New-York tribune., 1919-08-04

heavier than-air machines, and the gaps
are widening on both sides. The
United States, for instance, has not
yet built a single rigid dirigible-like
the R-34-yet England is now building
eight much larger ones. Our navy is
planning to buy one rigid dirigible in
England and build another here.
France is spending 100000, 900 year
on aviation.
One of General Menoher's plans was
to establish landing fields all over
the country with local cooperation, as
one of the first essentials Of the gen
eral use of airplanes are spacious and
convenient terminals. But he has had
no funds with which TO assist, and
about all he has been able to do is to
offer some A. L. +. hangers to local
authorities.
In the present temper of Congress.
aviation experts do not see any hope
for the United States to take first
place in aviation. Congress is more
interested in finding out what was
done with the $1,000, 100000 during the
war than 1t is III spending new money
on aviation. "A searching Investigation
was begun last week and aviation en-
thuslasts think that it will have de-
pressing effect on the whole aviation
outlook
The actual war expenditures, after
allowance is made for sales Of sur
Plus materials and equipment now in
process, Will be perhaps Sl,1O0 ,0OO,-
600. The authorized expenditures for
1919 alone We're $760 100000 and con-
tracts covering almost all this sum
were let before the armistirc was
signed. The elimination of American
AVIATION strength was planned for the
midsummer of 1919, by which time it
was expected that we would have more
machines in service at the front than
the French and British combined.
Got 10000 Machines
For this huge sum we got, among
o'hcr thIngs, approximately 10000
planes and $1,000 engines from Amer
@ lcan makers and 5000 planes and 1O,-
oOo engines from foreign makers,
chiefly French. Most of this vast
equipment is still on hand. 1t is i'm
possible to say how much of it is now
virtually scrap and how much has
been scrapped' AT one time 1000
training engines were virtually taken
out of commission, though they have
not been disposed of yet. The onlv
sales of planes and engines so far
made are 1,616 JN-4 d training planes
and LOO Standard il planes and
4,ooo UXo motors to the Curtis Com
pany, and 20 l.. w. f. planes with
Sturtevant engines to the Czecho-
Slovak government and eight Liberty
engines to as many different pur-
chasers. Besides planes there were
large numbers of observation balloons
Of different types, some "blimps" and
stupendous mass Of other equipment
and material.
The machines that were purchased
IN France, as we'll as the 1885 that
were shipped there from American fac
tories, are now being brought back to
this country. Up to the close Of the
was no single place combat planes had
been made in this country, but thou
sands were acquired from French
makers, SO that our present handful
OF an army air service has a wealth of
hghtlng equipment, though much uf it
Is fast becoming obsolete. If in an
emergency the trained airmen could
be called back to the colors we would
be able to make good showing IN
the field in comparatively short time
but would soon suffer from the ans
appearance of the aircraft industry for
lack of patronage, and would have to
go through another agony of building
up the industry anew.