The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-08-23
HUGE WASTE IN
AIRSHIP BUILDING
PrOb2rS Assert S648,O00,0OO
Was Thrown hWay.
mo CiIlT.6ES OF CRAFT

Declares Defective Planes Were Sent
to Oversee Fighters-Avation De-
partment Urged.
Washington, Aug. 23.-ASserling
that those in charge of producing air
craft for the American fighting forces
abroad have virtually wasted S6IS,-
600 900. the aircraft investigating cHm-
miitee reported to the senate military
affairs committee that the aircraft
program up to the present time has
presented many aspects Of failure" ."
While an army of 3..jD0O1O men has
been raised, the investigating COM
mittre declares th?t the aircraft stu
alton presents the following aspects:
F:rst-Six hundred and one De
Ha. iianA fGrrS embarked for France
M to August |. of these. S!Xty-seven
had reached the front by Jul" l. On
August I Il squadron of eighteen Dc
Haviland fours flew over the German
lines. Ne details of its performance
have been received.
Socons,-T -There'i> nos single Amer
rsadc cit3s~e IN piano - attack
on ,ia HarrIefl"ut
Th'-.l Not ND" Amor 'c0n-mHd"
hravy bombing rlan" u9"n h" hattir-
fror:.
Four I-rhe Tn;tel States mas rot
lev"?aHad and PIT i":n quantity pro-
.lurtion p single rhaSS". or fighting
nlnn"
Fifth-The attempt to crca." a fight
ing p'ane centerod on an effort TO
adart the bristol fighter and De Havi-
iar.d to H." Liberty motor. The Brs-
rol was pm into quantity production
without sufficient tests. more than
SS $50 eco was expended and The lives
f several men sacrificed when the
rHac';-rc was condemned and lis manu-
facts'rn discontinued
SiXth-Thn standard az training
machine equipped With Hall scott en-
.-'reS was put into quantity prodHc-
IN. and after more than 1900 had
cen manufactured ar Il cost of So
80 900. was condemned as dangerous
I'D placed IN storage.
seventh - Three thousand Spad
fighting planes were ordered in Sep
rember and the order was Cancelled
OctCber S, for the reason that the
81 gle-seat fighter was regarded as
obsolete. Nevertheless, on April %,
this year. 1000 singie-seat fighters
known as the S. E. 51The English
1uivalent of the French Spad-
ere ordered. In addition, the gov
~rnment is now using on the battle
Front every Spad 1t can secure from
he French. but has got only AS.
Eighth-When the Spad and Bristol
ntracts We're cancelled eve We're left
.i,hnur either single or twO-seat
"er." except the De Haviland four,
-'g;Hally designed as two-seat
rlltcr. but equipped by the United
ateS for reconnaissance and bomb
g
-Eighty-fiye hundred De Hav-
:nGs ordered hUt when 1000 had
cen delivered numerous mistakes de
rlnptd. when work was stopped until
he defects could he remedied.
Tenth-Although in October, 1917.
hr United States had facilities for
,rnducinc Caproni bombing planes,
aly one experimental machine had
On produced to date. BY this time
he machines should have been il
llanfity production, the committee
Hys.
Elpyenth-Plans' for the Handley~
=. ge, bombing machine were available
u the summer of 1917, but contract,
or parts were not made until Febru.
". 1918. A sample plane was flown
y July, but the tests are not yet COM
',Iete =.
Summarizing the causes of the prac-
icaI failure of the aircraft program,
he committee said the chief causes
ere:
'1.-That the airplane program was
largely placed in the control of the
..reut automobile and other manufac-
lurerS, who were ignorant of aero
nautical problems.
'2-IheSe manufacturers under
took the impossible task of creating a
motor which could be adapted to all
classes of flying craft. 1t Is not too
much to say that our airplane program
has been largely subordinate to the
Liberty motor.
"3-We failed at the beginning of
the war to adopt the common sense
course of reproducing the most ap-
proved types of European machines
in as great numbers as possible. This
should have been carried on coinci-
dent with the production of the Lib
erty motors. This sound policy has
very recently, but after a lame1 able
lapse of time. been adopted"
The commission recommends:
Creation of separate department of
aviation with cabinet officer at its
head.
One-man coz troi of production.
Speeding up of production.
Reduction of profits on future con-
tracts.