Evening star., 1932-01-24

low zero T., capt.. MOIlaI Sdlu tllae Ais
was not uncomfortable, Engine heal
kept the open cockpit fairly warm, M
said. He breathed from an oxygen
flask during the flight Visibility was
GOOD throughout the flight, he said, ano
he was able to see the big bend in the
Potomac below the National Capita
while still over the mountains.
While Capt. Moffat was setting new
! speed record between Dayton ane
Washington, clipping "a minutes from
the best previous time, r. F. Dawson
National Air Transport mail pilot, was
| taking advantage of the same tail winds
! to clip 10 minutes from the Cleveland
! New York speed record. Flying at 49,
600 feet, Dawson made the run in two
hours fiat, averaging better than 25t
miles an hour during part OF his trip.
Taking advantage Of the tremendous
winds which blow steadily from the
West and Southwest at extreme altl-
| tudes, some pilot one of these days Is
going to make even the remarkable
! transcontinental speed records of the
past few years look silly. Several have
| flown with the idea in mind, but nave
been unable, because Of mechanical dill
! ficulty or Unexpectedly encounter1ng
adverse weather, to take full advantage
Of the equatorial SPILL" as the east
ward pouring of the upper air Is known
The present record from Pacific to At
lantic is IL hours and 16 minutes and
is held by Maj James H. Doolittle. The
previous record holder, Capt. Frank M
| Hawks, who spanned the Nation In II
hours and 25 minutes, believes a 10
! hour crossing soon will be made.
Local Example Cited.
Alleged Implications of effort and ex-
pense at Boiling Field and the Ana
| costa Naval Air Station, which he
thought might be eliminated If the
Army and Navy were consolidated, were
cited by Representative Joseph w
Byrns, Tennessee, chairman Of the
House Appropriations Committee, at the
beginning of hearings on measures to
set up a department of national de-
fense, combining the Army, Navy and
Marine Corps.
Go to Boiling Field" said Byrns at
one point in his argument. There you
will find the Army and Navy maintain
! ing separate organizations on opposite
sides of the same field. Many parts OF
the units are duplicated. You wouldn't
find any big industry in the country
which would permit such thing to
exist within its organization"
At Boiling Field, Mr.. Byrns said, the
Army is spending approximately $780,
600 year for civilian personnel, in
cluding pay, allowances and other nec-
essary expenses The pay and allow
ances of military personnel at the field
he said, is $234 200. The Government
has made an investment OF $775,000 In
the field and its equipment and now L
enlarging and relocating the buildings
at an estimated cost of $l,0l0,000, he
said.
! Across the field the Navy is spend
! ing $308,000 a year on civilian en-
ployes and s446,000 in pay and allow
ances of military personnel. The plant
! investment there is S560,000, according
to Mr.. Byrns' figures.
The cost Of civilian personnel at the
two fields, he said, is s438,000. He ex-
pressed the belief that much of this
could be saved If the two establishments
were consolidated.
Not only are there two entirely sepa-
rate military establishments" he said
but there are two separate radio sta
tions, duplicate machine shops and
duplicates of other facilities which are
utterly unnecessary Implications. I am
! told that the plants are so separated
that it is virtually impossible for per-
sonnel of one station to borrow so much
as tool from the other station"
| The Navy, Mr.. Byrns said, is putting
up s320,000 permanent barracks
! building at the Anacostia station. This
construction, he said, was opposed by
the Army because the ground was in
tended for Army purposes. Such rivalry
he said, has no place in the military
services and would be eliminated BY
combination Of the services.
The set-up of the new Department
| Of National TlpfpnSp nrOnNSa6 hU Mr.
By-ns, would provide for single Sec
retary, who would be a member Of
the Presidents cabinet, with assistants
in charge Of the Army, Navy and avi-
| alton.
United States Unprepared.
The state of our national defenSes
today is worse than at any time since
the World War, and because of the ter
rife effectiveness Of the combat air.
plane the Nation, in a military way is
in precarious condition, declared Maj
Gen. James E. Fechet, retired chief OF
the Army Air Corps, in a speech here
three days ago.
Warfare" said the general, "has
changed The whole complexion OF
the art of arms has been revolutionized
since the last war. In the next con-
flict we shall not be given months in
which to draft and drill soldiers, erect
factories, drill ships and fortfy vital
areas.
ANY war in the future between q
prepared and unprepared foe will be
over in few days. Never again will
nations be given months in which tC
prepare.
Twenty four hours after European
foe declares war on the United States
our principal cities may be leveled. This
Capitol, under whose shadow you sit
may be a smokepile Of ruins There
may be nothing left for our demoral-
peace at any price. These conditions
are due to the development of that new
engine of war-the airplane."
Such is aviation development that
the oceans have shrunk to the strategic
size of rivers of 10 years ago, Gen
Fechet said. There are today, he said
five nations in the world which surpass
the United States in military air power
and another is making such rapid prog
reSs that it seems only matter oi
days until we shall stand seventh
among the nations as to air defenses.
New Airports Built.
Despite a year of financial depres.
sion, the construction Of airports ant
landing fields continued Throughout
the United States during / 81 and the
close Of the year found 311 more field,
ir existence than there were at the be.
ginning Of the year. On the first day
Of 1882 there were in operation in this
country total of 2,093 landing field:
and airports of all types, including mu.
nicipal, commercial, intermediate, aux.
iliary, Army. Navy and miscellaneou.
Government, private and State airport!
and landing fields.
California continued to lead the Ma.
ton in the number Of airports, with 6
total of ITS, while Texas was seconc
with 14l and Pennsylvania third with
103. Alaska had the largest number o.