The Dermott news., 1919-07-24
CONGRESS GRANTS ENOUGH TO KEEP UP EQUIPMENT AND
 RECRUIT PERSONNEL.
NOT ALL AlRMEN ASKED FOR
Vast Sum Was Needed to Put Aircraft Manufacturing industry on Produc- ton Basis, but America Was Ready When Armistice Came.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.

priated $40.ooo,00 through the army supply bill for the use of the air sery- ice This is not as much money as the armen asked, but 1t will enable the service to keep up its equipment and fairly strong personnel. and will en- able the United States probably to have airplanes enough for an ordinary emergency.
 People have been wondering what became of all the money that was voted for the alr service in war time. It seems likely that some of It was wasted but there has been perhaps no proper appreciation of the enormous initial cost which the government had to stand in order to get the great air craft manufacturing industry started on the basis of production that seem ingly wns necessary
 Brig Gen. William Mitchell. who is In charge of aviation operations in the war department. was in command of the American aviation service in thc St. Mlhiel drive He has just testihed that when the drive was started more alrShips were concentrated In the im- mediate vicinity than ever had been brought togetheS within like area since the wnr began. During the drive LOO planes were sent into action. General Mitchell was the first Amer iean officer to fly over the Hun line
 II Is said to be necessary that the airplnne service of the United States should be reconstructed AS General Mitchell put II:
 "The personnel which has been trained as result of this wnr Is large. lv scattered throughout the country. We have n wonderful basis nf person nel returning from Europe but they had to 20 home great majority of them would not stay in fhe service because it looked like hopeless future for them. as very little encouragement for an air service of any importance in the near future was held out"
 Air Forces Were About Ready.
 II Is pretty generally agreed that when the armistiee went into effect tho United States so far as its forces were concerned. was just getting ready "to do business" an proper scale. II Is true that the St Mhiel drive took place two months before the armlStice went into effect. but the concentration of flyers at that place left some other places without proper Americas mir equipment. Not many planes were lost in the St Mihiel engagement. Later in the Argoune the losses were heavv but no heavier and perhaps not as heavy as 1t WAS expected would be the case in hard engagements of that kind of the l.500 machines at St. Mihiel go were American and operated by Amer jeans
 T. is understood that the airpane service of the United States with the Army of Occupation was ou d basis of efficiency one that would have enabled the Americans Ia conduct operations In Germany. If they had been necessary. oil n proper scale so far as the mir service was concerned
 Along the Mexican border today there iS considerable number of air. planes, but not enough II k under stood. to meet even the minor warfare which it Is possible max have to he conducted there within the near future With Its Sl0 GOO Oo0 it k probable the air service af the United States rnn he put on a strong peace basis with sutll cient additional strength ta meet any small war in which this country may be compelled to engage.
 "Archies" Seldom Hit Planes.
 While on the western front in 1913 and again in 1918 witnessed conSid- crablc mir actinn. The thing which as early as 1al5 was the most striking feature of mir service was the seeming imposSlhility or almost impaSs bllty af destroying m airplanc hy fire from tha ground Another striking thng was the apparent Inability of the homherS in the airplanes to hit any specific object on the ground at which they were aiming
 Toward the end of the war the bomb CTS were getting more accurate. hut thore was little change In the situation so far as if infected the accuracy of fire of the nnti-nircraft gunmcn.
 War Brings Out No Candidates.
 Politicians in Washington hnve tnken note of the fact. and are interested in it that the front line of bat tlc In the great worlds war has pro duced no candidate for the presl. dency of the United States. and thls thought takes eognlzanee of the truth that both Generals Leonard Wood and John ]. Pershing are mentioned in connection with the nomination of the Republican party.
 So far as one can determine. there Is no active campaign in behalf of Gen ernl Pershlng. and thus far the poll- tieians seem to think he has little rhnnr., nf tl,, nnrninntin,, I., f.,..