New-York tribune., 1918-05-08
Officials Give Accounting
Showing $40 Millions
Spent to Date
Baker Says Criticism
Is Due to Propaganda
Sabotage and Lack of
Materials Cause Delays;
No Evidence of Graft

WASHINGTON, May 7.-Hearings on
the billion-dolla aviation estimates in
the fifteen billion dollar armv apnro-
priation bill virtually were concluded
to-day by the House Military Com
mlttee, with committeeman expressing
satisfaction over the War Departments
present organization for aircraft pro-
duction.
while no vote was taken on the uues-
ton of whether the committee should
institute an inquiry into the sweeping
charges against the past management
or the programme, it was said after
the meeting that the members were
agreed there was nothing in the situa-
tlon to warrant such action.
In addition to outlining the pro-
eramme for the coming year, War De-
partmcnt sQicials gave the committee
an accounting for the $64O,O00, 900 al
ready appropriated for aviation. show
ing that $370,000,000 actually has been
spent and of the unexpended balance
IO,0OO,O 900 covers contracts for con-
struction already placed.
Officials Who Testified
Before the committee in executive
session were Secretary Baker, Major
General March, acting chief Of staff: !:
Major General Squier, chief signal Of
ticer; Brigadier General w. l.. Kenly,
chief of the Division of Military Aero
nautics; William C. Potter. chief of the
Equipment Division of the Signal Corps,
and several other officers.
Mr.. Potter, whose examination oc-
cupied most of the afternoon session
testified that he knew of no crimina
neglect on the part of either the manu-
facturers or of the government officers.
lie believed the manufacturers were
engaged in a patriotic and honest ef-
fort to produce results for the govern
ment.
Secretary Baker said that much of
the criticism of the aircraft programme
had resulted from pro-German propa-
ganda. Members of the committee
wanted to know whether German plot
ting had interfered with production.
MIR. Baker said he would not say it had.
Cites Acts of Sabotage
MIR. Potter declared material had been
destroyed, streetcars used in carrying
men to the manufacturing plants had
peen wrecked and sabotage had been
practised, all of which had been attrib-
uted to German influences, though no
evidence had been produced to prove it.
Replying to a written list of ques-
tions prepared by the subcommittee on
aviation, Mr.. Potter gave detailed
statement as to what has been done
with the money Congress appropriated
last year for army aviation. He said of
the $370,000,000 actually spent $685.
oO0,oOO went for airplanes, engines and
equipment, including spare parts. About
S42,0O0,0OO was spent for construction
OF hangars and acquisition of aviation
helds IN this country and $32,O0OOOO
Tor similar purposes in France. There
is 100000 in the hands of disbursing
agents, details of which were not re-
ported, and S5,oOO,oOO has been spent
for gas for balloons
Balance Used for Experiments
The balance, he said, had been spent
for experimentation and other activi-
ties: Further details were given, but
at Secretary Bakers request they were
treated as military secrets.
Representative Anthony said he had
seen letter stating that during March
the German airplanes flew at will and
unmolested over the Allied lines, TAX
ing photographs. General Squier re-
piled that it still was possible for air
planes of the enemy to fly over the AL
lied lines and take pictures and that
it also was possible for the Allied
planes to do the same work over the
German lines.
Mr.. Potter said that the French and
British governments, while they were
satisfied that the Liberty motor was
a good engine and economical in gas
and oil, preferred the Bugatti and His
pano- o-Suiza engines, and at the request
Of the French government the War
Department had cancelled two con-