Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1930, Page 49

Aviation BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. HE year now coming to a close has been the most important aeronautically, in the history of the National Capital since the days of the Wright brothers at Fort Myer. The {enr has witnessed the rise of the Capital from a position of utter obscurity to one of outstanding importance on the air transport map of_the country. During the year schedvled air travel in and out of the city has increased from six airmail planes and one pas- senger plane a day to 42 mail and pas- senger plane arrivals and departures every 24 hours. Miscellaneous military and civil plane operations, even during the bleak days of Winter, bring the total number of flights in and out of the District each day to well above 60 and by next Spring it is estimated that there will be an average of 80 or more airplanes leaving or arriving at Dis- trict airports each 24 hours. The growth of air transport opera- tions in the District has been the re- sult in large part of the dovclopmel& during the early part of the year, ‘Washington-Hoover Airport as a model | alr transpert terminal. An operating agreement arrived at during the Sum- mer between officials of Washington Airport_and Hoover Field, on opposite sides of Military road, did much to clarify the somewhat muddled airport situation. Efforts now are being made to combime the two fields physically by the ciosmg of the portion of Mnimyf road between them. The year also witnessed the beginning | of work on crestion of a new and much larger Army Air Corps flying field to replace Bolling Field, established dur- ing the World War as a temporary ml‘ltnry fiying fleld. Acquisition of the last pieces of land for the new field now is in process. The new fleld, measuring nearly 400 acres in size, located to the south of and adjoining Bolling Field, extending along the river front from Bolling Field to the Naval Research Laboratory and including the . old steel plant site at Glesboro Point. It is to be one of the finest service fields of its kind in the country. The Navy Bureau of Aeronautics has done a good deal of work of a perma- nent _character at the Anacostia Naval Alr Station during the year, including the construction of & concrete and steel engine test stand of the most mod- ern type, rebuilding of the seaplane ramp, a large amount of filling and grading, construction of a concrete warming-up _platform and concrete roads and walks, landscaping and other improvements. Construction of a mod. ern electrical installation for the sta: tion has just been started at an esti- mated cost of $20,000. ‘World Record Established. The year witnessed the establishment ot a new world’s altitude record for aircraft by Lieut. Apollo Soucek, U. S. N., fiving from the Anacostia station, and the shattering of the world's sea- lane ‘record also by Lieut. Soucek. hough he was not given official credit for this new mark because of & techni- cality. COreation at Anacostia of the country's fifest airplane acrobatic section, the composed of er; Aaron P. Storrs, 3d, and Frederick M. Trapnell, was an important military event of the year. The year witnessed the passing from the naval service of Lieut. Alford J, Williams, jr., outstand- ing racing plane and robatic pilot, who sang his swan sonrl! Anacostia by bringing out the “inverted falling leaf” latest and most difficult of all airplane maneuvers. The year also witnessed the rise to a stellar role as an aerial acrobatic pilot of Lieut. Gardner, a native son of the National Capital. The Curtiss Marine Trophy Race, flown at the Anacostia Naval Air Sta- tion, took rank this year as an event of national importance and the air- craft squadrons of the battle fleet were ordered here 4n connecticn with the event, making the largest air force ever aszambled here. The Curtiss race was won by Capt. Arthur H. Page, U. S. M. C,, then sta- tioned in the Navy Department here, who was killed on Labor day when his experimental Navy high-speed mono- plane crashed during a race at Chi- cago. The Capital also lost two of its most noted aeronautical characters by death when Herbert J. Fahy, founder of the Capital's first commercial air- port and former holder of the world's solo endurance record, was killed in a collision with a stump near Detroit last Spring, and when his widow, M Claire M. Fahy, one of the country noted woman pilots and former Gov ernment secretary here, died this month of injuries received in a crash at Tonopah, Nev. Jerdone Wins Fame. Another son of the Capital, Prank H. Jerdone, graduate of McKinley Manual Training High School and for- mer Department of Commerce aeronau- tical inspector, took rank among avia- tion's great by virtue of his magnificent landing of a giant transport plane on a , crippled landing gear with 18 passen- gers aboard. without scratching a single one of his charges or materially damag- ing the plane. The landing is said by Department of €ommerce experts to Tank as one of the finest of its kind on record. ~ The first official airplane race ever to start from the National Capital be- gan last August when a number of noted womsn pilots took off from Washington-Hoover Airport for Chicago by way of Atlanta and the South in the first Eastern women’s air derby, held in connection with the Naticnal Air Races. It is in the field of air transportation, however, that the Capital ma really great strides during the Progress began with the devel of Washington Airport as the cit, real flying fiel Corporation, operating for Federal Avi- ation Corporaticn, and developed ac- cording to the most modern standards for fields of its size. The construction program included gradigg and filling of much of the total ¥rea, construction of a large steel d m: y a well designed d passenger terminal ard oper: lding. Later in the was lighted for s r the field nizus operat and the Capt r4¢” non-governmental night flying begun. The entire 4eld was laid out to harmonize with the de- velopment of the river front parkway and the Mount Vernon Memorial Boulevard p.oject and the plans were approved by the Commissicn of Fine Arts before work was undertaken. Completion of the new airport buld- | ings and preparation of the flight area made possible real air transport de- velopment. ‘Transport contract airmail service, the only transport line operating out of the Lapital al the beginning of 1930 was Pennsylvania Alirlines opecated to Pitts- | burgh and Cleveland by Clifford Ball. ‘This service, using Hoover Field as a terminal, trancferred to Washington Airport following merger of the fields, and has been growing in importance as the Capital's only direct air passenger | connection with the Midwest. Transport Lines Created. Eastern Alr Transport in Midsummer established passenger service between New York, Washington and Richmond, Va., using the new airport as its local base. One round trip a day was sched- On September 1 the New York, Phil- #delphia and Washington Airway Cor- | poration undertook a daring piece of seronautical ploneering when it estab- lished hourly airplane service between New York and the National Capital, operating trimotored ships, which made 20 flights a day over the route, starting | land hourly between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The publie took to the service in sufficient numbers to establish new records,. The field was ac- | quired by Washington Air Terminals | Aside from the Eastern Aip] it which were exceeded several times as the service grew older. In point of pas- sengers flown the line is -one of the most successful :n the world. The line has been operating four months with- out accident of any kind. During the | Christmas period business has been so | heavy that many of the planes have been sold out days ahead of time and all available reserve planes have been | pressed into operation to fly double sec- | tions in an Ienfll"c to n;cnmmod-w as | far as possible the overflow. | 'The latest transport line to be added to the Capital's system is a passenger | service from this city to Greensboro, This service is operated by Dixie Flying Service, which flies one round trip | daily, though on several occasions an | extra trip has been required. Within the past month the Eastern Air Transport passenger line has been extended to Atlanta and two extra round trips a day have been added be- tween Washington and New York. On 1 the passenger service is to ended to Miami and about Feb- | ruary 1 an entirely new “cut-off” route, over which both mail and passengers | will be carried, will be opened down the | Atlantic_Coast, connecting with the present line at Richmond, Va._ and Jacksonville, Fla, B ® Through the services' now flown out of the Capital it is possible for the Washingtonian to fly to any part of the | United States, many parts of Canada, all of the Central American countries, the, West Indies and all of South Amdica as far_south as Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile. | World Service Planned. The Post Office Department is plan- | ning the extension of airmail service | through Canada and Alaska, across the | Behring Strait and through Soviet Rus- | sia_to China and Japan. The Capital | will have direct connection with this |line through routes now in operation. | Transatlantic airmail service also is be- |ing considered by the Post Office De- | partment and, though an invitation for | bids on such a service, to have been | opened tomorrow, has been withdrawn, | the bids soon will be readvertised, ac- cording to postal officials. | An_aeronautical event which was | considered of great military importance | was the flying of a week of exercises here last May to determine the ef- | fectiveness of field outposts in detecting | and reporting hostile aircraft. Pursuit, | bombardment and attack planes were | brought to this city and Aberdeen | Proving Ground, Md., from various | parts of the country, and an elaborate system of fleld outposts were estab- lished by the Signal Corps over hun- dreds of square miles in Maryland an Virginia. Radio and telephone were called into play in the working out of the various problems. ‘The War Department announced this month that next Spring the greatest military air force yet assembled will be | brought to the Capital in connection | with maneuvers over an area extending | from Norfolk, Va., to Boston and west to Buffalo, N. Y. and Pittsburgh. | The yecr just ending marked the be- ginning of glider activity in the Na- | tional Capital. The Washington Glider | Club, most active of glider organiza- tions in this part of the country, com- pleted construction of its first glider, and during the Summer and Fall made scores of successful flights near the city |and in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. ' Construction of a more advanced type |of glider in nearing completion. The ‘KD. C. Alr Legion has organized a glider section and began actual glider ing during the Fall. A glider club also was | crganized at the Bureau of Standards. | Several other clubs were organized with | varying degrees of success. | School Year Successful. | | The D. C. Air Legion is completing | its most successful year, having soloed | some 30 members during the training season. Nearly 200 members have been put through the ground school course since the club was organized, and a total of 50 members have made solo flights. A flying school was built up at Alexandria Airport by Mount Vernon Airways and several students, including | two Chinese, are under instruction | there. Columbia Tech School built up a complete aviation course during the year, from dlall(lfin engineering, me- chanics and welding to actual flying instruction, which is given at the Alex- |andria field. The Eagle Wings Flying | Club, which separated during the past {month from its parent organigation, | the Women’s City Club, has undertaken | fiying instruction at Washington-Hoover ‘AXPDOIL Other local aviation schools |and training organizations have made H px%z::.s duungl :xhe year. ere was e progress duri the year toward establishment of lu’p‘gbllcE | owned airport for the National Capital. | A joint Congressional Airport Commis- | sion headed by Senator Hiram Bingham :gi‘rmnnectliuht concluded | S _on the situation and recom- | mended the purchase of the w“hml!"l. | ton Airport and Hoover Field sites, | the closing of Military road between | them and the addition to this tract of | the adjacent portion of the Arlington | Experimental Farm and a portion of Columbia Island, to be connected to the fleld by filling of Boundary Chan- | el. It was recommended that this con- | solidated area be developed as a pub- ‘lgl:c-‘usw;fi?edmad operated airport. Con- o ‘ “°,;‘,)-1 fdled to act on the recommenda- | e aeronautics branch of the De- | partment of Commerce has playea large part in local aviation develop- ments. An automatic telegraph-type- writer circuit was installed along the New York-Atlanta airway, which made possible the rapid collection and dis- tribution of weather information along the airway. This was followed by the installation of an airways radio ¢ munication station near Camp Spring, Md., just south of the District line, From this station hourly weether in- formation is broadcast to pilots of planes in flight along the airway. Late in the Fall the aeronautics branch put in cperation a radio range beacon sta- tion at Hunters Point, Va., serving the Bolling Fleld and Washington-Hoover Alrport areas and directing aircraft along the Washington-Philadelphia, Washington-Quantico and Washington- Pittsburgh airways. it Aided by Government. e Department of Commerce aids to aerial navigation along the airways | leading cut of the Capital have been of great assistance in building up safe and reliable operations conditions. At College Park, Md. the aeronautics | branch and the Bureau of Standards | have been conducting experiments look- ing to “blind landings” through fog Various elements of the landing sy: |tem, in which vertical and horizontal | radio beams are projected to guide the airplane to the landing area, have been worked out and steps are being taken to_combine all elements of the system. Following & visit by Dr. Hugo Eckener, master of the Graf Zeppelin, {to the National Capital last Spring | studies were begun with a view to e: | tablishment of a great transatlantic ai ship base at Hybla Valley, near Ale: andria, Va. Weather information re- cording instruments were _installed there by the Washingtcn Board of Trade and Alexandria civic bodies and daily weather records are being kept as & part of the study. Among the other aviation notables to visit the Capital duri the year were Capt Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew of the Southern Cross, following completion of thelr world flight; Capt. Wolfgang von Gronau and the crew of his German seaplane which completed the Westward crossing of the Atlantic, and Dieudonne Coste and Maurice Bel lonte, French crew of the “?" who completed the first non-stop flight from the mainland of Europe to the main- of America. ‘The Capital the hing point ever made for the longest when a Marine “blind the late Capt. Page,in N. C, by way of Charlottesville, Va.l i o map. visitors each season 1o 1 he center of a National Park, coverin . The opening here is the main enfrance fothe Cave. Steps _were inaugurated last week | by the National Guard of the District of Columbia for the organization of teams to represent units in the chief of Militia Bureau’s indoor rifle team match which is to be fired during next February. Capt. Just C. Jensen, Ord- nance Department and director of rifle practice of the local Guard, was or- dered to supervise the conduct of the matches. He was instructed to arrange for the firing of teams from all units and is directed to report to the brigade head- quarters on or before January 10, next, the names of all companies and bat- terles which have failed to enter a team in the competition. The competition is not only country- wide, but takes in the militias in the island possessions. The matches are fired in the indoor ranges of each of the units, and officers are designated to check the scores which are reported to the Militia Bureau. A team is sup- posed to be selected from each com- pany, troop or battery. The elimina- tion matches between the various units must be fired before January 31, so that the ultimate contestants may fire dur- d |ing the month of February. ‘While making public the ammuni- tion allowances for the current year for militia organizations, the Militia Bureau of the War Department says that, irrespective of the allowances, the amounts actually issued will depend upon the availability of funds. The bureau reports that it will make an equitable apportionment of ammuni- tion in kind to each State depending upon the type of organizations within the State. The total apportioned a State may not be exceeded, but may be utilized as best meets the training requirements, provided no individual or | organizational allowance is exceeded. ]lt also points out that all ammunition expended should be accounted for by the submission of proper qualification or target practice reports, except that expended in combat exerc an i d bat ises d maneuvers; a general statement of the type of exercises or maneuvers and the | quantity and type of ammunition ex- pended should be made in the latter c ase. In planning the apportionments of ammunition for 1931, the statement says, consideration will be given to the reports of target practice as ren- dered by the several States for 1928, 1929 and 1930. The bureau points out (that it has been noted that many States indicated large expenditures of ammunition in their expenditure re- ports, and yet failed to submit target | practice reports, or, if submitted, the latter reports failed to show sufficient firing to warrant the amounts of am- munition reported as expended. The bureau points out that these latter reports should be indicative of the ammunition actually consumed and therefore will be given great weight in the allocation of ammunition. It adds that when they are not submitted or are incomplete $# must necessarily be assumed that practice is not being con- ducted or is only partially conducted by the State concerned and the appor- tionment of ammunition is governed accordingly. When the reports are complete and accurate they will serve as a guide to the bureau in allocating ammunition and in defending its esti- mates. { | Announcement has been made that the »ligibility for the rating of junior airplane pilot is limited to National Guard officers holding junior airplane observer ratings who successfully com- plete the technical and practical ex- amination. Eligibility for the rating of junior airplane observer is limited to National Guard officers who have not less than 25 hours of officially accredited tactical air iuscions, viz, artillery replage, visual reconnaissance and other mis- sions of a similar nature and who may successfully complete the prescribed technical and practical examination. Each applicant for flying examina- tion in the Guard, the bureau has ruled, must have at least 50 hours as , of which 40 hours were alone and not less than 30 hours were as a the date of application, The District Guard has received a letter of thanks from Alfred L. Stern, managing director of the recent indus- trial exposition held here, for its co- operation. He said that the Guard ex- hibit attracted a great deal of attention aad was a credit not only to the Guard, but to the exposition. The wonderful program furnished by the 121st Engi- neers Band, Meyer Goldman, leader, Mr. Stern wrote, was an outstanding feature that will long be remembered. In publ'shing the letter to the com- mand, Gen. Stephan congratulated the units on the showing made and extend- ed his thanks to the individual members whose work made the exhibit possible. Sergt. Robert G. Kirby has been or- dered promoted to the rank of staff sergeant in the Medical Department Detachment, oellt Engineers, upon recommendati of the detachment commander; Private, first class, George A. Cleve- land, jr., has been ordered promoted to the grade of corporal in Company C, 121st Engineers, upon recommendation of the company commander. A course for National Guard and Re- serve officers will be held each year {at the Command and General Staff Scheol, Fort Leavenworth, Kans., it was announced by the Militia Bureau of the War Department, which explained that the course is to be of three months’ du- Corrs plane, flew here from the Mis- sissippi River by instrument in a hoo(ied cockpit. His widow a few days ago received the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded him posthumously for ) this feat. The District was the mrun.mt for two record flights by Capt. k M. Hawks, who flew from the Naval through heavy snow storms late in the Fall for a new speed record between the two cities, A few days later he cut this time to 58 minutes. All-invall it has been a most notable year for the tal in aero- nautics and the dawn of 1931 finds this city in a flourishing state of aerona tical growth and development, | following this formality the men will pilot_within the six months preceding | Alr Staticn to New York in 63 minutes | O District National Guard ration, commencing the middle of March and closing the middle of June. It explains, in a notice received at lo- cal brigade headquarters, that the num- ber of National Guard officers that the Militia Bureau will be able to send to this course each year will depend upon the funds available for this pi > The following qualifications for de- m:l to the course will govern, it was sald: Applicants must have completed at least subcourses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Command and General Staff Extension Course before entering the school. If not completed before making applica- tion, statement must be included that they will be completed before opening date of the course. As soon as com- pleted, certificate to that effect will be submitted to the Militia Bureau for con- sideration in the final selection of can- didates Applicants must be of fleld grade with at least 10 years’ commissioned service, and are not to be more than 45 years of age. Under very exceptional circum- stances this age limit may be waived by the War Department. However, it ‘was explained that in no case will an officer be detailed to take the course who is more than 50 years of age. Applicants must be physically quali- fled in all respects to receive favorable consideration. This qualification is of great importance, in view of mounted and fleld work required during the conduct of the course. Requests for attendance at school must be accom- panied by a report of physical exami- nation on the applicant, made out at the time application is submitted by a medical officer or reputable physician. ‘The newly organized Naval Reserve Athletic Association, composed listed personnel of the 1st Battalion, United States Naval Reserves of the District of Columbia, will stage the second of its athletic meets tomorrow night. The monthly inspection will be conducted by Lieut. Samuel W. Stine- metz, commander of the battalion, and be allowed the remainder of the time | for recreation purposes. It was indi- | cated #hat there will be a number of boxing bouts between members of the local battalion and men invited from other organizations. While they will start the New Year without their training ship, the de-| stroyer Abel P. Upshur, the officers and | men are looking forward to the early arrival here of the destroyer Hamilton of the Atlantic training fleet, which has been assigned to the 5th Naval District Reserve units for training pur- poses. The vessel will spend its time between this city and the Reserve or- ganizations in the vicinity of Hampton Roads " except during the Summer months, when it will join the other vessels of the training fleet in carry |ing the Reservists out to sea for their | annual periods of sea duty. The chief of the Naval Bureau of Navigation has indicated growing profi- ciency in the professional require- ments of Naval Reserve officers, when he said in his report that the percent- age of officers who fail to pass the ex- aminations required is growing less each year. Furthermore, r‘e says, offi- cers are applying for and taking their examinations more promptly. He points out that officers of the fleet and volun- teer Naval Reserves, general service, are required to establish their profes- | sional fitness for promotion by a writ- ten examination. These examinations ;l’oe.rcdonducted by the Naval Examining He points to the value of the confer- ences called at the Navy Department with officers of ‘he Naval Reserve from various parts of the country. The one | this year, he continues, provided an opportunity for an _interchange of ideas between the administrative offi-| (cers in the Bureau of Navigation and | those stationed In the field; it provided contact between officers of the Regular { Navy and those of the Naval Reserve. The admiral asserted that the bureau encourages these contacts in the belief that they tend toward a_closer asso- clation of officers of the Regular serv- ice and those of the Reserve. A num- ber of very important questions were discussed at that time and the bureau is of the opinion that the small ex- penditure involved was more than Justified by the return to the Govern- ment owing to greater dissemination of | information and the reduction of the difficulties of administering the Re- serve. He said that Reserve officers greatly appreciate the privilege and op- | s&x}unlty of presenting their point of Admiral Upham, in’ describin, Volunteer Naval Resarve, says fl’ll{ I:hl: composed of individuals rather than organizations. The officers of this class of Reserve form into two cate- ories, fienml service and lal serv- e. The officers of the Volunteer Naval Reserve, general service, are available for general detail. Their phys- ical and professional standards are the same as for the Fleet Naval Reserve, but he adds that the officers of this branch are primarily appointed for duty on shore. They are described as men of standing, with professional training along specialized lines which would b2 of considerable value to the Navy in time of war. Thus, he points out, there are doctors, dentists, civil engineers, as well as numerous other classes. While these officers are primatily en- rolled for duty on shore, the bureau reserves the right to send them to sea in case they are needed. They are not required by law to attend Is or to take training duty, but may, at their own request, be given training duty, provided the funds for such training are available. He says that an increas- ing number of volunteer officers are requesting this training duty and dur- ing the year ‘a number of volunteer icers have taken extended periods of training duty at their expense in order to fit themselves for service in the event of an emergency. Discussing another branch of the Reserve, the merchant marine, Admiral U] says that it is confined to li- censed officers who follow, or have follow: sea as a profession, and who are em- région now in proces; ©Ancecan Howwar Eocaronan Burzad of en-| wi of the merchant marine | la; the | of their efforts when the targets were ‘brought aboard the fising ship. e great Mammouth rocess of becoming a minimum of® 45,310 WHEN the subterranean cham Mammouth Cave, they on guard at one of the narrow firi& 5 'gm (Title registered finished their ing, the cool bers in. left The Cat B work in At least that is what his piece of rock which ‘stands watchful and immovable as the years goby. —BY JAMES W. BROOKS. U. 8. Patent Offies.) TWO navigable AR in- the Mai Nahbn;n P e:ingita : i United States, he stream along the narrow entrancé \ here is"The River Styx™— not a one way river; h for visitors are assured a safe return. (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) The examining officer or physician, the statement says, must state whether or not the applicant is considered phy- sically fit to perform not only the arduous duties of a student officer, but also mounted field service. Preference is to be given officers as- signed to a tactical division in the ca- pacity of chief of staff, G-1, 2, 3 or 4, regimental commander. It is said to be the desire of the Militia Bureau to detail officers who have had appropriate high command and staff training. Qualified Cavalry and Coast Artillery officers may also be selected to attend. It is pointed out that officers desiring the detail who have not completed the required sub- courses should be promptly informed of the entrance requirements in order that they may qualify prior to the opening date of the course. Each candidate must submit a sep- arate application for attendance at the school and must include in it the fol- lowing: Rank, name and assignment, permanent address, age, number of de- pendents, prior commissioned service, number of miles from residence to school, progress in completion of the command and general staff extensidn course. The applicant also must state whether or not he is on the emergency officers’ retired list and whether or not |he is receiving any compensation for physical disability from the Govern- ment. ‘The command and general staff ex- tension course includes instruction nec- essary to insure a general knowledge of the tactics and technique of the sep- arate arms and services, the combined use of all arms and services in the di- vision and the functions of command- 'irs and general staff officers of divi- slons. v Armyand Navy News Navy. It is expected that the work of mod- e the battleships Arizona and Pennsylvania, now being done at Nor- folk and Philadelphia, respectively, at a cost of $14,800,000, will be completed by March 1 next. ‘The new 10,000-ton cruiser U. 8. S. Houston will relieve the U. S. 8. Pitts- burgh as flagship of the Asiatic fleet some time in February. Upon being re- lieved, the Pittsburgh, a second-line cruiser with 25 years’ service in the Navy, will sail from Manila and will proceed via the Panama Canal to the Norfolk Navy Yard, where she will be decommissioned, with a view to dis- D. C. Naval Reserve ployed, or who have been employed thin three years, on public vessels of the United States, or such other sea- foinz vessels documented under the aws of the United States, as may be approved by the Secretary of the Navy. He points out that the act creating the Naval Reserve provided that officers and enlisted men of this class of the Reserve be paid one month's pay of their rank or rat per annum as retainer pay, provided funds equal to the amount required for this purpose were first made available by Congress for this specific purpose. He adds, how- ever, that no appropriation for retainer pay for this branch has ever bzen made. In the absence of any appro- priation for this purpose, the procure- ment of “officers for this class of the Reserve, he says, Is proceeding purely on a voluntary basis. On June 30 last 2,543 officers had been commissioned The Secretary of the Navy has placed 1,154 vessels on the lgproved list. All licensed officers of these vessels are eligible for appointment in the Naval Reserve. One hundred and nineteen vessels have qualified under the Naval Reserve act provisions to fly the Merchant Ma- rine Naval Reserve flag. The right to fly this flag is one very much coveted by the owners, he says. Some owners and operators are inclined, he continues, to insist that their personnel belong to the Merchant Marine Naval Rescrve. During the past year, he reports, a number of officers of the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve took training duty in the fleet. In every instance, he adds, these officers made a fine impression and received excellent fitness reports. A library has been placed on each merchant marine vessel having on board four or more officers of the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve, and this consists | of standard Navy text books, manuals and other publications. It now contains a total of 17 publications. Under the present system of training Naval Reserve, Admiral C. F. Hughes, reporting as chief of Naval Operations, is of the opinion that it is founded upon principles which will result in pro- ;delni a Reserve of great value to the avy. He says that the appropriations pro- vided by Congress have been sufficient to maintain the same number of fleet divisions with the same quotas of en- listed men for each division as in the previous year. He said that the ma- Jority of the fleet divisions made cruises on destroyers of the fleet in 15-day periods with improved results. Two guns’' crews for each division so cruising fired target practice under the same requirements and restrictions as last year. The results of these prac- tices, he says, were very creditable. These gunnery exercises not only af- ford very valuable training, but are interesting to the_ personnel and assist materially in stimulating the morale of the various organizations. He says that the fleet divisions of the ninth naval district, having mobiliza- tion stations on vessels other than de- stroyers, made their training cruises on the Great Lakes on vessels regularly as- signed for their training. organization of the juadrons and divisions of the Aviation erve, he reports, remains the same as in the previous year, and their training has proc along the same general lines. Aviation facilities have been provided for the use of Reserve aviation squad- rons and separate divisions at the es- tablished Reserve aviation bases. Or- ganizations contiguous to a naval air station have been assigned facilitles at such stations. In connection with the admiral's re- rm't that the target practice system for he Reserve has not been changed, it was pointed out by Reserve officers that some of the organizations have been; trying to have the method of target practice changed so that it will conform more nearly to that in use in the Regu- lar Navy, involving the use of the large target rafts. It was asserted that if the Reserve were allowed to use the Regu- lar system it would furnish a better n between the marksmanship e Regulars and the Reserve men. Under the present Reserve system, it was said, the fllonms fire at a small target, and any shot put within a speci- fled area around the target is con- sidered the hit, while with the Regular system a shot has to hit the t to be counted. It was said that the Reservists would be more enthusiastic if they could be allowed one of rge targets and could see the results in| the | h ¢ posal. The Houston, which is to be commanded by Capt. Robert A. Dawes, U. 8. N, will sail from the New York Navy Yard for the Asiatic station on January 10, 1931, her route to her per- manent station being by way of Hamp- ton Roads, Va.; the Panama Canal and Honolulu. ‘The cl in the flagship of the de- stroyer squadrons of the Battle Fleet, involving the displacement of the U. S. S. Omaha by the U. S. S. Raleigh, and other shifts of ships from one coast to the other in the reorganization of the forces afloat, following the fleet con- centration at Panama in the Spring, will necessitate a number of changes in the assignment of officers and also transportation for members of their families whose ships will have their home ports and home yards changed. ‘With the transfer of the U. 8. S. Langley from the West to the East coast, after the fleet concentration, most of the enlisted pilots of that vessel will be transferred to the U. 8. S. Lexing- ton and the U. 8. S. Saratoga. The enlisted pilots are to be replaced by officer pilots from the Lexington and Saratoga. ‘Three other officers of the Navy who have been on duty with the naval mis- sion in Brazil have been assigned to duty in this country. The first, Capt. George C. Pegram, will come to duty at the Navy Dej ent as a member of the Naval Examining Board pen his assignment to sea duty next Sum- mer. The second officer from the naval mission is Capt. Russell Wilson, who has been ordered to assume command of Destroyer Division 10 of the Battle Fleet, while the third is Comdr. Stephen B. McKinney, who will go to duty on the staff of the Naval War College. Army. In recognition of their World War and Spanish-American War service it has been proposed to authorize the promotion upon retirement of officers of the Army, Navy, Marine S an Coast Guard. Under the proposal pro- vision would be made for the promotion upon retirement of all officers of these four services who have attained or have passed their war-time rank. No pro- vision would be made for the promotion of an officer to a rank higher than brigadier fenerll or its equivalent, which would partially correct the in- equalities in war-time promotion that were especially prevalent in the Army due to its poorly devised scheme of temporary promotions duri the war, which were dependent upon the recom- mendation of commanding officers— availability, instead of upon past records and performance of duty. As a result of this lack of system | every annual class from 1900 to 1916 | had its officers serving in three to five | different ranks. The West Point class | of 1904 is typical, officers of this class during the World War being distributed in the ranks of major, lieutenant colo- nel, colonel and brigadier general. The proposal also provides for the promotion of veterans of ghe Spanish- American War to the highest rank held by them during that war. The num- ber affected is few, the most outstand- ing case, perhaps, being that of Lieut. Col. Charles King, U. 8. A., retired, of ‘Wisconsin. This distinguished officer and author of note is now 86 years old, he was retired for wounds in the line of duty in 1879, served as a brigadier general during the Spanish-American ‘War, reverted to his regular rank of captain after that war, remained on active duty and served in the World ‘War as a captain and a major. Another interesting section of the proposal pertains to those officers with war-time service whose record was so outstanding as to merit the honor of the high appointment of chief of naval operations, chief of staff, admiral, vice admiral, etc., only to be rewarced u?on retirement by a_demotion to one or two ranks lower. If the service of these officers is so distinguished that, because of this recognized ability to meet the added responsibility of higher com- mands, they were given such higher commands and rank. it is belleved that these officers are at least entitled to the honor and recognition of the higher rank they earned. The proj 1 would give this group of officers the privilege of holding high rank on the re- tired list. ‘Three officers of the Navy and three of the Army compose the members of a Joint Army and Navy Board that will be. shortly eonvened in Washington for the purpose of considering and making recommendations as to the purchase of patent rights covering inventions in the arc of control by radiodynamic energy of the movement of water-borne car- riers of high explosives, in accordance with the proposal made by John Hays Hammond, jr., and a radio engineering company. The Navy members of the boar Capt. George B. Wright, J. L. King and Lieut. A. J. Spriggs. The Army rd member: are Col. Robert S. Abernethy, C. A. C., Lieut. Col. Joseph I. McMulle: G. D, and Lieut. Col. Joseph O. borgne, 8. C. Marvelous Jaw Power. A fighting lion caught in a noose has been known to bite the thick rope in an instant and make away. Whales have been known to crush a heavy boat in its jaws. An infuriated tiger bit ciean thre the shoulder of a man, crush. g the bones to splinters. The ua has the most powerful jaw mus- of any warm-blooded creature. A ena can an ox in au: Victory Unit, No. 4, assisted by Vic- tory Post, No. 4, and Victory Post, No. 4, Drum and Bugle Corps, held its annual Christmas party December 22 at the Temporary Home for Soldiers, Sailors and Marines and entertained the former service men staying at the home. Christmas gifts were given and refreshments served. The next regular meeting of Victory Unit, No. 4, will be held January 8 at Wilson Normal School, Eleventh and Harvard streets. Sergt. Jasper Post, No. 13, the American Legion, will present a pro- gram of entertainment for the disabled veterans who are patients of M:"un: Club, 1326 Massachusetts avenue. Meetings of the ent Ball Committee, headed by . Edward H. Hale, are being held each Wednesday in order to complete plans for the annual department to be_held January 23 at the Mayflower Hotel. The various committee chairmen were esent and made reports. tic E’Andmule posters, descriptive of the event, are being completed for location in prominent places. Advices have been received that President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover have accepted invitations to head the list of patrons and patronesses. The general chairman has reported that National Comdr. Ralph T. O'Nell will be present at the ball.: o o Aahary, held tne’feguiar can on A e December meeting ai the Thomas Circle Club December 19, Mrs. May D. Light- . Hyde, guest pianist, pl ritual and for the Christmas sing that followed the close of the meeting. The unit stood in silence in mmfi of their member, Mrs. Benjamin Wi who was buried in Arlington that day and appropriate resolutions ted by Mrs. Amy Hammond, were spread upon the minutes and a copy sent to the family. ‘The guest of the evening was Senior Vice Commander of the Department of the District of Columbia Fred Fraser. Past Comdr. Watson B. Miller presented greetings from the newly installed post commander, Chester Reich. ‘The Christmas Cheer Committee, Mrs. Jennie Knight, chairman; Howard Fisk, Mrs. Clara Sonneman, Mrs. Victoria Hulbert, Mrs. Roberta Fawcett, Mrs. Rice Weans and Mrs. Ethel Fowler visited Wards 10 and 11 and gave every boy an attractive Christ- mas package. Spengler Unit together with Victory, Nash J. Reese, Euro] and James Walker Units wrapped the 5 Rati American Legion Auxiliary, lonal, packages and distributed 350 boxes to the World War Veterans in Walter Reed. The unit will be hostess to the National presidents attending the Wom- en’s Patriotic Council on National De- fense and other unit officers at a_tea January 28 at the home of Mrs. Rice ‘W. Means. A meeting of Lincoln Post, No. 17, was held Thursday at the New Amster- dam Hotel, Fourteenth and Fairmont streets, and was presided over by Comdr. E. P. Van Hise. The post voted to take a box at the departmental ball to be given January 33 at the May- flower Hotel. A brief talk was given by Howard M. Brock, departmental ad- jutant, on the campaign. A contribution of $10 was authorized to be sent to the department for Christ- mas gifts to be distributed to veterans in the several hospitals of the city. The annual banquet of the post, to be given about the middle of January in the New Amsterdam Hotel, was discussed. James F. Hitselburg, George W. LeDane and Ray Pratt are in charge of the arrange- ments. Comdr. Van Hise was authorized by department headquarters to spend $265 for the preparation and distribution of 500 Ohristmas boxss for the World ‘War veterans at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. ‘The following applications were fa- vorably voted upon: Sherman T. Doug- las, Ray Turner, Harold A. Emery, Charles Le Dane, Ollie F. Buehne and L. F. White. Members of Alexandria Va. Post, No. 24, were guests and conducted ini- tiation &eremonies for the follo candidates: John I. Howe, Philip S. Moorhead, Ollie F. Buehne, Harold A. Emery, S. T. Douglas, Willlam H. In- man, Carleton M. Long and Paul Mc- Conahy. A special meeting of the Department Executive Committee, the American Legion, was held Monday evening in the club rooms of the George Wash- ington Post, No. 1, 1440 Rhode Island avenue. The meeting was called the ent commander, Dr. B. C. MacNeil, for the purpose of discussing the unemployment situation and also & bill, now ding in Oongress, intro- duced by tative Hamilton Fish, Jr., of N ork, relative to the - ment of adjusted compensation - cates. Bmmhtnlhnn to be worn M&;n the ndm and chapeau are being awarde: to all members of the Forty and Eight who enroll seven or more new members for the American Legion for 1931, it has been announced at Forty and Eight national headquarters. The stars take the place of the bronze membership bars awarded in former years. Man: have already been awarded to members of the fun and honor soclety of the Legion who have secured the required number of new Legion enroliments. Gold stars of the same size and design as the bronze stars are being sent to Voyageurs who have won membership bars in previous years to replace the bars on the chapeau. The change was necessary because many members of the Forty and ht no longer had room for membership bars on their Much fhiterest is being shegn by the of the Samerican Gou ship ‘headqua through the thigh bone | nted to the ler $0 extract the marrow. nal by | have been made in the Gouraud, military governor of Zasz, France, "who wa3 one. of the distee guished guests and speakers at the con- vention. Under the provisions made by the National Trophies and Awards mittee the Gouraud trophy will be kept in constant circulation, and will not become the permanent property of any department regardless of the number of successive years in which it si be held by any one department. All de- partments outside the continental limits of the United States whose membership is afl:xu to or above the membership of the smallest de ent in conti- nental United States shall be - ‘The d?&tmfinz athletic officer, F*. J. McDonald, announces that the Depart- ment of the American Legion will spon- sor a bowling it February 14, at 7:30 p.m., at the Ar- cade Bowling alleys, Fourteenth and Park road. This event is open to all exaurvlu men, District of Columbia, AN e es. the Vil be in money. Depart- ment Comdr, B. C. MacNell is donating a trophy, which is to be named the MacNeil Trophy, as an additional prize to the Legionnaire having the best score in the tournament. flnllnflo!ch'l'r mas carols by the guests by Miss comedy trio consisting ician; Joe Dra- Maude Miller. A of Comrade J¢ o ley, clown, and Past Franklin, the big little boy followed. singing and dancing act was given by the Harmony Twins, the Ellis sisters. A bugle-call drill by Sergt. Nickey Badini, a 10-year-cld full fledged sergeant, was given under the direction of Sergt. Henry Loveless. Santa Claus presented sweaters, shoes, skates, dolls, sledges Street, director of the Community Chest, who was present with his wife and twin daughters. Mr. Street gave a short history of Christmas and Santa Claus, and spoke to the grown-ups about the chest and the need of more liberal do- nations year. Present also were the most active welfare of the , Mrs. Fawce! st president of the auxiliary; Willlam i1, president of the bureau cafeteria, and officers of the various organizations within the bureau. The committee, headed by Past Comdr. Vincent J. Orlando, chairman, included Martin A. Dyer, Aurelia 3 Eloise Davison, Willl E. Dobbins, Ernest Dwyer, Buena V. , Tom Franklin, Blanche Greene, Agnes Hayes, L. H. Johnson, Edna Johnson, Landis, Willard Laws, Helen Maisel, Hugh Marsh, Tom McDonough, Prancis F. Miller, Helen Oberndoerfer, Oberndoerfer, Ray Payne, Walter Schel- ler, Homer Trusty, Mary B. Yates, R. V. Montgomery, Edith Lewis, Anna Mur- g);gn Albert Somers, Arthur Sands and t Comdr. James F. Kehoe. Marine Corps Notes ‘Maj. Gen. Ben H. Fuller was guest of honor of the adjutant and tor's department, the paymaster's de- ent, the quartermaster’s depart- ment, respectively, of the eo? during the holiday functions held the gut week under the department el rig. Gen. Rufus H. Lane, Brig. Gen. Gmrfie Richards and Brig. Gen. Hugh Mattl e\g. Col. Rush R. Wallace, comma: officer of the marine barracks, Eight street southeast, has su the listing of the delicacies on the barracks menus for the holidays. fey corps as follows: Capt. ‘Winder Promotions to the grade of and Carlton Hill Larsen while in the reserves Donald Maj. Henry L. Cl“plul is stopping at the Hotel Roose- velt. Maj. J. L. Doxey has been stopping temporarily at 2714 Cathedral aven but plans to return to his station duty (Newport, R. L) tods Rescued by Bernard Shaw. ‘W. H. Davies, lish poet, must bave created a record when he was given civic lunch the other day by his native town of Newport. For Mr. Davies was once a tramp and was, in lllfl., !MIMM;". % | Bernard Shaw in a chea) in Chalk Farm. 1¢s curlous How genius is allowed to starve. Francis son, one of the guuct poets who turned words into the lordly of song, was rescued from sheer starva- tion on the London Em! AT LAST—Real 'I'rnhl-fill AVIATIO