Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-26
PRESIDENT TO AID
AIRPLANE INDUSTRY
VIII Discuss With EdSeI Ford
and Others. Plans for
U. S. Orders.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

) PAUL SMITHS. n. Y, July &c.
President Coolidge does not intend to
permit the Importance of the aviation
program to dwindle In the public eye
just because there is at the moment
no Mitchell agitation to emphasize its
needs.
The President went over the new
legislation not only with the Secre-
tary OF War, who was here recently,
but with the Secretary of the Navy,
who spent the week end at White
Pine Camp.
The big problem is just how much
of the money that has been author
tied shall be spent in the forthcoming
year. It's all very well for Congress
TO approve the expenditure. but air
plane factories do not spring up over
night, and the needs of the Govern
ment for special types do not always
permit existing companies to lay aside
their own plans and operations to do ex-
perimental work for the Government.
The question of fitting the Govern
ment'S requirements to commercial
production is one that will have to be
solved by conference with leaders of
the aircraft industry.
One of them, Edsel Ford, will be
things with the President, among
them the development of commercial
aviation. For as the Government
expands its aviation forces there can
be encouragement given to com
mercial aviation, which in turn will
rebound to the Governments advan-
tage in furnishing additional facilities
Tor the continuous manufacture of
planes.
Although the new law specifically
charges the three Assistant Secretar-
les with the duty of administering the
regulations that will be drawn up, the
chief responsibility will remain with
the Secretaries of War and Navy, and,
of course, with the President himself.
President Coolidge feels that is the
time for his administration to show
the country that it has not lost sight
of the points raised when the Mitchell
controversy was at its height and
when the investigating commission
headed by Dwight w. Morrow was
nearing testimony from all sides.
one of the principal points made in
defenSe of the administration at that
time was that the Government had
been spending about all that the air
plane factories could absorb. In
creased appropriations were made by
ment now must convince the aircraft
industry that it means business and
continued interest in the building pro-
gram or else it will not be worth while
TO construct additional plants or take
on other responsibilities.
The aircraft industry is somewhat
in the same condition that it was dur
Ing the war, namely, not enough or
ders for the commercial use of air
planes to warrant the operation of
large plants. The Government then
virtually subsidized the airplane in
dustry and what amounts to the
same thing will have to be done now
by the placing of sufficient orders to
put airplane production on a sound
foundation. Incidentally, of course,
commercial aviation will benefit. If
the main costs of airplane manufac-
ture can be. taken care of by Gov
eminent orders, the public may look
for lower production costs for com
mercial use than heretofore together
with interesting experiments in the
development of freight as well as
passenger craft.
Edsel Ford is one of the pioneers
III the frefght-carrying business, and
other captains of industry stand ready
to go ahead with larger plans for
commercial aviation once the airpiane
manufacturing end is put on a firm
basis by the Federal Government and
assurance given of progressive de-
velopment of both new types and rea-
sonable quantities.
Copyright 1926l