The Washington times., 1925-10-16
MUNITIONS
FOR ARMY
SHORT
Air Board Told Presidents
Economies Endanger &
U. S. Safety I.
By WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON

+
Americas national defense faces
a critical" shortage OF ammunition
in all services because OF adTTatnts.i
tration economies, the President's
air board was told To-Day by BFigaM
der General Fox Conner. assistant
chief OF staff.
Unless ammunition reserves are
built up Immediately, General Con
ner declared, all branches Of the
national defense will be helpless
in time of war. The army air
service, he declared, however, has
been given better treatment and a
greater proportion Of available funds
than any other service.
"Our~ ammunition reserve Is dis
appearing" was Conner-s oninous
warning.
One Of our two big problems is
the ammunition reserve. It takes
approximately eleven months to get
into production OF ammunition. Un.
less a reserve lis maintained, all
arms. including the ar service, are
helpless until quantity production
can begin. Since the world war
virtually nothing has been done to
maintain the reserve.
Deterioration Marked
Deterioration is marked, espe-
cially in certain quarters and the
situation is becoming critical. over
SIG 900 900. yearlysis needed to main
tain the modest reserve we have
established on paper. The shortage
in bombs alone, for the use of the
air service, is well over $12 900 900"
To carry out the army air serv-
ice program of expansion, Conner
said, would require $60,00O,O00 a
year for aviation. The appropria-
ton for 1926. he added, is only
$14 ZOO, 900. The difference, he indi-
Gated, was the degree to which the
army air service fell short of the
requirements necessary to maintain
a proper national defense.
An appropriation of $9,200,000
only has been approved for the
army air service next year, Conner
said. This sum would merely
maintain the service at status quo
and not provide for any increases.
For the fiscal year of 1926 as
compared to 1926, Conner testified,
air service appropriations were in
creased 25 per cent while all other
branches of the army were given
All Dissatisfied
"Tbere is no service which is
satisfied with the amount OF money
it is getting and probably each
one feels that it is not getting its
fair proportion,' Conner added.
Nevertheless, all are considered
and it is humanity impossible to
give more time and thought to the
preparation of estimates"
Conner also called attention to a
tremendous shortage of housing in
"There are other problems quite
as important which can not be 1g-
nored if one would gain a real idea
of the financial difficulties in Lro-
viding for aviation" Conner added.
lone is the housing situation. AS
is we'll known, many of our Of
ficers and men are still in tempo
rary wartime buildings. These
buildings are rapidly becoming un-
inhabitable. To provide proper
housing the War Department has
submitted to the Congress a pro
gram involving the expenditure of
well over hundred million IF
dollars. The air service is directly
interested in this program as near
~ all of that service is now housed
III temporary buildings.
Money Is Lacking
Another financial question facing
the army, Conner declared, is the
cost Of carrying out the recon-
mendation of the Lassiter- army
air board, which called for q
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