New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-02
Officers Declare Blow to
Allies Will Result From
Our Failure"
German Output Grows
Spurred by Fear Of Work
Here, They Now Produce
700 Daily

What they characterize as the immi
nent collapse of the 1918 aviation pro,
gramme of the United States and the
threatened failure by this country tt
carry out its aircraft plans for 1919
thus crippling the Allied cause, yester.
day led the president and two directors
of the Aeronautical Society Of America
to utter a vigorous protest to the PEG.
pie of the nation.
Frederick w. Barker, president, anc
his associates, Thomas A. Hill anc
Leon Cammen, directors of the society
made it plain they were not trying to
stir up contention, but that an investi-
CATION of eight months had convinced
them the following facts are true:
That the much praised Liberty
motor is imperfect.
That instead of having $4,000
aviators and 10000 machines in
France by July next the United
States will have only thirty-fve ma
chimes on the Western front and
about 5000 trained alrmen.
German Output 700 a Day
That the delay in providing equip
ment for training aviators has made
it impossible to call eligible men for
the service, and that these Ameri-
cans, physically perfect, are joining
other branches of the service, where
they will not be of as great value;
and that they will be sadly missed if
the aircraft programme is realized.
That less than 5 per cent of the
production facilities of the country
are being utilized in this most i'm
portant of all war manufacturing.
That the Germans, anticipating
great airplane activities by this
country, have doubled their output
and are now putting seven hundred
new machines in commission every
day.
That the veil of secrecy thrown
about the real facts dealing with air
craft production is retarding the
work by making it impossible for
capable men to solve problems which
have arisen.
That aircraft experts are occupy
ing positions of minor Importance
with the government, while the big
work of direction is placed in the
hands of men with no experience in
this line OF production.
That most of the deaths of
student f1iers in training camps are
due to either overused and defective
machines or improper instruction.
500 Defective Craft in Use
Of this last rhase of their protest
Mr.. Cammen said:
There are only about 200 airplanes
in this country now available for train
ing work, and of these SEQ should not
be used. They are dangerous. None of
these machines has spare parts, so it is
simply question of patch and repatch
when motors or tanks go bad. 1t is
easy to see why there are accidents,
though there is no more excuse for a
collision in the air than there is for
one on railroad"
In discussing the failure to produce
anything like the anticipated number
Of airplanes, Mr.. Cammen said:
"Less than per cent of the facilities
of this country have been utilized by
the government in production. There
is no shortage Of labor, and even if
there was labor could be diverted from
non-essential industries to this most
important of all war work. 1t is pos
parts for $4,000 or $4,000 machines in
this country in six months. Why
hasn't it been done?
Warn of Disaster to Allies
GAS for engines. if it is possible for
motor car factories in this country to
turn out 10000 automobile engines a
day, the Liberty motor could have been
perfected in six months and by now a
thousand day should have been pro-
duced.
"The Liberty motor is not perfect,
and instead of admitting it wasn't per-
feet the fact was concealed, thereby
making it impossible for men who could
help to do So"
Disaster is predicted if prompt action
is not taken, the society's representa-
tives said. for the Germans. as soon as
they learned the ambitious aircraft
plans fostered by the United States,
took over 400 woodworking factories,
near Schwerin, and have been turning
out planes at the rate of 700 day.
She is losing on an average of 100 daily
Thus she is repaidly, they say, gaining
control of the air.
"All this was called to the Presidents
attention month ago." said Mr.. Hill
and he named survey committee to
make an investigation. This commit
tee was composed of two lawyers and
steam engineer and has not yet made
q report, SO far as the public knows
We can't get the results from the Off
Gals, and it isn't fair to the country
Or it's soldiers.