New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-22
Navy's Expert Says Secre-
tary Took 100000
from His Figures.
DID NOT CONSULT
CAPTAIN BRISTOL
Committee Urged to Provide for
Five-Year Programme to
Cost $2O,OOO.000.

Washington. Feb. 21.--Csptain Mark
Bristol, In charge OF the aeronautic
service Of the navy, told the House Ma
val Affairs Committee to-day that his
estimate for s13.6O0,000 for naval air
craft had been pruned to 100000 by
orders of Secretary Of the Navy Dan
iels.
Preceding Captain Bristol, DR..
Charles d. Walcott, secretary OF the
Smithsonian Institution. had pleaded
with the committee to include $4,000
in tho naval bill 20 enable the adj
visory committee on aeronautics to
take practical steps toward making
coordinate study OF the problems OF
aviation which have been solved by
foreigners but are as yet obstacles to
Americans.
Captain Bristol was asked whether
he had been consulted about the re-
duction Of estimates. lie said hc had
not been. lie had figured on gen
eral aviation programme Of s2o,ooo,OOo
70 cover a fve-year building pro-
gramme. AS tho navy lacked practical
ly everything in the aviation scout ser
vice, Captain Bristol figured on about
two-thirds Of the entire programme TO
be included in the coming year. This
included two ships especially designed
to carry aircraft at sea, repair parts
and machinery 10 be used IN connec-
tion with the fleet.
The witness said the fleets needed
SO aeroplanes, 5 dirigibles and IL kite
balloons In addition the navy should
have 100 aeroplanes. 10 diriglbles and
10 kite balloons which would be OPP
Grated from shore stations separate
from the feet equipment. The latter
outfit would constitute patrol service
COR the coast.
FLYERS for Naval Militia.
The naval militia, Captain Bristol
said, should be thoroughly familiar
with the use of aeroplanes and hydro
planes. and he estimated that forty-six
machines should be provided for that
organization.
THE five year programme" the cap
tain said, Should include at least 1876
aeroplanes, 10 dirigibles and 80 kite
balloons. II would cost s20,000,000,
and require 63S officers and l,l06 men"
Representative Britten, who brought
out the fact that Captain BristoPs
estimates had been cut by Secretary
Daniels, also brought to light that the
Captain had not been taken into the
confidence of the ec.etary on the lat
ter's pet scheme of developing
special flying corps, which was suggest
ed in his estimates 10 Congress. Secre-
tary Daniels's idea was to build up
corps in which any young man with an
aptitude for flying could take rank
without going through the steps neces-
sary 20 become a naval officer. Cap
tain Bristol said he did not advocate
this corps. as he believed that naval
fiers should have other naval service
and should be trained in naval needs.
Secretary Walcott, OF the Presidents
advisory commission on aeronautics,
drew q pitiful picture OF the value of
the aeronautic services of the army
and navy to-day. He said that both
arms had only twenty working aero
nautical machines. "If the army had
a hundred machines" he declared, 81
would not consider it adequately
equipped II we were attacked to-day
we would be without eyes, as it were,
because Of our lack OF aeroplanes."
Turks Led Into Trap.
Mr.. Walcott referred TO the news
dispatches which showed that a divi-
sion of Turkish troops had been cap
tured near Erzerum by walking blindly
into a Russian trap.
"The dispatches prove the Turks had
no aeroplanes, and If they had been
equipped with one single aeroplane
they would have seen where they were
going" said the witness.
Secretary Walcott said that until a
scientific and coordinated study OF all
the problems OF aeronautics was made,
the United States would remain IN the
background.