The Washington times., 1925-03-28
BY HARRY HARPER, .
British Aeronautical ExpeFt.l
international News Service.

international News Service
LONDON, March g.. The most
significant comment upon the con
troversy in the United States al
to whether there shall be a aepa.
rate air service, distinct from either
the navy or the army. was made
the ptlfers day by great expert in
London.
''The problem America Is bat,
ting WITH said he, I'VE came face
to face with in the most critical
stage Of the last great war. II
was forced upon us. We had to
make up our minds quickly. And
what we decided was that, under
stress Of actual conflict, q unity Of
air command was absolutely essen.
tial An air ministry was vital.
1t simply had to be-
Britain Certainly feels 1t has done
right iii creating ministry OF
the air. There is no doubt about
that There, In the Kingsway, Lon.
don, is a big organization con-
cerned with one problem only, the
air; and though that ministry il
too young yet to quote statistics
which are really relevant, it Il
clear already that the coneentra-
ton of effort means national
economy.
Pointed Argument.
The argument in favor Of re-
tanning separate army and navy air
forces has had special point lent
to lit lately by the fact that British
fighting aeroplanes have been
proved to be considerably slower
than those Of other great countries,
such as America and France. This
is claimed as proof of-the failure
of the Air Ministry. It is said that
the finest British aeroplanes, prod
.uct Of the war period, were the un-
fettered work of private British de-
signers, and that what the Air
Ministry has done, gathering all
the power into its own hands, has
been to interfere with designers
and spoil the performances of mill
tary aeroplanes.
The answer OF Air Min stry sup
porters is that the official techni-
clans have concentrated not on one
special attribute, such as speed, but
upon a scientific blending of many
different properties in one and the
same machine, such as a very Capid
climb. maneuvering power, fine OUT
look for the pilot and a very. pow.
erful armament.
As a matter of fact, though, the
system formulated by the British
Afr Ministry for the production of
high-performance aircraft has, in
the opinion of great experts. inter
fered too much with private firms
during the actual evolution of new
des gn This has just been repre-
sented strongly to the Air Ministry
by the aircraft industry; and new
method is In process of formation
whereby, after he has rendered de-
Signs for q new aeropIane, and until
1t has actually flown, the manu-
facturer is given a much freer hand.
Excess Of Zeal.
What this proves, is not, however,
that the idea Of an Air Ministry is
bad, but that our British Air Minis
try experts have been suffering
from an excess of zeal. They have
wanted to- do too much. That zeal,
applied in other directions, has
proved admirable. Our official
and the method the Air Ministry
has evolved for safeguarding air
by the rigorous inspec-
ton OF aeroplanes, and by studying
the health of pilots, are altogether
splendid pieces of pioneer work. In
the development of new types OF
commercial aircraft, embodying all
the lessons learned from previous
and also in the negotiations
with foreign governments for long
trans-continental routes, the fact
that there is British Air Ministry
has been Of immense advantage.
Another valuable feature in the
creation Of Ministry of the Air is
that it facilitates the carrying out
Of a constructive program Of ex-
pertinent and research.
The nthere is strategy. In Brit
ain the existence of our air minis
try, with a minister of the air at
ways ready to speak on the broad
est aspects of policy, has not only
acted beneficially on the Govern
ment as whole, but it has had
also, very important influence
upon public opinion. If aerial
forces were still merely adjunc%s
of the army and the navy the ordi-
nary citizen would regard them rs
arms, incapable of any
thing really serious as Independent
weapons. But today, in Britain, we
are beginning to. create a definite
'air sense" in the minds of the