The Washington times., 1926-03-25

periods OF time, as Is the case with
an army and navy.
The air force could maintain ths
airways and landing fields across
the country, with their night lights,
radio, weather signals, and provide
gasoline and oil for the use OF civll
aviation or airplanes carrying mai,
freight or passengers.
$50 Peace Time Planes
About $50 airplanes should be
kept in our insnlar possessions, Ha'
wall Alaska and the Panama de-
fenses. This would give total
Of about $50 airplanes for our peace
time organization, both in the
United States and out OF It.
The Navy should have Whatever
airpsanes 1t can take to sea WITH H,
which, with a liberal allowance LOT
the two airplane carriers, the Lex
ington and Saratoga. would allor
them about $50 airplanes. TO gave
the Navy more than this in time
of peace is merely a waste Of pub
lie funds, because the Navy cannot
use them except on shore. IL we
have any Navy at all, it certainly
should be made to go to sea.
The Army needs about $50 air.
planes to act as an auxiliary serT
vice for its infantry, artillery and
cavalry organizations. for obser-
walton and messenger work. IL
needs no more than this. Every
~ plane assigned to the Army or
Navy as an auxiliary takes strength
out OF the Air Force, which Is the
arm that gives punch against the
enemy, which holds hostile ship
ping at a long distance from our
shores. which pushes other air.
planes out of the skies and pre-
vents. them from flying over this
country. and which can destroy
with astonishing suddenness any
supply points the enemy may have
on land.
S63 500, 900 q Year
The total cost of this establish
ment. both for building it up and
maintaining II, would amount To-.
about $6S, SOC. 900 year. That
would give us an entirely efficient
military air force, provide for air
ways throughout the United States
to our insular possessions and also
to Alaska. 1t would allow for
the development of our civil avia
ton, and for the creation of real
air policy by the Government. The
Army and Navy are spending a
much larger sum than this and
getting little out of 1T.
These three forceS-air, sea and
Iand-would balance each other,
something in the same way our
Federal, legislative and judicial de-
partments do In our civil govern
ment under the President. There
could be no tie vote between the
Army and Navy. so as to prevent
the development OF aviation as has
been the case during the last few
years, nor could there be a com
bination by them against aviation,
ming.
The Air Force, on its side, would
oppose any spreading out Of naval
activities on shore and in the in
terror of the country where 1t
does not belong. but would keep.
pushing the Navy out to sea. The.
Air Force would stand for the cut
ting down OF useless navy yards,
OF useless coast artillery except In
important places where cities might
be fired into by submarines.
Antiaircrait Artillery
It would encourage the reason
able development of antiaircraft
artillery along lines known to be
the best, which a ground army
is incapable of judging, because
this artillery must be made 70
fit air conditions rather than ground
conditions. The Air Force would
stand for an adequate and very
mobile army, which would insure
the holding of all land areas in
which it operates. In fact, the