Evening star., 1939-05-18

BY the Associated Press.
A congressional drive to alter the
Army Air Corps expansion program
gained headWay today on the
: strength of testimony by Col Charles
A. Lindbergh that Germany eXcels
the United States in military avia-
ton.
Several members of the House Ap-
criticized the Army's plan to hold
2l63 of its projected $500 fighting
planes in reserve They have sug-
geSted, instead, that some of the
money be diverted for aviation re-
search and experimentation
Although Col Lindbergh was
quoted as indorsing the reserve,
these members contended their po-
sition was strengthened when he
recommended to the subcommittee
yesterday that the Government set
up research activities.
Speaks at Closed Session.
Col Lindbergh walked into the
Capitol virtually unobserved and
spoke at a closed session of the
group during its consideration of
additional Army appropriations
totaling more than S3O9000,00O.
This figure includes $3.50, ,000,00G
for the Air Corps, $32 100000 for So
called educational orders to train
private industry in the manufacture
of munitions and 27,000000 for in
creasing the garrison of the Panama
Canal Zone
Members summarized as follows
the testimony of the flyer, who has
just finished inspecting American
aviation facilities for the War De-
partment:
He said Germany has outstripped
the United States in the speed of
its attack planes and efficiency of
It's light bombers. He explained he
did not know how many Warplanes
the Reich has. but estimated its
productive capacity is 10000 planes
year.
Discounts Attack Fears.
He assured the committee the
United States is in no danger of
aerial attack from abroad, because
European military planes are not
long-range types.
In this connection, the flyer was
quoted as saying that while it might
be possible for a foreign bomber to
raid New York and return to it's
base, that form of attack would not
be practical and need not alarm this
country.
Col Lindbergh supported the War
Department plans for expansion of
the Air Corps to $500 planes, men,
bers said, and declared 1t was not
excessive when compared to the
aerial strength of foreign powers.
Representative Engle, Republican,
of Michigan said the thing that
impressed him about Col Lind
bergh's testimony was his lack of
hysteria."
He emphasized quality in air.
craft, not quantity" Representative
Engle said. He gave us a calm.
dispassionate picture of affairs
aboard but in the face of all the
wild reports about what Germany,
Italy and Russia are doing in avia-
ton, he emphasized that we should
not try to match them in numbers"
Argentine Beef Ban Wins.
In the Senate, meanwhile, inter-
est in defense matters centered on
the s773 ,049 900 Navy appropriation
bill for the year beginning July l.
The measure, providing funds for
70 new warships and 500 fighting
planes, contains a ouse-approved
prohibition against purchase of Ar
gentine canned corned beef for Navy
use. BY a 9-to-7 vote, the Senate
Appropriation Committee accepted
the House prohibition yesterday.
President Roosevelt recently in
structed the Navy to purchase 49,
600 pounds of Argentine canned
beef, saying it was superior in quail
ity and lower in price than that
obtainable in the United States.
Western Senators, however, chal-
lenged the contention that the Ar
gentine product was superior.
Opposition was expressed to an
other defense bill in report by
three Republican members of the
Senate Military Affairs Committee,
who contended that a measure to
draft capital in wartime would not
contribute "either to the promotion
Of peace or the national defense"
Mischievous Legislation.
The bill, already approved by the
committee, would require citizens to
purchase, in event of war, l per cent,
50-year Federal bonds in proportion
to their wealth. The Republicans
opposing it were Senators Bridges
of New Hampshire, Gurney of
South Dakota and Austin of Ver-
mont.
The report said the bill falls into
that class of mischievous legislation
which would hamper efforts
to bring a war to successful con-
clusion.
THE necessity of such legislation
has not been demonstrated, but, on
the contrary, 1t has been denied by