The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-12
United States Should Build
100000 Aeroplanes and
Train 10000 Men
to Run Them.
HURRY UP THE BIG TASK
Could End War on Military Basis
Long Before It Otherwise
Could be Terr1l-
mated.
BY George Martin United Press STAN
f.orresnondenf I j

[By George Martin United Press STAN
correspondent
NEW YORK. June r.
49, The great allied victory at
't$@ Messines ridge. largely made
VIZ possible by the binding OF
the Germans by allied fliers, proves
conclusively that Americas immediate
and biggest task is to get 100000
planes and ten thousand fighters to
Europe to help put Germany's dghhng
eyes out, in the opinion of Henry
Woodhouse Of the Aero club of Ameri-
ca, here today
"By speeding up" he said. to the
United Press today, 1--WE can do this In
twelve months; end the war on mill
tary basis. long before 1t could other
lives and billions of dollars.
Woodhouse is the man whose pre-
diction Of six months ago that the war
would be won or lost in the air, seems
to be coming true.
The element of time is the most I'M
portant," he continued. I'VE wait on
nothing, but half billion dollar ap-
preparation from congress.
The council of national defense 1s
organized to proceed quickly through
the air craft production board. To
make fewer tnan 100000 planes and
train fewer than ten thousand men
may lead to fearful casualties on the
front
I'VE must have five hundred million
dollars to start, at once. The actual
sum needed is one billion dollars.
Training camp sites have been
chosen, the aeronautical manufactur-
ing facilities are modified and we
have placed in thesS hands complete
plans for the latest uniform types of
allied planes and other needed war
machines.
IF we hurry-and congress must
give us quick help in this-we can do
in twelve months what it took the
British two years to accomplish.
There will be no trouble getting
the men. They are at hand, waiting on
congress.
1--WE must strike Germany through
the air, quick.
"That the Teuton is vulnerable
there now is proved by dispatches
stating that the German plans have
been collapsing in mid air whenever
any part was hit by the allied guns.
"In the past that happened only
when the most vital parts of the aero
plane, such as the bracing wires, were
hit.
What we need most to supply the
allies is $4,000 fast battle planes.
They will fight the enemy off the
skies. That done, the slow bomb drop
ping machines and artillery planes.
which are the eyes of the big guns and
the infantry machines which carry
machine guns and fly in advance OF
the infantry, swooping low and turn
ing their guns on the men in enemy
trenches, can do their work umolested.
AFTER the 25 600 battle planes, ours
Is a question of number rather than
speed.
There will be no trouble in get
ting $4,000 men from which to select
ten thousand first class fighting fliers.
Thousands of young men are begin
ming to get into it.
"Men between Is and 25 make the
best air fighters. Many, however, had
made good beginning at the age of 25.
And others at the age of fifty.
There are few fliers over thirty,
but that doesn't mean that older men
don't make good fliers. The twenty
per cent of applicants needed to do
air fighting usually is selected from
the youngest, though there is nothing
the matter with the older ones.
"F1ying men must be intelligent,
quick witted, honorable above re-
proach, not too heavy, not over ITO at
most. resourceful and cautious enough
TO take the greatest advantage pos
sible of every situation with safety to
their lives and equipments"
An Alaskan woman visiting New
York said that more furs are worn
by women on Fifth avenue in the