The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-01
HUGHES COMMENDS
AIRCRAFT RECORD
insignificant Amount of Waste
Found After Months of
Searching Inquiry.
OFFICERS CEN UR e D
Col Deeds and Diners Accused
of Irregular Conduct, Which
Is to Go Before Grand
Jury.
OFFICERS CENSUR ED

Washington, Oct 3i.--The long
awaited report on the aircraft situa-
ton by former Justice Charles Il.
Hughes was made public today at tina
White House.
! sTakenp@sn its entirety. lfssis pFacti-
eaily d clean bill Of health. The coun-
try is info rnsed that the &s9l.S5l.-
scar which ii gave In taxes and In
bond issues for our aircraft program
has not been squan tered, On the con-
trary. only $134.o44. 3s5.27 thus far
has been expended with results which
non partisans describe as splendid.
To those persons who expected to
E5flnts 81 powerful, campaign 'tiorsrn ant
l in the -eport there Is Only sappoirii-
ment. This does not mean that II is
entirely lilly white" but the waste
and bad practices ar almost insignifi-
cant when the entire subject is con-
sidered.
The good side Of the report exon
crates all members of the original
aircraft board. save Colone! +. A.
Deeds, and recites that the money ex-
pended up to October IL produced
IL, &a3 airplanes and 27,S0l engines.
The bad side deals with SOM OF the
practices of Colonel Deeds ana other
officers. and the fact that there Is a
total loss Of approximately 10000, o0o
on the Bristol and s i'll planes. This
amount. however, is subject to salvag
and may be much smaller when diff
ferent parts of the rejected planes
are used in other machine. The
Bristol plane il is recalled. was con-
demned as unsafe. whereas engine the
S.J.-I's carried was rejected. All Of
the 1900 S.J.-l's still may be used
with other engines.
The conduct OF Colonel Deeds Ia
termed censurable by Attorney Gene
raj Gregory. who transmitted the re-
port to the president. Judge Hughes
suggests, and his suggestion received
the acquiescenee OF Mr.. Gergory. that
all the facts regarding Deeds be sub
mitted 20 the secretary of war for
urt-martial proceedings. should he
think this course justified.
Deeds is shown to have used his
official position to act as a confidential
adviser OF II. r. Talbot and Charles
F.. Kettering. his intimate business
associates. and to have conveyed con-
fidential information to them regard
ing the Dayton-Wrsght Airpiane COM
pany, in which all three were finan-
cially interested and also in other mat
ters pertaining to the aircraft pro-
gram.
Lieutenant Colonel j. G. Vincent
Lieutenant Colonel George w. Mixter
and Second Lieutenant Samuel p.
Vrooman. Jr., ware other officers
whose names appear in a disagreeabie
light. Vincent. who was vice presi-
dent Of the Packard Motor Car COM
pany. retained his stock in that cor
epOration after becoming an officer In
the army and IN q branch OF the army
whereby he could serve his concern.
He was Instrumental In having GER
tain payments made to tho Packard
company for drawings, models tests
and for eleven standardized engines.
The course of procedure was without
a written contract and otherwise
irregular and unusual He IL directly
charged with a violation OF the crimi-
nal code which prohibits any person.
either directly or indirectly, interested
in the pecuniary profits or contracts
OF corporation from acting al an
of1icer Or agent OF the United States
for the transaction OF business with,
such corporation. The saving ele-
ment In his case Is that no intent to
defraud was discovered by Judge
Hughes
Lieutenant Colonel Mixter Ia shown
to have retained $4,000 OF the pre-
ferred stock of tn, Curtiss Airplane
and Motor corporation while acting
for the government. As head of the
inspection department and production.
manager he visited plants Of this cor
poration. He 10 charged with viola
ton Of the same criminal section M
Lieutenant Colonel Vincent.
Second Lieutenant vrooman had
$4,000 worth Of stock In the 3. b.
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