Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-23

Washington, Aug. 23.-Unaccount-
bad management and a desire to
build airplanes around the Liberty
motor instead of attempting quantity
production of existing successful
types of planes while experiments
were being made, caused the COL
lapse of the gigantic airplane pro-
gram decided on at the. beginning or
the war, according to the report CT
the Senate committee, made to the
Senate yesterday after months of
Investigation.
The committee recommended that
a Department. of Aviation be Great
ed, so that aircraft production would
be under the direction of one man.
After public announcement was
made on June s, 1917, that'a great
fleet of $4,000 airplanes was about
to be created, the report said, an
appropriation of S640, 100000 was
made to carry out the program. The
results achieved, the committee sum-
married., are as follows:
First. A total of only 6O1 De Havi-
land fourS were sent to France up TO
August 1. OF these only Sixty-seven
had reached the front lines by
July 1.
Second. The first American-built
machine flew over the German lines
on August Z. Details of the flight
have not. been received.
Third. We have not single
American-made chasse, or attacking
plane, upon the battlefront.
Fourth. We have not a single
American-made heavy bombing
plane upon the battlefront.
Fifth. We have not developed or
put in quantity production a fighting
plane.
Sixth. Types of planes have been
adopted and contracted for without
sufficient tests, with the result of loss
of life and many millions Of dollars.
Seventh. The American Expedi-
ionary Forces have been forced TO
purchase and use antiquated types
of French and British planes, manu-
factured abroad.
Three Principal Causes
The disappointing results" the
report said, are chiefly due to the
three following causes:
First. That the airplane program
was largely placed in the control OF
the great automobile and other
manufacturers. who were ignorant
of aeronautical problems.
Second. These manufa cturerS un-
dertook the impossible task of Gre
ating a motor which could be adapt
ell to all classes of flying craft. II is
not too much to say that our air.
plane program has been largely sub
ordinate to the Liberty motor.
Third. We failed at the beginning
of the war to adopt the common
sense course OF reproducing the most
approved types of European ma
fI i'm, J.
BILE. This should have been carried
on coincident with the production of
the Liberty motor. This sound
policy has very recently, but after Il
lamentable lapse of time, been
adopted.
OF the original enormous appro-
priation, the report continues, "a
substantial part was virtually vast
ed" and it was necessary to appro-
pirate an additional SSS4,304,75S.
The Senate committee, said the re-
port, made no attempt to investigate
instances of personal dishonesty or
corruption. but turned those charges
over to the Department of Justice,
which is making n criminal investi-
cation of the fall-down. under the di-
rection Of Charles Evans Hughes
Colonel Deeds Under Fire
The only personal criticism of any
OlHcidl CotlneCleu WIN alFCrdII pro-
duction was voiced against Colonel
T.. A. Deeds, who was the storm GEN.
ter in The original attacks on the
aircraft board. The committee re-
ferred to the abandonment of Lang
ley Field, the training field at New
port News, Va, and the construction
at a considerable cost, of new fields
near Dayton, Ohio, which is held to
be untitled physically or geographl-
cally for such purposes. The COM
mittee cited the fact that Colonel
Deeds was the owner of one and part