The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-26
MEMBER OF THE Assoc1ATEp PRESS
The Airplane Scandal

The Airplane Scandal
The New York Times says: There is abund-
Americans, for the sternest censure of their un-
faithful or incompetent servants, in the Senate
Military subcommittee report upon the air
plane production scandal.
The first appropriation of $640,O0O,o0O has
been spent, it is all gone, practically wasted"
and an expenditure of nearly $1,00O,0OO,00O
more is called for. What have we to show for it :?
Sixty-seven de Haviland planes had reached the
American front by July !, the date by which, ac-
cording to solemn assurance of high officers of
the government, 5000 American planes were to
be in France Eighteen de Haviland machines
flew over German lines on Aug. 7th; Mr.. James
cable dispatch to the Times from the front yes
terday told of the JOY Of the American troops
over the announcement that the first American
planes were in use. We have not single fight
ing plane on the battlefield, we have not even
begun to produce them in quantity. We have not
single Amercan-made bombing plane at the
front Mr.. James says in his dispatch that air
bombers in thousands from America" can do
wonders toward "early victory" and he believes
it safe to say that 200 bombing machines could
have turned the tide of "any big battle in this
war"
Contrast this record of wasted millions of
failure of production, of neglect to support our
troops on the battle line by these effective in
struments of war, with our magnificent ACHE
lnent in transporting nearly 100000 American
troops to France, with the wonderful energy and
efficiency we have shown in building ships. It
is failure in department of war work where
I'll, ycho, have
succeeded beyond the most sanguine predictions.
What are the causes of this fragrant non
feasance, who is responsible? The question of
personal responsibility is properly left by the
committee to be fixed as result of the inquiry
conducted by Mr.. Hughes under the direction
of the department of Justice. If there has been
dishonesty, corruption, crime, we shall be inform
ed of it in Mr~Hughes' report. The committee
declares that there has been favoritism and pro-
fiteering. It specifies the representation of Day
ton interests in the Production Board and ex-
presses the opinion that the large contracts given
to the Dayton companies provoked and justified
public censure and made the investigation i'm
perative" The business of airplane production
was intrusted to automobile manufacturers ig-
norant Of the problems of air navigation; i'm
possible tasks were attempted through ignor-
ance; the whole program was lmpeded by the
subordnation of every interest to the production
of the Liberty Motor, and we made the mistake
of embarkng upon experiments when we should
have adopted 1.-The common sense" course of re-
producing the most approved types of European
machines in as great numbers as possible. Plans
were changed and models abandoned after
months of time and millions of money had been
spent And all this time when the responsible
persons must have been we'll aware of their own
failure the public was being deceived by official
declarations that all was well, that quantity pro-
duction was under way and the needs of the army
would be seasonably supplied.
The committee is of the opinion that this dis
astrous experience would have been avoided iii
the aircraft program had been placed under the
control of one man, assisted by skilled aeronauti
cal engineers and practical filters to design and