Evening star., 1936-05-31
Biggest Peace Time Bill for Defense
Nav Prevent the Greater Cost of War

, General Headquarters Air Force-our
new, compact flying cavalry. 1t will
be ready to dash to the danger point
to destroy enemy planes-a surer and
cheaper way to protect our cities
from bombing than to load them up
with defensive devices, dugouts and
gas masks.
This is a much-needed protection.
The House Military Committee re-
ported March "a, 1886, that "our Ma
ton Is no longer safe from air at
tacks because of the wide extent of
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. All
great nations now have huge airplane
carriers, floating landing fields, to
enable them to carry aerial warfare
to enemy shores" And Of the islands,
the report said the air defense was
almost impotent."
On May II the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics told Con-
gresS that four foreign countries would
soon surpass us in technical develop
ment of aircraft, unless 81 ,367 900 was
voted to improve and expand the ex-
perimental laboratories. Plans have
been drawn for the largest expert
mental wind tunnels in the world to
be constructed at Langley Field, Va.
The planes the thing! The imag-
nation Of Congress has taken wings.
and 1t has voted to build more air
craft than since the World War. The
Army this year will get 565 new
planes, almost all fighters. But only
144 of these are jump ahead; 42l
simply replace old craft.
But that is only a beginning. Be-
hind this advance guard comes a
great air armada to make this coun-
try second to none in the air. Four
thousand combat planes in five years
that is what this Congress voted.
The Navy, too, Is venturing boldly
into the blue sky, embarking on a
vast program Of air preparedness. Its
budget for 1861 calls for $26,000,-
900 for new airplanes; these will give
it within the next year a total Of
1,40O, and, within a few years, of
1000. The Navy, too, will soon string
about the country's throat protect
ing necklace of air bases.
Fleet First Line Of Defense.
Americans realize that the feet Is
the first line Of defense of our huge
coast line and our $4,000, 900 900 for
eign trade. This year the Navy asks
$67,859 ,920 more than last year in
regular appropriations, which are, all
told, $529, 9,125, ,806. Plus P. w. A. money
(the Navy has had, all told, 1886, ,000,-
600 in relief funds) and late deficiency
bills, the Navy may get almost as
much as the Army's $611 ,000, 900
but the Navy will spend it all, not part
of it, for military expenditures" Like
the Army's bill, it will set record for
peacetime.
Shipbuilding is the biggest item
the biggest shipbuilding in 10 years.
1t will take six years of shipbuilding
on a well-balanced program to make
up for 10 years of that experiment,
noble in motive, when we built scarcely
a rowboat and everybody else built up
to the limit. We are now building, or
have appropriated for, "a war vessels,
and apparently soon shall be starting
two great 35,000-ton battleships.
If we are to have battleships at all,
we must have new ones soon. OF our
is capital ships, IA are vulnerable to
modern submarines and aircraft. So
are the aircraft carriers, Lexington
and Saratoga. Most Of our battle
ships are also vulnerable to that new
terror Of the seas, gas attack.
Centering around all the battle.hips,
flotillas and squadrons of smaller craft
must be built at cost Of $182, ,980, 1863,
including IL new destroyers and 6
submarines. Now Admiral Standley
talks of an additional IL cruisers.
The Navy also wants to build 221, COO
tons of the ships that keep the fight
ing ships afioat-repair ships, fuel
ships, destroyer and submarine lead
ers. The auxiliaries that the Navy
has today are its forgotten men, dod-
dering too far behind either to help
or to escape-in war, total loss.