Evening star., 1926-10-08

President Coolidge is facing a first
class row with the bureaucratS OF the
Army and Navy over the aviation pro
gram. Congress has laid out the pro
gram. Authorization was made for
large increases in planes and flying
personnel extending over tive-year
period. The money to pay for this
program has not yet been appro-
priated. The first installment is to be
included in next years budget. to be
presented to Congress in December
Mr.. Coolidge offers no objection to
this program except in one important
particular. He insists that If more
money is to be spent for aviation, less
must be spent on other arms of .1e
service. He opposes any increase IN
the total expenditures for the Army
and Navy Obviously the Army and
Navy people in various branches of
the service are dead set" against any
cut in their own particular field OF
operations The aviation branch
argues with considerable show of
plausibility that Congress intended
the cost Of an enlarged program for
the Air Service to be betrayed outside
the regular expenditures for the War
and Navy Departments. The hundred
or so million dollars that will be spent
for aviation during the next five years
was intended as an extra. An en-.
larged Air Service at the expense OF
the other branches of the service,
which is what the President in effect
demands. meets with violent opposi-
ton from within his own official fam
lily.
Charles Evans Hughes, ex-governor
of the State Of New York, ex-Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court, ex-
Republican nominee for Presldent
and ex-Secretary Of State, is do1ie
forever with Office holding, but he Is
still ready to serve his party, ex
off1cio. when summoned to duty. The
summons has been issued and MI.
Hughes will speak at Baltimore on
october %, in aid Of Senator Weller;
In New York City on October 2s, ana
in Rochester, N. Y, on October ~,
in aid of Senator Wadsworth; and IN
BOSTON october 80, in aid Of Senator
Rutler If these beleaguered Repub-
lcan Senators cannot have Mr.. Cool
idge himself on the stump In their be-
half, they will at least have the next
best bet. In this case they figure 1t Is
Mr.. Hughes.
The Post Office Department., under
the business administration OF POST
master General Harry New. plans
another business wrinkle. charging
"demurrage" in true railroad fash
ION, a per diem storage charge on
narcels which the addresses fail to
remove from their local post offices
within O. reasonable time. The gen
orally prevailing notion is that all
persons are anxious to get their mail
matter as promptly as possible. Such'
however, Is not always the case.
C. o. D. parcel post matter plies up
in post Offices waiting for those who
should call and pay for 1t. Under
present regulations 80 days are al
lowed from date Of notification Of its
arrival in which to claim 1t. Many
avail themselves Of the full time
limit, and the Post Office Department
reports that its storage facilities
in many Western city post offices are
sadly overtaxed. The proposal Is to
reduce the time to 20 days and add
storage charge.
For the first time in several years
a negro has received provisional ap-
pointment as q West Point cadet. He
is Vance H. Marchbanks, son OF a
warrant officer in the 10th United
States Cavalry at Fort Huachuca,
Ariz. He has been named to the
Military Academy by the President
as a candidate at large. II he is sue
cessful in the entrance examinations
next March and qualities in the phys
ical tests he will enter with next
years class. The War Department
vouches for the statement that only
three negroes have graduated from
West Point and served in the Army.
One Of these, the late Charles Young,
reached the grade of colonel.
=
The ancient record book Of the
Ma asonfc odRa of Frederick sbsSrR. Va