Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-02-17
Senate Committss Nndsl
Great Extravagance In
Air Service.
DEMO MINORITY
DISPUTES FINDINGS
Miiliens Of poilars Alleged - hsvs
Been Wasted In EMsrt - Dwjsd
impraetiesbls Maehlnss D.
came .Flsn,ins cssNn"-rhevssads
OF Trained Aviators Remained M
In France.

Washington, Feb. 1S-ConAexnnsa
in one as "riot Of waste" ana -.
Tended In tho other ~ . .record ek
achievement" the wartime avaAt1aa
program. was the subjsat sf two ~
ports Just presented % the house ~
a subcommittee OF ne special oon-
mittee which for several months -
been conducting Inquiries into WAs
expenditures.
The report condemning the nADs
ner In which the air service wNa
carried out was filed by RsprssentA-
tives Frier and Magee, republicans
while that defending the project Wo0
submitted by Representative La
democrat.
Both contained Thousands Of WVs1A
The majority report goes - lea0oA
into alleged extravagances beg1nn1n0
with air craft appropriated AA1
closing with ending OF coatvAetA
The minority report takes up naan0
Of the charges, denying the0 90
defending those in charge Of ~
program. 1t In turn charges The -.
publicans with having sacS1floe9
facts for efforts to discredit tbs -
minlstraton.
"Riot Of Wasts.-
Summarized, the majority findAaGD
embrace counts Of ''woeftil extrAvN~
gance. total incompstenoy. utter A111s
ure. and q wild riot Of waste
The report severely crftioises &c.
retary Baker, Colonel DisQuA -
Director Ryan, and contAins asotyun9
recommendation for seDAra&a -
service hereafter.
No aircraft prsparatipna - -
port says. were maAs " - w1T ..
partment prior - Aasrioass saay
Into the war;.
The "Flamslne cSfy1HaP Fs
While oongrsss appseo " ~
s9o.oo0.ooo for aircInfl % sADoA o.
051. 100000 was speat ~ s61v1t>A ~
commitments. only 113 DS1-l =.
servation planes hsA roA1Aol -
front when the axnNst1os Was -.
ed. a period Of niAstssa nDa1nA
These were clumsy AffAirA lhe -.
port declares, utterly dAngsreu6s q.
design. and became known - s0An.
ing coffins."
No fighting pianee svSr ware hulie
the committee majority declares 03
those obtained from tho aliiea, who
were short themselves several hun.
dreds were penEiiins or '.woo1Gn
grnsshoppers." which were only In.
tation planes, like wooden guns.
American aviators at the snd az
the war were usipg B27 foreign ma
chimes. All they got from their own
country. good, bad. and Indifferent
numbered TAO, and no bombing or
pursuit plane made here sy3
reached France or was turned oat
5000 Idle U. s. Aviatest.
Between 5000 and 1000 traineH
American aviators were In France
waiting for machines. That co,a-
try, with practically the same forcee
at the front had 3,32l fightina
planes, England had i.7sS,, ana Cor
many 1850 when the war was stoo.
ped. "
Four thousand Of the Dls-l ob.
servation planes underwent l,S0e
changes ana cost SSo.ooo.ooo. Thsy
we're shipped abroad with fun lxnoaI.
edge of their, defoots possessed ~,
Secretary Baker and Director Ryan,
They spent more than SAoe0, 900 try
inE to fit Liberty motor Into =
converted Brislot machine ana th>n
scrapped It..
About &17.oo0.o0o was spent o.
standard training planes. and these
also wero scrapped.
Bakers Claims "ososptlva.s
Tho official war department state
ment that 1000 planes were manu-
factured in this country during -
wnr is declared to be grossly Aacep-
tive. because all estimates include -
discarded Bristols. which were
worthless; the 1850 discardsd etand-
ard planes, the utterly daanerot,n
DH-+ observation planes. ana sevss
hundred penguins. which were oAa1
imitation planes"
OF the planes gotten ffen tAS IL
los. about 1000 were ohooleks M.
port and sopwiths disoesd11 By. -
French when they built tAeir 0Daaa
Only a limited number q ths lasteu,1
machines were obtained eer ~
American flyers IN ne FSEnAinina u.
900 planes bought from the allleo. 4
esorstary Saws css.s 0Dsds,
The report further sAya thA& Cal
Deeds OF Daytoa should have Nsea
court martiAlsd, - rsoemansnAea ~
Charles q. Hushse 1sssstAry 1aan
ls charged with having prsvsntSl
mi. NV nom naliinsp = vAa6a,H = ln,.>s ae..uu,a