South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-15
ASSERT CONGRESS
HAS HIT AVIATION.
HERE HEAVY BLOW
Aircraft Manufacturers Corn
plain Reduction of Appro-
priation is Disastrous.
BY LOUIS LUDLOW.

The manufacturers OF aircraft assert
that aviation has been hit a terrible
blow BY congress. An effort viii
be made to provide additional money
for aviation in a special appropris-
ton bill before the present special
session comes 20 an end. The army,
the navy and the private concerns
that are engaged in the manufacture
OF aircraft are keenly disappointed
over the refusal Of congress to take
the necessary steps 20 enable the
United States 10 keep pace with the
other major nations OF the world in
the development of aircraft. as they
express it.
Ia the final appropriation out
come the army and navy were al
lowed s5O.0OO.O0O for aviation pur-
poses. as against the S129, 600, coo
then asked for, the army being cut
from S83,OO0.00O 10 $25.O00.OOO and
the navy being reduced 10 the same
sum from S46,0JO.00O Nothing but
the senate's insistCnce that il would
lee grossly inequitable 10 give the
army. with its vastly larger estab-
nshment, "A smaller amount than the
navy prevented the house from hold
iug army aviation down 20 $4,000
600.
puts L. 5. Down List.
High army officers declare the
Limitation Of army aviation 10 $25,-
100000 for the next year definitely
fixes the United states as q third or
fourth rate nation in aeronauticS
The armys $4,000. 900 was put al
most entirely in a lump sum and il
is not believed that II will be pos
sible 10 make IL cover the engineer
ing and reserve manufacturing
plants that mad been proposed
thus experimentation and develop
ment on "A large scale go overheard,
as do also the prospects Tor such q
degree Of patronage Tor private iac-
tories as would keep I'D a large ca
paCity for airplane prohibition.
Had congress appropriated $3.50
600 for that purpose the great Cur
tiss Elmwood plant at Buffalo would
have passed TO the possession OF the
air service The government already,
through war contracts, had about
$4,000, 600 invested in that plant.
Airplane manufacturers assert that
now IL loses everything. II was ir-
tended 10 use this plant for storage
in time Of peace and for emergency
airplane manufacture in time OF
war. The plant at Dayton was to
have been taken over and used as
the great aviation engineering cen
ter Of the army.
Personnel of 10000.
The entire army aviation personnel
VIII be only about 10000, or only
enough to man and support about
= air squadrons. which means about
4S2 planes in active service. There
is now on hard vastly more equip
ment in the way Of planes and &C
cessories than sucn a force can use,
but it Is asserted that it will rapidly
become obsolete.
With only $4,000. 600 for ali avia-
ton purposes tine volume OF pur-
chases Of airplanes. balloons and
dirigibles viii. il is stated, be much
to small 10 keep the American air
industry Htalized during the transi-
tion neriod. Officers assert that the
result viii be that the United States,
which was first in aviation prOduc-
ton when hosulitics terminated and
soon 70 be first in plane production.
will he almost as impotent as ii was
when the war began.
Capacity Behind Japan.
So rapidly has airplane capacity
declined since last November that
II is estimated that If the govern
ment We're 20 place an order for 500
planes today the last Of them would
not be delivered inside of I s months.
Single factories had a capacity of
go 10 500 d month in the last days
OF the war An aviation officer said
today the present aircraft production
capacity OF the United states is less
than that Of Japan. One reason
given by members of congress- for
conserV atism in making appropria
tions Is that they are at sea in regard
10 the whole aviation proposition
and require more time 10 study il.
They wish 20 make a careful eNami-
nation OF the project for consolidate
ing army. navy and civilian respects
Of aviation IN one new AID indie
pendent department. which seems