Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-11
FOREIGN A|RPLANE
FIRMS NEAR CANAL
RebuttaI Witness Says Con-
cessions Have Been Sc
cured in Latin America.

Evidence that foreign aeronautical
concerns have secured concessions in
Latin America and that the Amer
lean Government has not yet com
pleted it's plans for action to combat
such a foothold was given before the
Mitchell court martial today by Maj.
George V Strong of the Army gen
eral staff who appeared as a wit
ness in rebuttal to the charge that
the War Department is guilty of
criminal negligence" IN allowing for
eign enterprise to locate within Strlk-
ing distance of the Panama Canal.
Mai. Strong's admission that such
concerns were located both north and
south of the Panama Canal support
ed portion of the accused's charge,
but he declared emphatically that the
War Department had concurred in an
Air Service report that action be
taken to remedy this.
This action was to take the form of
an air mail route from the United
States TO Panama through Central
America. but the witness said, a
trial flight was not undertaken be-
cause the State Department had re-
fused to ask Mexico for permission
to fly over it's territory, and the Post
Office Department saw no advantage
in an air mail route through that
area.
Find Menace.
The Air Service report was made
by Mai Roycroft Walsh. who made a
flight from Panama through Central
America about a year and half ago.
In this report Maj. Walsh cited Ger
tain conditions he found which might
be a cause for serious menace to the
Panama Canal region. Two phases
of the report. which at present is
confidential matter, were approved
by the department, the witness said,
but final action on the entire matter
still is undetermined.
Under cross examination by Repre-
sentative Frank r. Reid, chief civilian
counsel the witness admitted two for
eign concerns already were located in
Latin America. The first. he eN-
planned was in Colombia, and
financed by foreign capital. This firm
is known as the Scadta, and is Ger
man in origin.
1t now is endeavoring to operate a
mail service from Colombia past the
Panama Canal to Guatemala and
Mexico, thence to Cuba and Key
West The other firm, Maj. Strong
SalQ, Is knONll dS lilt 81 ullIthu, Il
French organiZat ton which has Sc
cured n concession to operate in
Nicaragua Guatemala and Honduras.
The witness emphasized, however
that the concession of the latter firm
was not exclusive.
Rebuttal Witnesses.
Other witnesses who testified at the
morning session We're Capt. r. w.
Nackie OF the Texas National Guard
Air Service and Lieut.. Col. Christian
Bach. head of the historical section
of the Army Wal College. and Mai.
Cen. Frank w. Coe. chief of Coast
Artillery. These witnesses were of
fered in rebuttal to defense claims
that the in and DH planes now in use
are inherently dangerous and worth
loss. that the effect of antiaircraft
fire against allied planes was prac-
| tically negligible, and that the anti
! aircraft tests of the past Summer at
/ Fort Tilden. \. y, and Camp Dix,
! \ T.. were not productive of tangible
| results.
! Can't. Mackie, a former Army pilot
! and now in commercial aviation. tes-
! titied he has had $500 hours in the
! air-an unusually high figure-and
! most of this time has been in in and
/ M planes. He testified these types
were not dangerous; that he never had
an accident due to structural defects,
and ALWAYS felt at home when flying
| them.
! He further testified that para chute es
! CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.