Evening star., 1940-05-29

Warplane construction in the
United States can be increased only
by expansion of existing plants,
through private industry, and not
through Government control, Col.
John H. Jouett, president OF the
Aeronautical Chamber OF Commerce,
warned the National Aviation Forum
today.
Although his speech was written
before President Roosevelt appoint
ed William S. Knudsen, president
of General Motors, to take charge
of production under the defense
program, Col. Jouett declared that
withpt aviation experience by man
agement there can be no large
production, and there can be no high
quality" He said airplane produc-
ton had changed so much that only
those who had been in the industry
continuously for the past 8 or 10
years were capable of mastering the
production problems.
"Our American trait of unbounded
enthusiasm and faith in ourselves
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problem often leads us to action
based upon unconsidered thought" :"
he declared in counseling that the
word caution" should underline
attempts to carry out the program
Of the $4,000 planes a year called for
by President Roosevelt.
"You cannot get production OF
planes, engines or accessories in time
to be of value in this defense pro-
gram merely by dumping public
funds into brick and mortar in new
localities, regardless of the inevitably
extravagant cost of the attractive
political factors which Government
plants would involve" he said.
Previous Moves Recounted.
He pointed to the "chaos" of World
War attempts to expand military
aircraft and efforts by the French
government to nationalize her air.
craft industry three and half years
ago with a resultant serious drop in
production of 40 per cent.
Government ownership and super
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obsolescence," while private manu-
facturers of warplanes managed
to turn out good equipment and
step up production" he said.
In Germany, he added, plants are
privately owned and operated, but
1t took years of intense effort" un-
der the dictatorship to build up her
immense production regardless of
cost, of the rights of labor, of fair
living conditions, of democratic in
stitutions."
II do not want anybody to think
that our industry is trying to free
itself of Government controls" Col.
Jouett declared. 1--WE need certain
general controls, probably more than
we shall get for some time to come"
Many problems of the industry,
he added, can be solved only by
'official coordination under the full
strength of Federal authority"
Not at Full Capacity.
He pointed out that despite the
huge war orders received from the
Allies, American warplane plants
are not operating at full capacity.
Turning some of the automobile
plants into the production of war
planes, he added, would present al
most insuperable difficulties and
waste through lack of knowledge
and trained personnel, while the
aviation plants can exceed their
production with more orders and
have plenty of space to expand their
factories.
Research Emphasized.
A larger capacity for research in
aviation is as important at the
moment as a large capacity for
construction, DR.. Vannevar Bush
of the National Advisory Council for
Aeronautics declared.
Research must keep pace with
construction" he said. I'VE can
not afford to disregard it in the
scramble for air power. We must
continue to look ahead five years."
DR.. Bush recommended that the
industry restudy the whole research
program now in effect with view
toward enlarging facilities and en-
gineers.
Comdr. c. E. Rosendahl, lighter
than-air expert of the Navy, decried
indifference" to airships and the
possibilities they represented for
long-range scouting and patrolling.
warfare in Europe is not gauge
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United States in the vast stretches
of both oceans" he said. "A watch
dog is no good in an apartment
house. Airships, however, may yet
turn up in the European war"
He declared it is possible to build
m airship half again as large as any
previously built. It could carry 10
bombers or fighting planes, capable
of greater speeds than that of any
in existance and because of the
pickup arrangement from airships,
it could cruise farther than any
airplanes and faster than any sur
face vessels, he asserted. Helium,
of which the United States has a
monopoly, practically nullifies in
cendiary bullets, he added.
A forecast that American private
airplane production will reach 100,-
600 units year before many
wears" and that 100000 planes will
be sold in this country annually
within two decades was made by
Ernest r. Breech, vice president Of
General Motors Corp.
PIT. A. Head Renamed