Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-25
JOHN D. Ryan NEW
AIR BOARD CHIEF
Big Job Given to Well Known
Copper Magnate, Railroad Man
and Financier
CONCENTRATES CONTROL
Aviation Section IL Now Divorced
from signal Corps-Latter Branch
OR Army Service is Reorganixed

washington. April N.-Direction Of the
Asmy's great aircraft production program
has been placed in the hands Of civilian.
John D. Ryan, copper magnate, railroad
man and financier.
Secretary OF War Baker announced the
step tonight, disclosing at the same time
h reorganization Of the signal corps under
which the aviation section virtually Is
divorced from the corps proper. hereto
fore supreme on all question. With actual
production turned over to a civilian divi-
sion headed by Mr.. Ryan. Brigadier-
General William L. Kenty is made chief
Of . new division Of military aeronautics,
20 control training Of aviators and mill
tary use Of aircraft
Major-0eneral Squier. chief signal Of
acer. will conflne his activities in the
future TO the signal branch. Howard
Coffin, chairman Of the aircraft board
and under whose direction the building
program has developed to its present
stage. retires from the board and relin-
quishes the chairmanship to Mr.. Ryan.
The aircraft board itself, created by Con-
eress will continue as an advisory body.
Throughout all the agitation over
delays and mistakes in getting guam
tity production of aircraft under way,
all critics have agreed that the great
fault lay in the absence of concentrated
control. The power Of Mr. Coffin and
his board was subject to the signal
corps and this divided responsibility
has been blamed largely for the fact
that the program is about three months
behind.
Mr.. Coffin himself made the only
official comment on the reorganization.
he said:
SWNA 80 s,S- G~sSs
Vidual with definite and adequate power
20 deal with all aspects of army air
craft production is a logical and nee
essary step.
1T Is necessary to get away from any
question Of a division Of responsibility
either in fact or in the public mind.
Tho aircraft board remains, as since
its creation in October an advisory
body: but under this new arrangement,
the chairman Of the board becomes
also the supreme executive agency.
'For proper results. both the power Of
execution and the responsibility must
be concentrated in the same hands. The
method Of Mr.. Ryan's appointment would
seem to accomplish this result
This reorganization. forecast at the
war department since before the Senate
military committee made it's report re-
ferring to the aviation program as a
''humiliating failure" follows a preim-
inary report from a special committee of
in vestigators appointed by President Will
son and headed by II. Snowden Marshall
Of New York. The report never has been
made public, but It is known to have
been submitted to Secretary of War
Baker soon after his return from France.
Assistant Secretaries Crowell and Stet-
tinius and Mayor General March, acting
chief Of stan. are understood to have
worked out the new plan of organization.
Mr.. Crowell. as acting secretary, is said
to have been ready to act without walt
ing for Mr.. Bakers return If the Mar
shall report had been received.
The authority given Mr. Ryan CORE.
spends to that given Charles NJ Schwab
as director-general of the Emergency
Fleet corporation. He has the task OF
speeding up production in all of the many
plants working on air craft for the army
and Is given full power in that respect
In the matter of designing and engineering
authority apparently is divided between
the divisions of military aeronautics ant
production.
Mr.. Ryan's war work up to this time ha,
been confined to an active part in the
work Of the Red Cross war council, bu
those who know him declare he is ampl,
equipped for the big job now entrusted t.
him. President Wilson is said to have hat
= hand personally in the selection.