The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-13
A NAVY FOR the AIR
THE TOPEKA STATL JOu KSAL
IMPORTATION BUREAU
BY Frederic }. Haskin. Director
Washington, ID. O.
1.-The Building Program.


premacy in the air That well known
tune, Britannia Rules the Wave, we
look to see superseded by new one
columbia Rules the Skies" 1t will
take time, effort and money! lot OF
money-but if we can succeed, it Will
be worth the price. The american
air navy will be a navy built to de-
feat Germany, and 1t promises TO 40
the job in eighteen months II prop
erly supported; but the significance OF
our vast aeroplane program goes pc
yond war The aeroplane stands to-
day where the steam engine stood a
century ago, and we do well to take
our place among the nations VINO
study its construction and use on
large scale.l
The aeroplane program has been
put up to congress in the shape OF
two bills, one appropriating $685.
100000 for aeroplanes, engines ana
training purposes, and the second pro-
yiding for orga nizat ton and personnel,
giving the president. the power to
raise the necessary men. From 15'oOo
to 100000 men will probably be
needed eventually.
The figures look large, but we can
not pride ourselves on smashing any
records very badly with them. Rather
do they represent an attempt to catch
up with the procession. France and
England have 10000 aeroplanes in
service. The personnel of their com
bined fleets exceeds 100000 men,
Englands aircraft industry represents
an investment of $S50,000,0OO, and
Canada has put in $S0,000,000 on her
own account For next year, Eng
lands air budget calls for the ex-
penditure of 1878, 100000. As for the
Central Empires, it is sufficient to
point out that while they have ap-
parently lost the supremacy of the
air on the Western front, they are
still able to put up a stubborn de-
fensive fight for it, and the Allied
planes can rarely make a flight over
the German lines without being at
tackled by aeroplanes in squads. And
Germany plans to put $500 addt-
tionaI planes on the front next spring.
1t is this situation which creates the
America opportunity. So evenly
matched are the battling powers, that
by straining their industrial resources
to the utmost, the allies can do no
more tn N maintain a slight superior
ity. They cannot increase their pro-
duction greatly, and neither can the
Teutons. With the great industrial
resources of the United States thrown
into the allied side of the scale, the
forces of democracy can build aero
planes at rate which the enemy can
not hope to equal, and that means vic
tory. But America must approach
her task with an understanding of its
magnitude.
The great aeroplane output of the
belligerents is due to the building up
of an industry thru three years of war
pressure. England can build 500 aero
planes a week, but she has 1000 fac
tories at work on the job, of which
1.-the so largest alone employ $500
men. Her aeroplane industry has had
three years of intensive development
Her private contractors have been as
'sured of orders for years ahead
When the first aeroplane program was
submitted to Lord Kitchener it rep
| resented the most ambitious thing OF
its kind ever drawn up. Are you sure
that you have everything provided for
in ample quantity?" asked Kitchener
Certainly" they said. Then" said
Kitchener, double it,
! Kitchener realized that doubling the
program would build up the aeroplane
industry of England, and this idea is
what America must grasp today. The
program submitted to congress pro
+ vides for the future in such a way that
the aeroplane industry can expand
with some confidence. This is neces.
sary. 1t is generally hoped that con
gress will realize the necessity, and
make the money available quickly
Time is valuable nowadays.
| Just what can we do in the way OF
aeroplane building in the next wear
rms IS a question that cannot be an
| sWered today in exact figures How
! quickly the industrial resources of the
| country can be modified to this end
| how soon the automobile engine max.
! ers can successfully produce aeroplane
| engines in quantities, how long it will
/ take to train aviators in large mum
! bers are questions that the future
must answer. There are character.
istics of American industry and Amer
| lean manhood that lead the authori.
| ties to hope that we will DO these
things more quickly and efficiently
than they have ever been done before
but meanwhile they are calculating
conservatively on the basis of Euro.
pean experience
Experts say that we can be turning
out from 5000 to 1000 engines {
month by next April. The appropria
ton bill calls for a total of 42.25O en-
gines. By the time we have reached
the indicated rate of production We
will have equalled England's pace, anC
given the allies an advantage tina
Germany cannot hope to overcome
| Turnout this fall and winter, our pro
duction will of course be steadily in
creasinS. We will probably be able t.
turn out several thousand finished
aeroplanes during these months. ant
at the end of the time our aviator
I Will DSSlIl TO llHlSi training d
the rate of several hundred or a thou
sand a month.
4 The program will probably call 70
the establishment of twenty-fou
training field, each with a capacit,
Of seventy-two aeroplanes and go
student aviators. Besides the aviator
themselves, a large number of me
chanics and helpers will be needed a
each training field. There are alread,
close to 1,400 student filters in train
=. ing. Officials are confident that tn
flying game will appeal to American
so strongly that there will be no lacl
of first class human material Ameri
cans have proved in Europe that the,
have no superiors as aviators.
AS for the machines called for 4
the program, the aeroplane manufac
!. turers of this country are confident
; They say that we can produce bot
quantity and quality. Work is al