Evening star., 1925-10-12
Army and Navy Have Accom-
plished Nothing at Excess
sive Cost, Prohers Told.
TIME TO DIVORCE CORPS
AT HAND, HE DECLARES
Suggest So7,5oo,ooO Budget With
Specific Instructions on Build
ing Up Service.

The Army and Navy We're charged
today by Chairman Madden of the
House appropriations committee with
squanderinS millions of dollars "in a
purposeless, meaningless, endless ex-
perimental orgy" in technical aircraft
development.
Testifying before the Presidents
Air Board, which resumed hearings
after a recess of several days, Mr..
Madden declared technical develop
ment OF aviation could no longer be
safely left" to the two military serv-
ices if the United States was to take
it's place among the countries of the
world in the air.
If credit is to be given witnesses
who have preceded me" he asserted,
the experimental and development
work conducted by the Army and
Navy since the war has been produc-
tive Of very little, if any, advance"
toward a plan which might be &C
cepted by Congress.
You have been told by men who
should know that, with few eXcep-
tions, no real steps have been made
he said.
Cites Patrick Statement.
OlJlES testimony Dy -ISIJ- Ieil- Wa
son ". Patrick, chief of the Army Air
Service, that 262 pursuit planes pur-
chased by the Army had been found
deficient in vision requirements, Mr..
Madden said he had heard something
of a charge of criminal negligence,
but that borders on criminal waste"
Think of buying 262 pursuit planes
that pilot has difficulty in seeing out
of" he exclaimed.
Failure of the Army and Navy to
spend their money 'Int4lllgently in
the Air Service, he declared, is not
unique, as similar eXtravagant get
nowhere programs are being carried
on in tank development, artillery de-
velopment, chemical warfare and am
munitiOn development"
Mr.. Madden submitted Il plan for
promoting Army and Navy aviation.
at a cost of $S7, 500 900. which, among
other things, would provide for dis
continuance Of all aeronautical engi-
neering and design work by the two
military services, with the abolition o.
the naval aircraft factory at Phila-
delphia and the Army engineering
aircraft division. He would place ali
designing and construction of planes
il the hands of private manufac-
turers, with the responsibility for per-
formance under design. and with the
military services furnishing only the
specifications desired.
Tells Merit of Plans.
Predicating his recommendation
upon present expenditure of $S6,UOO.-
600 a year for Army and Navy avia-
ton, he said that working backward
from this sum, in other words, trying
to determine just how much aviation
of a military character might be in
dulged in for this expenditure, l sug-
gest the following:
Fifteen hundred new airplanes O.
various designs at $4,000 each could
be purchased annually, amounting il
the aggregate to $50 600 900.
Ten ground service men for eacn
airplane, which is more than ample
10 properly care for the airplaneS, al
$1,000 each per enlisted man, which
L think would be a fair average to
cover his Army pay, his clothing, sub
sistence, etc, would cost S22 500 900.
Fifteen hundred officers, or one Of
fcer for each ten enlisted men, OR
one officer for each OF the 1,5O0 air
planes, would cost approximately
$500 900.
IF these airplanes are each flown
300 hours year, that would be an
approximate total mileage flown of
10 600 900, many times the mileage OF
these past years; a liberal estimate
Of the cost of maintaining them and
their power plants could not exceed
so cents per mile. the labor having
been provided for in the enlisted man
estimate above; or total of
S22 500 900.
S5,000,000 for Fields.
Five million dollars would be a
liberal estimate for the maintenance
of all the flying fields necessary as
bases of operation for these 1,5O0 air
planes.
"A total of sS7,5oOO 900, as against
$4,000 600 now being expended, for
which we have received nothing"
After the first year, under such q
program, Mr.. Madden believed S75,-
100000 annually would suffice for
aviation work.
Affirming his belief in the "poten-
tialities of aircraft, both in war and
in peace Mr. Madden declared thai
IN his opinion we are barely past
the threshold of aeronautical develop
ment." I,
If reports reaching him We're true
he said. the charge has been made
here ,uat military aviation has been
retarded because Congress has not
voted adequate appropriations" AS
chairman of the appropriate tions com
mittee he would mot let that charge
so unchallenged."
Reviewing appropriations for avia
ton, both during and since the waT,
Continued on Page 2, Column 81