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is time, and, from its nature, the first routes will be between large cities, considerable distance apart. The United States, on account of its large size, and the large number of its cities widely scattered throughout the country, is the ideal place to make aviation a success commercially.

Every pilot who flies a commercial plane successfully is 75% toward efficiency as a military aviator. The other 25% of his training could be in military formation, air fighting, and machine gunnery. This is analogous to the number of trained chauffeurs in the present war for the purpose of driving motor trucks. The automobile industry has become such a common thing, there was no trouble whatever in finding competent drivers to handle the motor transport service. If the next war should be against France or England, and these countries proceed to develop commercial aeronautics by training of a large surplus of pilots, and this country remains in its present apathetic mood and uncertain development, it will indeed be a serious situation, analogous to a modern army going to war with mule teams and the opposing army with motor transport and other facilities.

At present, there is no agency of the government who can foster or car about its development. It is not the function of the War Department nor of the Navy Department but it must be placed under one Department whose duty it is to control this work, to lay down specifications for planes for commercial purposes so that they may be utilized in times of war for strictly war purposes.

The War Department attempted to do this in a small way by the establishment of municipal landing fields, but was so handicapped by reason of legislation which was in effect that they were not even allowed to lend these landing fields for the use of commercial firms who desired to use them for the good of the Government. 

IV. UNITY OF COMMAND 

The one argument advanced against the creation of a Department of Aeronautics us by those high officials of the Army and the Navy who look upon aviation merely as an auxiliary or adjunct to their own arm or service. It is claimed that the creation of a separate Department of Aeronautics will take away from the naval or army commander one of his units, and therefore destroy unity of command. There are certain units which, from their nature, should be permanently attached to the Army and the Navy. These, for the most part, are strictly observation units. It is not intended by the creation of a Department of Aeronautics to take away from the control and jurisdiction of the Army and the Navy those units which, from their nature, should be a part of them. However, the primary training being identical - the same for all classes of flying, - it is proposed that this should be under the Air Force. When these units are sufficiently trained, they can be turned over to the Army or the Navy and permanently attached.

In addition to this, by the present legislation, the remainder of the Air Force, which comprises the pursuit, bombardment, and attack units, would be available for transfer to the Army or to the Navy, according to the tactical or strategical necessity. While so attached, if necessary, the entire Air Force would be under the control of the naval commander if, from the nature of the warfare, it was a "naval war",

The creation of a Department of Aeronautics would give absolute unity of command, but if would not allow the aeronautical efforts of the country to be subjected to the whim or caprico of half a dozen different commanders, working at cross purposes. 

In this war, when the Army was crying for planes and replacements, during the most active part of the fighting on the Western Front, the Navy had a small air force operating in connection with the British, and not