head such a measure stands
strong chance of adoption. Certainly,
it i'll lead to a greater unification of
the air service. The President seems
determined no longer to permit the
service to remain as the unfortunate
vermiform appendix of our other gov
ernmental bodies to be cut out when
ever a financial pain is felt.
The naval policy of the government
seems fairly well 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 ser
vice.
Whether the expansion will come
as suggested, through the more extern
sive use of aeroplanes by the Post
Office department, is not known
though some of the members of the
Congress who are strongly in favor
of "a vigorous aeronautic programme
believe this would be a wise way tc
meet the situation. They contend
that great air mail service should
be established and bring to the gov
ernment such income as. it might be
reasonable to expect. The balance of
the cost could properly be charged
to the cost of peace.
Here and there complaint is heard
that the development in aeronautics
is so electrical that as soon as one
type Of aeroplane is built it is obsol-
etc. The President, however, pays no
attention to such arguments. He
knows that the scrapping of aero
planes 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 battleship with it's
thousand or eighteen hundred men
in the twinkling of an eye. 1t is safe
to say that now the President has
set himself to this investigation it
will be persued to its logical end, re
CARELESS of Influence or politics.