Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-02-24
c D n GRESS WILL
INVESTIGATE ]. s.
AVIATION SERVICE
Senate Military Committee Will
Recommend Same with an
Appropriation of
$4,000.

| Washington Feb. 2l-Thc Senate mill
, taiN committee to-day voted to recon-.
! mend an investigation OF the army avla.
| ton service by Congress. The decision,
was reached after Senator Robinson
who had introduced 81 resolution for
| such an investigation, submitted further
evidence TO support his charges of gen.
eral inefficiency.
The resolution, which will he favorablN
reported would appropriate $1,000 for
| the inquiry and create an investigation
committee consisting of three members
of the House and two of the Senate
| Senator Robinson produced before the
committee last week Photographic copies
of letters alleged to have passed between
Lieut.. Col. Samuel Rcber. head of the
| aviation service, and Cant. Arthur :
/ Cowan, in charge Of the San Diego
station, which the senator said revealed
mat the service was 'contemptibly in
et1lc1ent. In his supplementary state.
mcnt to-day he declared that of about
"A officers who had qualified as nicrs.
10 had been killed, several losing their
lives because they were required to at
tempt flights in antquated biplancs
known to be defective"
An inquiry into tho aviation service.
which will proceed ndcpcndcnt Of con-
gressional action, already has been or
dcred by the war department.
THE inefficicncy and unsatisfactory re-
suits OF the present management Of the
aviation section" said Senator Robinson
TO the committee to-day. "is disclosed
by the fact that during eight years, or
about that. in which the signal corrs
has had control of aviation, only about
"A qualified fliers with the military rating
have been produced While the state
mcnt was made before the House com
mittee on military affairs that there are
now 4G officers who arc qualified as
niers, and who are attached to the avia-
ton section. believe that an investiga-
ton will disclose that there are only
about "A.
Very few Of the co-caljed qualified
fiers' have ever done military work or
even seen from an aeroplane a field gun
fired Only one or two have manoeuvred in
aeropancs with bombs attached to it for
use. The service has no bombs. no bomb
sighting device. no method of mounting a
gun on an acroplanc, nor has a gun cvnr
been fired from an acroplane. We have
no arlnOred herOpancS, ana the machines
on hand are not efficient enough for flying
duty
During the eight years above referred
TO. which have netted only about u quail
lied nvers. there have occurred Il deaths
in connection with military aviation, u
officers having been killed. The other two
cases embrace the death Of one soldier and
one civilian. Thus approximately 81 per
cent as many officers have been killed as
there are now officer pilots on aviation
duty.
The first company, second aero squad
ron. now in the Philippines, prior to Feb
ruary !. 1915, had no aeroplancs | am in
formed that four have been ordered and
that two have been OF viii soon he ship
pei. Tho first company, second aero
squadron in the Philippines. consists o.
six officer pilots. There are no other field
organizations. There are two qualified
officer pilots instructinG students at the
aviation school and two more arc study
ing aerOnautics in Boston