Evening star., 1925-09-09
BY the Associated Press.

| SAN ANTONIO, Tex, September 8.
In addition to consolidation of the
whole national defense under one
head, holding one man responsible for
| the acts of any branch, Col. William
Mitchell, Eighth Corps area air officer,
would also create council of national
defense to consist of the Secretary of
! State, Secretary of the Trea sury and
the secretary of national defense.
| In issuing another statement yes
| terday, Col. Mitchell said 1t outlined
, States TO adopt" He had just return
ed from Port Aransas, where he went
| last Sunday soon after releasing his
| broadside against the War and Navy
| Departments. and where he spent Sun
day and Monday angling for tarpon.
| Capital, as well as labor should be
! conscripted IN time Of war or threat
| ened emergency, he said. He also
! recommended that the Government be
not permitted to construct airplains,
! leaving this TO civilian corporations.
| thus keeping alive competition, in
vention and initiative by the people,"
Sees System to Blame.
The terrible conditions in our ma
/ tional aeronautics today Is not so
much the result of absolute ignorance
| of individuals. because often these are
| selected on the principle of tag, you're
( 1t, go play with aviation, when they
know nothing about it and are really
mere to be pitied than blamed. The
! trouble is with the system, and we
who know the feeling of the people
! insist that our views I've known and
weighed by the American public
| Col. Mitchell refrained from COM
mentlng upon his statement of Sat
| urday, nor did he mention the i'm
| brogiio his comment stirred up. He
confined himself to the department he
| urges saying:
We must apply a remedy to the
| conditions existing in our whole ma
! tional defense system, and in our
| aeronautics in particular. Preliminary
| steps should be taken at once and in
! December decisive action by Congress
to put these measures into law.
Wants Unified Service.
1--WE should consolidate our whole
national defense under one head and
hold one man responsible for the whole
| thing. Under him should be three sub
! secretaries-one for the Army, or the
land; one for the Navy, or the water,
and one for our aeronautics-
| Policies pertaining to our national
| defense should be recommended by the
| secretary of national defense to the
! President upon the advice of three
| subsecretaries. Having three subsec-
retaries would insure there being no
deadlock, as often occurs at present
! between the Army and Navy. All sup
| plies common to the three services
| should be gotten by a central agency,
SO as to avoid competition between the
different branches Of the Government.
Conscription of Capital Urged.
''In time of war or threatened emer-
gency capital should be conscr.pted as
well as labor. All raw materials for
I the construction of national defense
| equipment should be obtained and dis
| tributed under one head.
| According to this system, the
| Army organization would remain
much the same as it is, except that
| it would he modernized. The naval
| organization would also have little
| change. Any air service that these
two departments needed would be
| permanently assigned TO them.
The secretary of the air, however,
| should be intrusted with the whole
aeronautical development of the
| Government. which is even more i'm
| portant in time of peace than it is in
! time of war, because we can employ
aviation in useful pursuit in peace.
| such as carrying the mail, patroling
| the forests, surveying the country.
/
and exploration.
Three Aviation Branches.
The department of aeronautics
! should be divided into three principal
! subdivisions. one charged with the
development of civil aviation. This
| should provide for the airways
| throughout the country, the aids to
air navigation and provide an efficient
| weather service and storm warnings;
a legal department to make recon-
mendations about all air navigation
| laws, inspection of pilots and aircraft,
so as to be sure the public is safe
guarded when travelling or using air
| craft.
There should also be formed an
| aeronautical corporation similar TO
our inland waterways corporation,
! which should operate between the
great centers of population, so as to
| show what things could be carried
safely and at a profit through the
| air. All figures on this should be
made public, so that as soon as pos
| sible any civilian company desiring
| to take it over should be allowed to
do SO. At the present stage of the
development of aeronautics the Gov
| ernment must assist, as all aero
naatics is a national asset.
Building by Civilians.
THE second division should be a
| section of fabrication or construc-
ton. In this department special
| studies should be made of the kind
of aircraft that are necessary, of
| their airworthiness and safety. They
| should be made in accordance with
the desires and wishes of flying men,
by experts, and thoroughly tried out
before being issued. No aircraft
should be built by the Government.
All should be built by civilian organi-
cations. so as to keep up competi-
ton, invention and initiative.
The third division should be the
air force. that part specifically
charged with the air defense of the
| whole country. Provision should be
made for a suitable number Of well
trained flying men and good airplanes
to defend this country. Only a small
part of the total need be kept con-
stantly under arms; the rest should
be working in civil life and the
mechanics keeping up their work in
the factories and industries which
go to make up aircraft, being called
out for suitable periods of training
when necessary.
Plan Now in Vogue.
Practically every civilized country
has now adopted this sane, economical
and logical system. With a plan of
this kind working the question of who