Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-07-11
IN A FOG OF RED TAPE THE
7 ARMY AND NAVY BLOCK
IMMEDIATE DEFENSE
Can Editorial in New Bedford,
Mass, Standard TimcS.)

Mass, Standard TimcS.)
We III this country arc facing dis
a,l.r, not economic. out milItaIy-;l
olrccl attack from Hitler i'll the event
ot Great Britaln'S drlcat--anu We
are doing nothing about 1t n'W.
Billions of dollars are beng APP
proprIatcd, vast armamcntS proNld-
ed Tor. Plans lur the Army ana
Navy Stagger the imagination by
their Scopc-for the future. But
immediate steps to ward off the M
mediate pressing danger of 4 Hitler
attack are next to zero.
Unbelievable us it sounds, the rca-
son we are doing next 10 nothing
now to meet the Immediate defense
needs is the Army and the Navy.
Although there Is hardly modern
plane in the United States Army TO-
day. few, if any have been ordered
since the invasion oil The Neither
lands and Belgium, since the PreSl-
dents demand for $4,000 airplancS.
This is not because of shortage
of machine tools, vital materials or
parts. nor because Of 4 shortage OF
Capacity in our plants.
The airplanc industry today IN
the United States has present
capacity OF military planes OF 1000
per month.
At present manufacture Is but 3uu
month. mostly for the allies.
Responsibility for this delay IN
production lies at the door of the
Army and Navy whose "indcclSlon,
lack of standardization. inSlStence ON
odd sizes. on specifications which DO
not fit the equipment Of industry
have made mass production, or any
other kind of production, impossible
50 lar.
In one plane factory the Army 4
wear ago "ordcred' approximately
1000 planes of type then and now
meQualCd. but not one plane has
been produced because it was I'M
possible to satisfy fantastic Army m
Spcction and production require
mcnts. Nor has this anything to 90
with that other and controversial
aroblcm of whether standards should
be lowered to permit rapid and sud
den mass production, which accounts
for the StupcndouS pace OF HltlerS
plane supremacy.
The 500 or more military plane
production facilities now available
in the United States and unused
cover present high standard precl-
sion planes.
But the Army and the Navy cam
not make up their minds.
They tie with red tape the HANDS
Of hundreds and thousands Of loyal
end capable workers and officials OF
the American aircraft industry. These
IRE bewidcred to see the Crisis at
hand and their important tools OF
defense production unused.
The situation is as bad. or worse,
in the fields of tanks. anti-alrcratt
guns. artillery and even rifles.
With lands tied by the frozen
standards of the Army. it will be two
wears before production will be SUI
ficent to arm the minimum-Slzed
Army needed for defense with the
.vpe of rifle that the Army staff is
demanding. Other weapons nearly
or actually as good can be produced
much quicker.
Knee-deep as both Army and Navy
are in traditions and technlcahtieS,
there is no agreement between them.
Each has its own petty opinions
about scores of gingerbread items
Even the type of gasoline specified
by the Navy is different from that
demanded by the Army.
Why this strange laundering? Why
this tragic indifference? Why. OF
all parties. must the Army and the
Navy of this country stand in the
way of our immediate needs in de-
Tense?
The bald truth is that the Army
and Navy. like the American peo-
pie themselves. have ''peace-time
psychology" Their plans and Sys-
TENS for procurement. (and both the
Army and Navy would deny this
BITTERLY. were developed in and are
adapted to peace, when time is not
the all-important factor. Both nave
prided themselves on the quality OF
limited equipment, rather than guam
tity production.
Starved, as the Army and Navy
have been in years past, both have
learned that there is a feast or a
famine under the democratic system.
A period of public defense anxiety
to them is an opportunity to get vast,
lona-dclayed appropriations. chance
to fill the sock for 4 long time to
come.
Judging by the orders actually
placed for vital planes and anti
hlitzkricg cquirmcnt- To defend the
country. the Army and Navy take
the peril Of immediate military at
tack no more seriously than might a
farmer in the quictude Of the Mis-
NHr