The Green Forest tribune., 1917-10-12
PLANES WILL BE
 READY IN TIME
sUMoRS OF DELAY IN TURNING OUT AMERICAS AIRCRAFT
 ARE uNFoUNDED.
ENOUGH SPRUCE IN SIGHT
Machines Can Be Built in Many Fac- tories and Will Be Done In Time for the Wonderful Liberty Motors to Be installed.
By EDWARD 8. CLARK.

By EDWARD B. CLARK.
 Washington.-Wash for day tr two has been troubled with rumors 10 the effect that while the United ltates will have the best flying ma chine engines ever built, and these In luick order the whir of their machin- 'ry will not be heard over the heads of the Germans until twice twelve month has gone by.
 There is delay enough In score of branches of the government depart ments in all that pertains to war work. but the people probably can reassure themselves on the flying machine mat ter We will have battle planes and plenty of them flying in Europe with their fast dropping cargoes of high eX- ploSives before the next crop of blood red coquelicots springs in the fields of France.
 Secretary of War Baker came pretty close to putting himself In the class of the eXuberant when he issued his 1900 word statement about the new aircraft motor. but inquiry makes it appear that while the exuberance of the secretary may not have been in keeping with the 0 nary conventions of secretaral life. 1t perhaps was jus fified from the human nature point of view.
 Battle Planes Will Be Ready.
 After Mir. Baker had tod the coun- try that the greatest thing that ever happened in the way of a motor had been purchased. there came the story that the motors were all very well, but that there would be precious little use for them because there would be no airplanes in which to install them until many weary month had gone Into times discar'
 Congress and those members of the administration who are not intimately fin on things" looked bluer for day than the unprotected face of any avia- tor after nipping ride in the upper air Now 1t can be said that as soon as the motors are turned out, which will not be long, there will be battle planes to carry them and to be pro pelled by them. All of which Is eX- cepfingly cheerful news to q capital AlliNll HIS bttii tiiot ''i'' o half dozen submarine chasers have been turned out, that none of the new deStroyers will be ready for eighteen months, that bad ammunition Is being made at the arsenals, and that nei- ther steel nor wooden ships for com merce bearing will be ready until the waters of earth have several season. able chances to freeze.
 Some time ago In these dispatches it was snid that the government was ex. periencing difficulty in securing sup ply of proper spruce from which to make the framework of the airplanes. Friends of the enemy have been busy in spiking some of the spruce trees and in doing damage to timber already cut, but of course not even enemy, aliens inspired with the hate of all things American can ruin the entire spruce crop of the United States overnight.
 Plenty of Spruce.
 Now 1t Is said that the spruce Is in sight and to this cheerful bit of in- formation is added word that 1t does not take iong to build an airplane and
  tomobile factories, of which we have perhaps some scores of hundreds. but in furniture factories and even in the carpenter shops of every day city and country acquaintance.
 So today it seems to come down to situation which promises plentiful supply of airplanes within fairly short order with motors to run them and with a fair prospect that they can make themselves felt from their van tage points above the head of the en- emy before the next cold season has been melted by the breath of a genial spring.
 Many Wish To Be Aviators.
 At army headquarters in Washing ton there have been from time to time expressions of surprise, pleased sur prise, at the great numbers of young Americans who have expressed a will ingness to enter the aviation service.
 It reqp;-es the possession of q cer- tain temperament to make success full aviator and the army examiners are determined that only the men who tAI V til SiitiA Stt'Ni liiV oCi fi1Sp anu Ah this can be found one reason why there is qualification because of the large numbers of young men who are showing a desire to become battle plane iiers and fighters.
 Within a day or two there has been received from France an account of the first experience in battle of an American aviator, Charles J. Trinkard. Permission to publish the account of this young American's first encounter in the air with the German enemy was given by the censor and even the name of the town near which the encounter took place was allowed to be printed.
 It is probable that from the already widely printed story of the initial com bat of this young flier other American aviators, men to be sent later to France to meet the enemy will get de- tailed knowledge of what they are to expect, the feeling that a man has when first fighting thousands of feet above the earth and m inspiration
 SCRAPS.