Evening star., 1918-04-10
Senate Military Committee
Scores Government for "Pro-
crastination and Indecision."
CHARGES THE MISLEADING
OF PUBLIC AND ALLIES
After Many Delays, Report Says,
There Now Are Prospects That
Planes Will Be Produced.


pointing" and drastic reorganization
of production machinery was recon-
mended in report by the Senate mill
tary committee today, which charges
government officials with misrepresent-
ing the situation and misleading the
public, and with "procrastination" and
"indecision."
Future Outlook Better.
The prospects for the future, the COM
mittee said, look more favorable, ana
the production Of the last few weeks
promises to get the program unoer
way to such an extent that sufficient
number of planes will be furnished
later to meet all requirements OF the
troops in France.
One-man control of production is
proposed, and the committee suggests
that building be taken entirely out Oh
the hands of the Signal Corps. Delay
is charged not only in the manufacture
of liberty motors and machine parts'
but in the training of fliers as We'll
Appointment by President.
The committee recommended that the
one-man administrator be appointed oy
the President and be assisted by
corps of expert engineers and design
ers. It suggested that no man VINO
has any near or remote interest IN a
company manufacturing airplanes or
engines should be permitted to act as
adviser or be in authority"
The liberty motor, the committee de-
clared, is '1just emerging from the de,
velopment or experimental stage" ana
for oy,d Mt
in the swift single-seated fighting ma
Chimes" OF o. 500 liberty motors or
dered. the committee said, only 122
have been completed for the Army, l4z
Termed "Gravely Disappointing"
.sThe production of liberty motors to
date is, OF. course. gravely disappoint-
ing" says the report. Government Of
f1cfafs have made the mistake
of leading the public and the allied ma
tions to the belief that many thousands
Of these motors would be completed in
the spring of 1918. Information of
this sort, not borne out bu the facts,
has been Injurious, and its constant
dissemination the committee regards
as misleading and detrimental to our
cause"
Regarding the training Of aviators. the
committee found there has been very
serious delay in providing them with
training planes.
"As a result" the report says. several
hundred of the American cadets have been
practically idle and have made no
progress
About 1900 cadets were sent to Eng
land France and Italy last year to receive
primary and advanced training.
May Return to q. S.
"The experience Of a great many of
these men has been most unfortunate -
saws the report '-in that at some of the
schools very serious delay has occurred
in providing them with training planes
which 1t was expected would be manufac-
tured In foreign factories in sufficient
number. About $50 of them are reported
after long delay. The Signal Corps is
giving serious consideration to the ad-
Visibility OF bringing the remainder back
to the United States"
With four schools under construction.
to be finished in June. the committee
said the Signal Corps Is now conduct
ing twenty aviation training schools in
this country. with a total capacity Of
1000 cadets Graduates have num-
bered 1926. commissioned as reserve
military aviators. but very few" have
received their advanced training.
With the exception of what the COM
mfttee referred to as severe disap-
pointment," the primary training of
aviators was said to appear to be pro-
crossing favorably. Fatalities from ac-
cidents, the committee said. were dis
tressing, but appear to be less fire.
ouent than in the schools of our allies"
Regarding airplane construction, the
committee found that from the incep-
ton of the work on primary training
planes it gave ground for grave con-
Germ"
Annie planes in Future