Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-31

ahead of schedule to meet all
present needs, and that by jan
uary 5, next, there will be COM
plete and adequate housing for
$4,000 soldiers.
give assurance to the mothers
and fathers of America that each
and every one of their boys in
training will be we'll housed.
Throughout the one year Of
their training there will be con-
slant promotion of their health
and well-being.
And while I am talking to you
mothers and fathers, I give you
one more assurance.
I have said this before, but I
shall say it again and again.
Your boys are not going to be
sent into any foreign wars.
They are going into training to
form a force so strong that, by
its very existence, it will keep the
threat of war far away from our
shores.
The purpose of our defense is
defense.
The Republican campaign ora
tors who moan and groan about
our Army and Navy are even
more mournful about our
strength in the air. But only last
year, 1889, the Republicans In
the Congress were voting in favor
of reducing appropriations for the
Army Air Corps.
What kind of political shenani-
ganS are these?
Can such people be trusted
with national defense?
I stress particularly what every
Army and Navy flyer tells us
that what counts most in sus-
tanned air power is the produc-
tive capacity of our airplane
factories.
Progress to Production Goal
OF $4,000 Planes Year.
We are determined to attain
production capacity Of $4,000
planes a year in the United
States. Day and night we are
working and making rapid prog
resS toward that goal.
You citizens of Seattle who
are listening tonight-you have
watched the Boeing plant grow.
1t is now producing four times
as many planes each month as
it was producing a year ago.
You citizens of Southern Cali
fornia can see the great Douglas
factories. They have doubled
their output in that period.
You citizens of Buffalo and
st. Louis can see the Curtiss
plants in your cities. Their out
put has jumped to II times the
level of a year ago.
And, of course, I don't need
to tell you anything about the
quality of the men who fly these
planes!
You citizens of Hartford who
hear my words: Look across the
Connecticut River at the whir-
ring wheels and the beehive of
activity which is the Pratt &
Whitney plant which I saw
today. A year ago this plant
was producing airplane engines
totaling 100000 horsepower a
month. Today this production
has been stepped up tenfold,
stepped up to 100000 horse
power month.
And you citizens of Paterson,
N. j., you can see the Curtiss-
Wright plant which a year ago
produced 10000 horsepower a
month and this October is pro-
ducing $4,000 horsepower.
In 10 months we have increased
our engine output 240 per cent.
And we are building brand-new
plants for airplanes and airplane
engines in centerS in the Middle
West, far from the coast.
Last spring and winter this
great production capacity pro-
gram was stepped up by orders
from overseas. In taking these
orders for planes to go overseas,
We are following hard-headed
self-intereSt.
Building on the foundation
provided by these orders, the
British are now receiving steady
stream of airplanes. After three
months of blitzkrieg in the air,
the strength of the Royal Air
Force is actually greater now
than when the attack began.
This increase in strength despite
battle losses is due in part to
the purchases made from Ameri-
can airplane industries.
British Now Are Negotiating
For 1900 More Planes.
The British have now asked
for permission to negotiate again
with American manufacturers
for 10000 additional planes. I
have asked that the request be
given most sympathetic consider
alton by the priorities board con-
sisting of William S. Knudsen,
Edward R. Stettinius, jr., and
Leon Henderson. When these
additional orders are approved,
they will bring Britain's present
orders for military planes from
the United States to more than
$4,000. They will require still more
new plant facilities so that the
present program of building
planes for military purposes, both
for the United States and Great
Britain, will not be interrupted.
Also large additional orders are
being negotiated Tor artillery, ma
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