The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-10-03
INDUSTRIAL
HEARING
Sc 7
Board Regards This Aspect as
Most important in Whole
Inquiry
BY KENNETH CLARK :.
The Presidents air board turns

By KENNETH CLARK :.
The Presidents air board turns
next to commercial aviation.
Except for a brief resumption
next week of the military phase
of its inquiry, the Investigators
plan to devote practically all OF
their remaining work to hearing
representatives of the aircraft in
dustry, and officials of companies
mapping out programs to honey
comb the nation with a network
Of passenger and freight air lines.
Big Problem
This new aspect of the inquiry is
regarded by many board members
as the most important work they
were called upon to do by President
Coolidge. 1t viii be the pioneer
effort to determine upon some def
mite plan for extending Federal aid
to air transportation, as the Gov
eminent assisted the infant railroad
lines.
In the minds Of the board, air
transportation development will be
hindered unless some means, in
direct, Of course, can be adopted to
relieve the pioneer company Of the
heavy initial burdens of operations.
Admittedly. there is little hope
that Congress would sanction sub
sides. That was tried with ship
ping, and failed, even though sup
ported by the Harding Administra-
ton. Any Federal aid, therefore, it
was believed, must come through
navigational assistance, such as
maintenance Of airways, marking
lights, landing fields, and the like,
similar to the help given shipping
through the lighthouse and allied
services.
In its program, the board Is go
ing on the assumption that Federal
aid should be granted. How this
Aid best can be extended is one of
the important tasks the board has
set before 1t.
About three weeks will be given
to the survey OF commercial avia-
ton. 1nterspersed. Of course, there
win be additional testimony by mill
have kept them from appearing on
the stand.
Countless Cures Suggested
The board delved first into mill
tary and naval aeronautics simply
because that question has been so
sharply agitated before the country,
particularly by Colonel Mitchell.
With sessions adjourned until
Monday, board members today were
taking stock of the fruits Of this
phase of the inquiry. Before the
board were almost as many sug-
gested cures for aviation as there
were witnesses on the stand.
For instance, the higher war and
navy chiefs stood pat for the pres
ent air organization, disputing at
the offset, as if in anticipation,
later claims of fliers that all was
decidedly not well with aviation.
Major General Mason NJ. Patrick,
chief of army air service, was the
first to say his superiors were
wrong, that the air service was in
bad shape, and that a separate air
corps was essential not only to i'm
prove aviation, but to make the
air attack. With the lid kicked off
by Patrick, army fliers fell quickly
into line, Endorsed the air corps fdea,
and painted a dark picture Of
aviation in the country today.
Outside of Secretary Of Navy Will
bur. and his chief assistants, the
board found navy pilots generally
agreed that naval aviation even was
worse off than the army air service.
Even Rodgers Agrees -
With the notable exception of
Commander John Rodgers, the navy
airmen demanded a separate corps.
Rodgers practically did, except IN
name.
Board members closely examined
Rodgers testimony today, and it
was pointed out that apparently he
objected more strenuously to the
name air corps than to the
changes that other pilots asked
when insisting upon the separate
naval air service. For instance,
Rodgers asked for separate budget
and separate promotion list. Those
are exactly the things that other
filters maintained only could be OBJ
tanned through a separate Y -
There were other differences be,
tween Rodgers and ms tU4.U,y ~
ficers but, in substance, all agreed
that aviation must be treated as
something distinct from all other
branches.
There is no gainsaying that both
army and navy pilots made a
strong impression upon the board
And ii was no secret. that some OF
the board, at least, shared the iii
ers' views.
Because Of the sharp cleavage be
tween the ruling heads and the
filters. it was believed today thai
the board would pursue a middle
course in it's recommendations. Al
any rate, whether the board agree
wholeheartedIy with the War and
Navy departments. or goes equaI4A
as far in accepting the filters
views, the whole air question is fal
from settled, and must be gone