Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27

OWING swiftly toward run
NH utilization of mans newest
IVE and fastest method of an
l nihiliating time and space,
the United States stands to-
day on the threshold of a commercial
aircraft development that may in a
relatively short space of years equal
the amazing increase in use of air.
craft in Great Britain and on the con-
tinent of Europe.
Within a few days the Commerce
Department will take the initial steps
in an ambitious Government program
that will ultimately criss-cross the
vast areas of the Nation with VERT
able network of airways for CONNER
cial craft, established and maintained
by the Government, with hourly
weather forecasts available for the
intrepid men who will pilot airplanes
far above the older means of trans
portation by rail and water. Secre-
tary Hoover expects to announce the
route OF the first national commercial
airway within a few days, to lay the
ground work for an all-inclusive sys-
tenn of national airways that will
guide the commercial flyer of future
years in his aerial way across the
continent. At the same time the
Secretary Of Commerce is authorized
by the law passed on May 20 last to
recommend the appointment Of an
additional assistant secretary to be
in charge of the newly created Bureau
of Civil AeroneauticS which will be-
come a part of the Department of
Commerce.
Bureau Created Recently.
The organic act of 1913 creating
the Department of Commerce author
lied the Secretary to foster and pro-
mote development of aircraft trans
portation in the United States. Con-
gress went further only a little more
than month ago, creating within the
department a bureau whose specific
purpose Is to establish and maintain
a system of anyways for commercial
and private use, apart from the air.
ways now used by the air mail serv-
ices of the Post Office Department and
the Army.
The bureau is created, but it can
not exist without funds. A deficiency
appropriation of $550.000 to enable it
to carry on it's first years work is
now pending before Congress.
Commerce Department officials.
headed by Assistant Secretary j..
the steps which led up to passage
of the bill creating the new bureau,
have been in conference for several
weeks past with authorities in the
Post Office and War Departments, re-
garding the routes of the new ma
tional commercial anyways. Mr..
Hoover has made it plain that the
commercial aerial routes will in
corporate not only the routes now
used by the Post Office Departments
air mail, but may also use the Army
Always. The time may come also
when air routes established by the
Army will be used almost wholly by
commercial aviators in peace times,
but in time of war when mobilization
plans call for swift passage of Army
planes. the anyways will revert to
the military.
ID. c. Fields Inadequate.
Although the Department Of Com
MERGE is authorized to establish and
maintain air routes, it may not lay
out and maintain air ports. In this
connection Mr.. Hoover deplores the
fact that Washington today has no
commercial aircraft landing field of
sufficient size and equipment to
handle the air needs of the Capital
City of the Nation.
Congress has taken almost wholly
the recommendations of the joint
committees Of civil aviation. of the
Department of Commerce and the
American Engineering Council, ap-
pointed in June, 1925, which made
it's report last Spring. This commit
tee, headed by Assistant Secretary
Drake, made the following recommen-
dations: That Congress enact a civil
aeronautics law providing for estab-
lishment Of a Bureau Of CIVIL Aero.