Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-08-23
the committee added:

Cne committee added: Nc fighting plane of American or other design has been built around the Liberty engine, although it is axiom in aeronantics that planes must be aoapted to motors. ............ Until a Lib erty plane Is successfully built around Liberty motor by competent aero hautlc engineers and thoroughly test ed out, our air program will not be complete"
 Telling in detail eff efforts last fall to adopt the Spad, Bristol and De Haviland fours to the Liberty motor. the committee states that the Bristol IS overloaded, it's wings strained and With bad construction the board was compelled to stop production" Some ot the S6,500,000 spent on this experi- ment, It says may be salvaged. An order given in September, 1917, to- the Curtlss company for 5000 one-seater Spad planes-"an excellent French biplane now in use on the front were cancelled, it is stated, because installation of the eight-cylinder Lib erty motor, which was soon discard ed, was insisted upon by the board. NO attempt was made to make single ceatel fighting machines until last May, the committee stated, when enc thousand s. E. lives were ordered by MT. Ryan and probably will be in production during the coming au- tumn."
 Enough Training Planes.
 The production of training planes has been fairly adequate,' the report declares. "There is no reason to ap- prehend that training planes product lon will fall below the requirements of the service"
 The De Haviland fours-designed as the cnly so-called fighting plane now in actual production"-wa given especial attention by the committee. Contracts have been let for $500 and on August 1, about 1000 had been de- livered.
 One June 26, the committee states, General Pershing reported "many de- fleets" in those delivered and stated they could not be used until corrected, and demanded thorough test and in- spection before more were shipped. Opinion of experts regarding the De Havlland as to possibility of correct ing defects, differed. the committee says, adding.
 "On August 2 an order was issued to all the factories directing that no more of them be delivered until the corrections required were made. We are informed that production under these news conditions is about to be resumed"
 Forty De Haviland fours sent to Long Island fields last month were tested and pronounced "structurally weak and defective," the committee states. Of 1855 delivered to the navy, it is said, tests at Miami, Fla, devel- oped the same defects reported by General Pershing, one hundwred crat- ed at ehmabrkation points being re- turned to the aircraft board. Admiral Sims reported defects in about fifty already shipped.
 Only Good For Observation.
 Regarding the De Haviland general ly, the committee says:
 Evidence ranging from qualified approval to severest condemnation shows that the De Haviland four is chiefly available for observation pur- poses.
 "With the exception of the s. E. five and the Handley-Page in parts, no other type of fighting plane can be produced in quantity before 1919."
 Early in 1917, the report saps, this country contracted with England and France for fighting planes of which 2,114 have been delivered. It contin- ues.
 "This enabled us to maintain Is squadrons of IS fliers each on the front, the force wholly inadequate to meet the requirements of modern warfare. It should also be stated that as our troops are moving to France in great numbers, the disparity may increase until we get into quantity production"
 Despite the assurances that foreign fighting planes would be available in sufficient numbers, given by Secre- tary Baker, Major General Squier chief, and Cononel Deeds ot fine sig nal corps, according to the report inability of the United States to fur nish raw material prevented France from forwarding machines contracted for