Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-20
Senator Robinson Would Act
Independently of War De-
partment Investigation.
HAS MORE EVIDENCE
AGAINST THE SERVICE
Vote on Resolution Will Be Asked
at Meeting of Military Affairs
Committee Tomorrow.

Declaring that he had waited for
months for the War Department to In
vestigate the army aviation service.
Senator Robinson said last night that
he would continue his efforts to have
congressional investigation despite
the announcement of the War Depart
ment yesterday that it would make an
inquiry into the subject.
Il introduced my resolution for an
investigation in December" said Sena-
tor Robinson. 81 waited until Friday
for the War Department to act. For
months the department had all this in
formation regarding the aviation serv-
ice. AS a result of inefficiency several
men who believed the machines were
unsafe were compelled to fly and were
killed. Now 1 think the inquiry should
be made by persons outside the army.
Senator Chamberlain, chairman of the
Senate military affairs committee be-
fore which Senator Robinson made his
charges of inefficiency in the aviation
service of the army, said last night that
tomorrow on Senator Robinson's resolu-
ton.
More Evidence Made Public.
More evidence in support CT his
charges against the aviation service
was made public last night by Senator
Robinson. He said that further data
had been placed before him by persons
claiming to have authoritative infor-
nation. This, together with documents
presented to the military committee
Friday, including the Photographic
copies of letters purporting to have
passed between Lieut.. Col. Samuel Re-
Der. in charge of the aviation service
and Capt. Arthur S. Cowan, in charge
of the San Diego station, will be placed
at the disposal of any investigating
committee Congress may appoint.
The data made public last night were
given out in the form of a statement by
Senator Robinson, quoting from addi-
tional letters he said had been written
by aviation officers.
Why Motor Cycle Was Wanted.
Col Reber wrote: The House mill
tary committee, which is Mr.. Hay, for
reasons best known to himself, made
up his mind to stick to three hundred
thousand. and he succeeded in bluffing
the Senate conferees. This is the whole
story, and had we gone to some other
committee We would probably have
gotten as much money as the navy
did
"A letter from Capt Cowan to Col
Reber. dated January Is, 1915. asked
for authority to spend 5000 for the pur.
chase of 1915 motor cycle. My Of
fetal reason wrote Capt. Cowan, fol
wanting to purchase this motor cycle
is that the latest modern motor cycle
we have here Is 1913. We should
Keep track of the improvements and be
ready to recommend the type best suited
for our work. Ny personal rea-
son for wanting to purchase this motor
cycle is to provide myself with a means
of transportation between North Island
and my quarters at Coronado
Upon the Quartermasters Corps in
the army is placed the duty of building
barracks and they have appropriations
for that purpose. Nevertheless, Col
Reber on May 20, 1915, wrote as follows
to Capt. Cowan: There is one thinR
l wish you would be very careful about
and not let your quartermaster refer. In
any way. to the structure we have
erected on North Island as a temporary
barracks. A requisition arrived the
other day for something for the tenn
porary barracks. and the quarter.
masters Office fell down in a fit. They
said that they had no temporary bar
racks and that they knew nothins
about temporary barracks, which was
their proper state of mind, as we can
not tell any person officially that we
have built barracks"