Evening star., 1925-09-24
MITCHELL TO FACE
AIR BOARD TUESDAY
Presidents Investigators End
Hearings Until Next Week.
Pilots Are Called.
BY the Associated Press.


military and postal air services COM
pleted hearings before the Presidents
Air Board were In suspension today
until Monday, when the next phase
of the inquiry will open with the tes-
timony of air pilots.
In the interim the board will have
opportunity to study the mass of in
formation already presented by the
War and Navy Departments, includ-
Ing, the controversial issues empha-
sized by the divergence of opinion in
the War Department on the question
of air defense organization.
Col. Mitchell Called.
Col William Mitchell whose ad-
vocacy of a unified Air Service under
department of national defense
found support in the views presented
to the board by Maj Gen. Patrick
chief of the Army Air Service. is one
of the Army flyers to be heard. The
former assistant Army air chief
whose most recent attack on the Army
and Navy Air Service administrations
revived controversy that largely
brought about the present inquiry. Is
expected to appear before the board
on Tuesday.
The successful development of COM
mercial aviation in the United States
was pictured before the board yester
day by Postmaster General New and
tainty II the Government will give
the proper assistance and cooperation
to the industry.
With Mr.. News assertion that sue
cess of the air mail service had demon
strated commercial aviation to be
AN entirely feasible thing" the board
received from Mr.. Hoover the recon-
mendation that, to realize its posi-
bilities. the Government should create
an agency to extend somewhat the
same aid to air navigation that is now
given to water craft Municipal CO.
operation by the establishment of
local airports also was urged by the
Commerce Secretary.
disappearing air services for COM
mercial transportation within the
United States is now possibility for
which the Federal Government should
Immediately provide. Secretary Hoover
said in his statement yesterday.
A Federal agency should be created
to render to aviation nearly the same
aid which is now rendered govern
mentally to navigation, he said, and
municipalities should adopt a policy
Of providing local air ports. He ad-
vocated also an expansion of the air
mail service.
Stresses Government Need.
Il believe that with this minimum
extension Of governmental activities"
he said, I'VE can secure commercial
aviation in the United States without
subsidy. 1t seems to me certain that
we cannot have successful develop
r1ent of commercial aviation until
some Government services provide
for it,"
Outlining how the Federal Govern
ment lights and marks channels for
water navigation, maintains constant
advice to navigators, provides for
safety inspection of water craft and
licenses navigators, he continued:
Were all these services wiped out
tomorrow, our entire water-borne traf-
fic would stop instantly. We have to
this, 1 believe. a complete analogy in
aviation. Before we can expect to de-
velop commercial aviation we must
study the air routes; we must provide
for charting the airways; for lighting
and marking them: for warnings of
weather disturba noes; we must under
take the development of ports; we
must provide ultimately a body of law
comparable to our merchant marine
Continued on Page 5, Column IL