Evening star., 1925-03-21
The War Over the Air
BY Viii IrsOin.
Chapter VII-'Our Western Defenses.' -

Hawaii and the Philippines would be
largely matter of coast defense
The public in thinking of the Pacific
question tends to forget Alaska. 1t is
important now; 1t might be more inn
portant later. The forces from the East
might want the diplomatic advantage Of
foothold on the American continent,
and Alaska as possession is not to be
, despised. A force moving in this direc-
ton might use the Kamchatka PENN
sula, a Russian possession, as jump
lng-on place, precisely as the Germans
used Belgium in 1914.
1t would then lie within convenient
reach by air of the Alaskan mainland.
The possession of Kamchatka would be
very important in a war over Alaska. 1t
reaches toward Japan on one side as II
does toward Alaska on the other. For
tunate'y for peace and humanity, KAN
chatka would not serve, at the present
range or aIrplanes as a base for bomb
ing the important Japanese cities. Dou-
BE their range and it would
Limitations Are Stated.
To digress for a moment, that ques-
tton of extending airpIans range brings
up another disputed point. Any me-
chanical device has it's limit of efficiency
we have about reached that point in
the big, steam-driven ship; we cannot
much exceed 30 knots an hour. The ship
mas to meet but one form of resistance
the water. The airpane struggles not
| only with the resistance of the air but
with that of gravity. The conservatives
oeciare that already we have nearly
reached the impossible point-unless we
discover some new revolutionary prin-
cipie. by refining the devices we have
they say, We may increase its range or
SIZE or speed about 80 per cent and no
more. They proved this to me by fig
ures, charts and curves
took these data to an eminent par
tisan of the united air service Pats -
he commented I've seen thar stun
when Langley was trying to build air.
planes an eminent professor proved by
theSe same principles that you couldn't
fly at all -
Returning to Alaska-its protec-
ton. like that of our islands is large
! ~ matter of coast defense and calls
lor ooth bombers and fighting planes
mat new armament conference
which President Coolidge seems about
10 propose must deal primarily with
ar power If 1t expects to get any-
where There Will be two main prob
ieIns, both more difficult than any-
thlhs that Harding or Hughes en-
countered in the conference on naval
armament First is the French do
slre-one might almost call IL the
frehch mania-for security
PositEon of France.
france is now queen of the skies:
she holds the threat of her air seets
| over poth Germany, her late enemy.
ana Great Britain, her late ally. And
she feels that as yet the world offers
ne mer no pledge of security in its place.
| Inc second problem comes nearer
| nome. Japan should be given, in all
justice, reasonable allowance of
| AIRCRAFT TO defend her shores Yet
| TINS defensive force, in the conditions
| VIII always be potential attacking
| force against the Philippines. and II
| aircraft increase their range, against
| Alaska
Nhat arrangement can we make
| win her to secure the Philippines ,
| Japan has shown herself receptive tn
| proposals for aircraft Limitation
| tdther she also feels complaisant to
| ward any reasonab BILE plan for cheek
| ing race OF armaments with war
| ana ruin at the end, or she is living
| with a brazenness which justffies her
| most suspicious critics
Where Do We Stand?" the eighth
installment of VIII Irwin's series ON
the aircraft controversy, follows to-
| morrow. ~
| Copyright 1925, in United States Canada
ana Great Britain by North American 49,
Paper Alhance. All rights reserved /