The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-10-02
NEWS. REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
What the Aircraft Board Is
Learning From Army
and Navy Officers.
By EDWARD w. PIcKARD

COL. WILLIAM MITCHELL'S pet
~ scheme, the creation of separate
department Of aeronautics, received
many sharp blows during the first
week of the hearings held by, the Pres
ident's special aircraft board. For the
army, 1t was opposed by Acting Secre-
tary of War Davis, Maj. Gen. Mason
NJ. Patrick, chief Of the army air serv-
Ice; Major General Hines, chief Of
staff, and Brig. Gen. Hugh Drum, as
sistant chief of staff. For the navy,
vigorous objections were voiced by
Secretary Wilbur, Admiral Eberle,
chief OF naval operations; Admiral
Moffett, chief of the bureau of aero
naptics, and Admiral Strauss of the
general board. Incidentally, Colonel
Mitchell has been suspended from &C
tive service. q
Mr.. Davis told the board and the
American people that there was mo
need for fear about the condition of
the nations air forces" insisting that
the service would be quickly put in ex-
cellent shape If congress would grant
larger appropriations. General Patrick,
though opposing separate aeronau-
tics department in the cabinet, did IA
vor the consolidation of the War and
Navy departments into department
of national defense; furthermore, he
supported the charges made by Colo
mel Mitchell, that the development
OF an. adequate air froce has been
hampered by higher officials who do
not comprehend its vast importance.
He justified the policy of conservative
building Of planes until there is more
certainty as to the types wanted for
quantity production. But in contrast
with Mitchell's assertion that the
army has but handful of effective,
up-to-date planes, General Patrick said
he has 800 fit for use in an emergency.
OF these, so are bombardment planes,
249 observation planes, 26 pursuit
planes and 81 training planes. He
stated he had no attack planes. In
addition, he has 40 obsolete planes and
1000 others that could not be used in
war. g5
Asked just what is the matter with
the air service. General Patrick re-
piled:
1.-THE air service is not treated as a
real member Of the family. Our recon-
mendations are frequently ignored and
our motives questioned. The fact is
that the development of the air arm
has lessened the Importance of every
other arm of the national defense.
Aircraft reaching out over sea
have .minimized somewhat the need of
coast defense.
Scouting far in advance, they have
made cavalry less necessary for recon-
naissance. rf
Conducting operations far beyond
the range Of land guns they have
made artillery less important, and
even the infantry, the backbone of the
army.
$50, coming into being as 1t has, the
air arm has not been welcomed. The
recommendations for it's development
must be passed on by officers belong
ing to these various other arms whose
importance is being minimlzed by the
new force and they-well, they don't
realize the importance of the new
weapon. 1t was long time before I
could get any recognition of the air
force in the War department"
Generals Hines and Drum disagreed
with General Patrick as to the SUI
perior Importance of the air force to
infantry, cavalry and artillery. In the
matter of congressional appropriations,
Representative Vinson of Georgia, a
member of the board, asserted con-
gress had voted all the air force funds
the War department had asked for.
NJ EXT the navy came to bat, and
4N Secretary Wilbur led off with
the declaration that to divorce the
aeronautics arm from the navy arm
would be "a well nigh irreparable mis-
take" Admiral Eberle asserted that
adoption of the Mitchell proposals
would "bring disaster to national de-
Tense interests; and Admiral Mofsett
argued that because of the Intimate