Evening star., 1939-02-25
Senate Economy Bloc
Seeks 10 Reduce
Warp|ane Fund
5,500-Croft Limit Backed
To Cut $l7o,000,00o
Asked by President
BY the Associated Press.

TSNSo ~ S'SSSoSut
BY the Associated Press.
Economy advocates in the Senate
joined today in an effort to reduce
the $l70,000,000 expenditure Presi-
dent Roosevelt has proposed for
new warplanes.
Several said they believed sub
stantial saving could be made by
supporting the House approved limi-
tation of $500 planes for the Army.
This limit has ben raised TO 5000
by the Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee.
Senator Burke, Democrat, of Ne
braska told reporters it was his be-
lief that, if costs could be reduced
by mass production of planes, as
contended by Secretary of War
Woodring and others. this saving
should be passed along to taxpayers
rather than be invested in addi-
tional craft.
Senator's King. Democra, of Utah,
and Holt, Democrat, of w. Va,
Joined Senator Burke in this stand,
and all three announced they would
support proposal by Senator Clark,
Democrat, of Missouri, to restore
the $500 limitation.
Senator Clark, absent when the
committSe approved the Army and
Air Corps expansion bill, asserted
Army experts had testified a total
OF $500 planes would meet defense
requirements.
Removal of Limits Urged.
Secretary Woodring urged the
committee to remove all limitations
and thus permit the Army to &C
qulre as many ships as possible
with the money Congress provides.
He said mass production would cut
costs so radically there was hope of
building beyond even the 5000 limit
with the $l70,0O0000 fund recon-
mended by the President.
If the Army says that $500
planes are enough said Senator
Burke, lets blild them as eco
nomically as possible and keep the
total expenditure down"
| 1t is estimated 1882 planes must
be built to bring the Air Corps total
up to $500
Military Committee members said
1t would be impossible to gauge costs
under mass production until such
production actually started.
The economy advocates. prepared
to contest for the lower limitation
when the bill is called up in the
Senate Monday, joined also in a
| controversy over a proposal to re-
vive a S. 100000 authorization for
alr-base Improvements at the Pa
citic Island of Guam.
To Oppose Guam Base.
The House eliminated this item
from naval air-base bill after op-
ponents of the project had declared
1t would be "a dagger at the throat
of Japan"
Senators Holt, Burke and King
SAID they would oppose restoration
OF the Guam authorization.
Despite statement by Chairman
! Walsh OF the Senate Naval Commit
| tee that the House vote made it
impractical for the Senate to at
tempt to revive the item, there were
strong indications some Westerners
would make a new fight for it.
Senator McNary of Oregon. the
minority leader. said Republicans
might consider the matter in con-
ference before the measure comes
| up in the Senate. A majority of
House Republicans voted against
the item, but Senate Republicans
| appeared to be divided on it.
The Senate Military Committee. in
its formal report on the 1888 900 900
Army and Air Corps expansion bill,
said the planes to be acquired under
this legislation would give the Army
a balanced air force.
THE program which the War
Department has submitted, based
upon the proposed authorization in
planes and. within the financial
limitation of the Presidents mes
sage, is sound basis for augmenta-
ton of our existing defenses," the
committee report said.
The report did not mention the
controversy in which the group was
involved as result of its investi-
cation of official assistance to a
French air mission in purchasing
the latest type of war planes in this
country.
Arms Storage Approved.
A program to buy and store up
$lOO,OOO,000 worth of raw materials
necessary in time of war was ap-
proved unanimously by the Senate
Military Committee yesterday.
World conditions make this bill
very, very timely" said its sponsor,
Senator Thomas, Democrat. of Utah.
A Government board to bet set
up would decide just what materials
would be bought, but the commit
tee compiled a long list of things
which might possibly be purchased.
These included aluminium. rubber,
silk. tin, wool, tungsten, ferrograde
manganese, sugar, iron and steel,
copper and chlorine. The purchases
would be made over the next four
years. Some of the materials in
the list have to be imported.
The bill is not part of the ad-
ministration's defense program, but
Senator Thomas said it was closely
in line with the program.
Senator Thomas said "the COM
mittee and the Army and Navy
have been studying this problem
intensively" for several years.
The money would be used ito pro-
vide for the common defense by
acquiring stocks of strategic and
critical materials essential to the
needs of industry for the manu-
facture Of supplies for the armed
forces and the civilian population
in time of national emergency and
to encourage as far as possible, the
further development of strategic
and critical materials within the
United States"
Two Pedestrians Injured