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Show AX AIR PORTFOLIO. j A recommendation ia soon to be pre-scnteJ pre-scnteJ to congress for tho creating of a ut nartiucnt of aeronautics, "with a secretary in the president's cabinet. Tho plan lias tho approval of a special board of military, naval and commercial commer-cial air navigation experts. Benedict Crowell, assistant secretary of war, has just returned from an extended ex-tended tour abroad. He headed a mission mis-sion which visited England, France and Italy, where the control of aeronautics aeronau-tics was carefully studied. Mr. Crowell will submit his report to tho authorities at Washington and until his superiors deem it advisable to make tho recommendations recom-mendations public ho declined to discuss dis-cuss the matter in detail. It is to be gathered from his remarks, however, that tho plan of a department will bo proposed. With Mr. Crowell on the mission wore Colonel Blair of the genoral staff of the army, Captain Mustin, United States navy; Ooorgo W. Houston, of tho Wright-Martin Aircraft corporation; C. W. Keyes, of tho Curtiss Airplane and Motor corporation, and S. S. Bradley, general manager of the Manufacturers' Aircraft association. The establishment of a department would put American air affairs on the same basis as those of England, where aeronautics are in charge of a ministry. minis-try. The sudden and continuous growth of aviation have made the science an important factor in the nation's na-tion's development, and the time seems to havo arrived when its control should be centralized. That will bo dono if the suggested step is taken and if the approval of congress is won. |