Arizona republican., 1918-08-24
The Airplane Investigation


 It i. rather late in the day have found it out, but it is better late than to have ascertaned definitely that this government absolutely wasted S64o 100000 the attempted construction of aero l,ancs: that it worse than wasted this sum by ac- tuay constructing with part of it. defective planes which many aviator on the training fields to his death. Now that know this officially as d result of a long and patient senate investigation, we arc less likely in the future have such exhibition of incompetence and favorsm to contractors, if not actual corruption.
 There is also settled by the report which has been concurred in unanimously the controversy (which raeed all spring and through the early summer to what had actually accomplished in aeropane con- sruction. It stated early last spring by the Com mittcc Public Information that were already engaged quantity production and that then large number of machines had been sent to France Not 'ong after when General Wood returned from the front. he stated that there not American lighting machine there A little later Mir Greet, the head of the Committee on Public Information told congressional committee that he had been msled by the war department and that he had crtained that his committee had been deceived, he ihsisied having representative of his committee the department to check up its reports of it's tvities. ......
 Now We find that as late as July 1. six weeks ago, utary five months after the return of General Wood there was still American fighting bombing riane in France There though. this date sixyseven DeIlaviland planes. It is significant that long before this date there appeared in of the popular weekly magazines, long article eXtong the DeIIaviland an improvement all planes then in use But the report finds it to have been in because of it's defects and that process of reconstruction.
 The press agents from the very beginning of the war have edoue much work and have earned their pay monumental liars They have done more to discrcdt the activities of the various departments and bureaus than known failures in those bureaus and departments could have done They have done much 10 discrodit the journals which admitted them to their pages They have ved successfully with the writers of fiction in the other pages.
 There was the Liberty Motor which, year ago proclaimed by the press agent to be triumph of engineering. All other arpane motors the world had known were destined for the junk pile At that time and for months afterward the Liberty Motor had not been tested and when it later tested it was found to he unavoidable. It's defects have been in a large measure remeded that it is rather satisfactory motor although not yet perfect according to the report of the committee.
 The committee report is not discouragng to the present situation It deals wholly with the past. We assured, that at last engaged in quan- uty production and it may he presumed that the mis- takes of the past having been officially uncovered they will not be repeated
 Somebody is to blame, perhaps not criminally. We cannot put people into jail for being incompetent but they be- and should be piored before the nation The surest guaranty have against such thing, this will be the exposure and proper punishment of the who responsible for this thing the who have lied about it.
 After all, it is rather disturbing reflection that but for the sensational and as many thought the r- responsible accusations of outsider Guzon Borglum the sculptor, there would have no in- vestigaon and would still be blundering along in airplane building.