Evening star., 1928-10-28
HOOVER GREAT FORCE
In CIVIL AERONAUTICS
Department of Commerce Given Due
Credit for Aviation Progress, but Few
Know Part Head Has Played.
BY WILLIAM P. MacCRACKEN, Jr.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Asransutics.

"a
ufacturer who did not know m,
i connection with aeronauticS
and I asked him, What is re
'Sponsible for the absorbing interest o.
ing shown In aviation?" He replied
t'The transoceanic flights of Lindbergh
Byrd. Chamberlin and others and TIT
activities of the Department OF Com
knerce."
Men and women who have made
great flights were personalities Whon
he called by their nicknames. The De-
partment of Commerce was an imper'
Sonal governmental agency.
:. And though he gave that 1mpersona
governmental agency credit for having
contributed to our aeronautical ad'
Nancement, he did not have the slight.
est thought of the man then at the heac
bf that great department OF our Gov
Arnment or of the individuals this man
had brought together to carry out tne
aviation policies he had helped to for
hmulate
While there are a great many active
Hn aviation who. do connect the name
bf Herbert Hoover with Government
aid to aviation, they constitute only
a ninority-a very substantial ana
Important minority, perhaps, but a lar
Smaller number than should be the case.
Work Is Unknown.
The reason for this may be found in
an incident that occurred last Spring:
A group of boys, winners in model
airplane contest, visited washington by
air. They called to pay their respects
TO the President and to Secretary Hoo
yer. Newspaper photographers asked
Mr. Hoover to pose with group OF
BOYS holding their models. He was reti-
na-.t SaoI1xy nnncpnfad nY0Vi6p0 ii
would join the group. "You really rep
resent the departments activities In
heronautics," he said.
It is little wonder, then, that prob
ably not one in every ten thousand OF
those who have merely general inter-
est in aeronauticS realizes the important
part Herbert Hoover has taken in its
advancement during the last few years.
Nevertheless, those responsible for con-
Etructing and operating civilian aircraft
recognize in him one who has made
their achievements possible. Long be-
fore flying had popular appeal Herbert
Hoover realized that it was destined to
play an important part in economic af-
fairs, not only of this Nation but of the
world So he set to work analyzing the
problems that confronted this new in
duStry and seeking their solution.
All during this period Secretary Hoov-
er, through the existing agencies Of
the Department of Commerce, did much
for the promotion of civil aviation. He
directed the Bureau of Standards to
help in developing instruments and aids
TO aerial navigation. Through the Bu-
reau Of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce he investigated conditions in
European and other foreign aviation in
Industries, giving American manufac-
fx41ore oYaT f1Y,ny~o fNT.c f7p ber1nf1t
Perhaps one of the most important
results of his investigation was his un-
Cierstanding of the dangers OF govern
mental subsidy Subsidy, some argued,
would greatly expedite the growth OF
American air commerce. But Secretary
Hoover had found that this form Of
promotion was dangerous. In every
case, in Europe, withdrawal OF this
financial nrop by government would
Instantly end operation of every one OF
these apparently successful routes.
Congress Gets Data
' Through Joint committee, organized
INV Secretary Hoover and the American
Engineering Council, the most complete
data were placed before Congress. Then
MIR. Hoover appeared before the Morrow
board in 1925 and expressed an opinion
which he had formed after two years
consideration and discussion WIN ex-
perts:
"The government should undertake to
,tive services to commercial aviation
comparable with those which the gov
ernnent has over century given 70
commercial navigation. Before we can
sexpect to develop commercial aviation
I'VE must determine the air routes from
lthe point of view of the best channels
fhrough the air in relation to atmos-
'pheric conditions.
"We must develop service Tor warn
ings of weather disturbance sucn as we
have in navigation. We must prepare
charts of these airwayS. We must Sc
cure the provision of landing fields and
airnorts and for marking the routes. II
we are to secure real economy OF time,
which is the basis of successful COM
snercial aviation, we must provide for
might movement and this neceSSitateS
tthe lighting of our airways.
1--WE must develop system OF 1nspec-
4ion of both planes and personnel, not
-Dnlv from the point of view OF protect
.snp human life but also of establishing
confidence in aviation as a method OF
safe and reliable transport. We must
ultimately provide a body OF law COM
t4,arable with our merchant marine law
and we must provide for the applica-
fior of customs. emigration and other
REGULATION such as we have in water
horne commerce. Without such Serv-
ices my belief is that aviation can only
tdevelop in a primitive way"
=, So nearly did his views coincide Win
che others responsible aiding in Sc
curing legislation that his words seemed
almost a concise abstract OF the air
commerce act which was passed May
20, 1926.
Subsidy Avoided.
The act wisely avoided subsidy and
Il placed promotion and regulatlon OF
/ civil aeronautics under the Secretary OF
Commerce This department, clVildn
in its aims and working for the no.
Sancenent of commerce. was conceded
as best fitted for fostering commercial
fving. The fact that at that time q
man with marked genius for organlza
fion and accomplishment was at NS
head increased the feeling OF commence
in this choice.
Here began the first real test. Avia-
tion was admittedly an infant 1nduSUIy
and in general was in chaotic State
1Would governmental legislation h1noel
SIS progress, adding further to the chaos
or would that general term promotion
he carefully interpreted and carried Out
10 every possible limit? The future OF
aviation depended on just how the ali
Commerce act was executed.
IT was early in August, 1925. that Sec
retary Hoover told me that would bt
fhe first Assistant Secretary OF Com
Tnerce for Aeronautics.
"Of course, you know that this viii
R,a hard work" he told me quietly. "But
That is the least of it. Each man in ths
industry is already watching us anx'
iously. wondering how much we vii
burden him now that we have the au
thority to regulate civil aeronautics. I
Ss a delicate situation. A little tot
much regulation and this new industr.
will be retarded for years. On the othe
hand, unscrupulous operators are usinI
unsafe planes for public transportation
and there are many, many inexperi