Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-15
ARMY AIR SERVICE:
|. IN POOR CONDITION,
WAINWRIGHT SAYS

WASHINGTON, March 12.-The
situation in the army air service is
most critical" with it's war surplus
of equipment rapidly disappearing
and the wartime aeronautical in
lustry facing extinction" Repre-
sentative-elect ]. Mayhem Vain
wright, Republican, New York, for
mer assistant secretary of war, de-
clares in a partial report to Secre-
tary Weeks on turning over his Of
flee to his successor, Dwight r.
Davis. Under the national defense
act, the assistant secretary IS
charged with responsibility of plan
ming industrial mobilization Of the
nation for war.
The outstanding conclusion Of Mr..
Wainwright's two-year study of the
industrial situation was a recon-
mendation for continuing aircraft APP
preparation over four years at $29,-
100000 a year, $15,000.000 to be for
procurement Of reserve planes and
SO 100000 annually for current op-
! erations.
/ Referring to the present situation
Of the air service Mr.. Wainwright
said;
What there is left of it is rapidly
disappearing due to deterioration and
! to the inevitable losses while in act
! ual use. Its wartime manu-
! featured equipment has been prac-
| tically used up. The amounts of
money appropriated for new aircraft
| are so small that within two years
| j. will have on hand less than one
half the number of aircraft neces-
sary for it's normal peacetime work.
| There will be no aircraft to equip
and expand the air service in time
of emergency, no reserve on hand,
and it will be impossible in less than
a year to expand the remnant OF
the aircraft industry which may be
left or to create it anew so that
this material can be manufactured
in sufficient quantity for use in
such an emergency.
The situation not only is serious
but actually is alarming. AS an
economic measure and likewise in
the interest of national prepared
ness, the aeronautical industry in
this country should be maintained
in such condition that it can sup
ply our peace-time needs and be pre-
pared to expand adequately to meet
wartime demand"
Mr.. Wainwright said the air serv
ice should be large enough to meet
instantly ANY air force which ar
enemy might bring against u.s."
The role which the air service will
play in national defense, he added
should be thoroughly understood
"and this component of the army
should be. increased to its proper
strength" having a definite procure
ment program to insure its proper
equipment" requirements and re
serve aircraft for emergency use.
With reference to plans worked
out for other phases of materia
mobilization in the event of war
Mr.. Wainwright said they prove'
beyond a doubt the need for ;
carefully drawn legislative program
to provide in time of peace the ap
preparations necessary for the &C
emulation in adequate volume o
munitions of war and strategic raw
materials.
without them" he continued
, "the outbreak Of major emergenc,
would find us not only unprepare
but unable to prepare.
! With relation to these strategi
} raw materials which must be i'm
ported, the report said:
LAS nation we are, apparently
content to assume that we shall keel
control of the sea to the eXten
necessary to import these strategi
raw materials. A plan for nationa
defense prepared on such assumr
ton is unsound, unless in time o
peace the navy is maintained on
basis that will enable it to keep cor
tIol of the sea and so justify thi
assumption"