The spectator., 1919-07-25
FORTY MILLIONS
 FOR AIR SERVICE
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 8. CLARK.

Washington.-Congre has appro- priated S4O,OOO,OO through the army supply bill for the use of the air serv- ice. This is not as much money as the airmen asked, but it 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 air 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 was 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 the St. Mihiel drive He has just testified that when the drive was started more airships were concentrated in the im- mediate vicinity than ever had been brought together within like area since the war began. During the drive 1,500 planes were sent into action. General Mitchell was the first Amer ican officer to fly over the Hun line.
 It is said to be necessary that the airplane service of the United States should be reconstructed. As General Mitchell put 1t:
 "The personnel which has been trained as result of this war Is large ly scattered throughout the country. We have a wonderful basis of person nel returning from Europe. but they had to go home. A great majority of them would not stay in the service because It looked like hopeless future for them. as very little encouragement for an air service of any importance in the Gear future was held out"
 Air Forces Were About Ready.
 It Is pretty generally agreed that when the armistice went into effect the
 
 concerned, was just getting ready ito do business" on a proper scale. It is true that the St. Mihiel drive took place two months before the armistice went into effect, but the concentration of flyers at that place left some other places without proper Americas air equipment. Not many planes were lost in the St. Mihiel engagement. Later in the Argonne the losses were heavy but no heavier and perhaps not as heavy as 1t was expected would be the case in hard engagements of that kind Of the 1900 machines at St. Mihiel 550 were American and operated by Amer jeans.
 II is understood that the airplane service of the United States with the Army of Occupation was on basis of efficiency, one that would have enabled the Americans to conduct operations in Germany, if they had been necessary, on a proper scale so far as the air service was concerned.
 Along the Mexican border today there is considerable number of air planes, but not enough it is under stood, to meet even the minor warfare which 1t is possible may have to he conducted there within the near future. With its S40,000,OO0 it is probable the air service of the United States can be put on q strong peace basis with sufIi- cient additional strength to meet any small war in which this country may be compelled to engage.
 "Archies" Seldom Hit Planes.
 While on the western front In 1915 and again In 1918 I witnessed consid- erable air action. The thing which as early as 1915 was the most striking feature of air service was the seeming impossibility. or almost impossibility of destroying an airplane by fire from the ground. Another striking thing was the apparent inability of the bombers 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, but there was little change in the situation so far as it affected the accuracy of fire of the anti-aircraft gunmen.
 War Brings Out No Candidates.
 Politicians in Washington have taken note of the fact, and are interested in It, that tine front line of bat tie In the great worlds war has pro- dueed no candidate for the presi- dency of the United States, and this thought takes cognizance of the truth that both Generals Leonard Wood and John J. Pershing are mentioned in connection with the nomination of the Republican party.
 So far as one can determine there Is aefiNp Camnalp1l in Anl,alf of Con