Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-21
Flying Boat Plan
To Be Presented
To Roosevelt
ShipbuiIder VIII Ask
President 10 OK. Propose.
for 7o-Ton Transports

WASHINGTON July q CUP).
-Andrew Jackson HiggiuS. New
Orleans shipbuitder who wants 10
convert his >hipyardS TO mas, pro-
Siuction of the 7J-ton Glenn /.
Martin flying boat Mars hopes 10
Bee President Roosevelt TO-DAY
hboui the plan
The proposal for beating the
IAxis submarine campaign by ShIit-I
Ing the emphasis from surface
khips 10 huge flying boats was.
made by another shipbuilder.
Henry J. Kaiser OF Oregon. Hie-.
gins also expects 10 confer with
him here
The flying boat proposal has
kouched off a great new contro-
Versy here. AS yet there is official
Silence on the plan. but officials
bf nearly every war agency had
something 10 say about II.
WIDELY ENDORSED
Higgins arrival today is en-
|pected 10 give a flip TO discussion
IF Kaiser's plan, which already
has won endorsement of aircraft
'snd shipbullders and several SEN
|htors.
kaiser's proposal was made
hitter the United States MARTINEZ
Commission last Saturday can
rel<d its contract with Higgins
company TO build 200 Liberty
Fargo ships because OF lack oil
Steel.
Before leaving New Orleans last
hight. Higgins told a press con-
ference that his yard, still UNI
finished. was not designed solely
for- the production of the so-called
Sugly duckling cargo vessels.
He revealed that the plant was
hesigned-without the knowledge
|bf the maritime commissioning
build other types of vessels and
that the main feature of IL was its
hdaptability 10 the contraction OF
hirplanes.
LAND KEEPS MUM
Maritime Commission Chairman
Emory S. Land declined to COM
Enent on the subject. He said that .
To- far as the commission was
the whole story was
contained in the Saturday an
which Cancelled the,
! lgsins contract and said the COM
7ission believed the steel required
re conplete the Higgins shipyard
|rcalS best be used 10 construct |.
hips In existing yards.
War Production Board officials
lil:ewise declined to be quoted, but
ore official said Kaiser's plan TO
build 5000 cargo-carrying super
planes was asinine and would
REQUIRE complete revamping Of the
Presidents plane construction pro-
gam.
tThe navy. according to Inter-
national News Service. today
viewed the proposal as feast
ble."I
MARTIN FAVoRs PLAN
Glenn L. Martin, Baltimore air
craft manufacturer who in addi-
ton 10 the Mars has designed a
125-ton flying boat, said such
c. aft can easily assume the chief
burden OF ocean transport because
of their high speed and greater
frequency of movement.
"Since we are losing surface
ships much faster than we can
build Them" Martin said. "the
air cargo program IL OF eX-
treme importance at this time"
Martin said the Mars is ready
10 be placed in production imme-l
d.ately: that he was waiting only
the governments decision. ThcI
Mars was built as an experimental
ship for the navy. II is powered
. bv four 2.000-horSepower motors.
and can carry $50 fully equipped.
soldiers. 1t reputedly is able tcl
fly 10 Europe and back nonstop
URGES 5000
Kaiser's plan enviSages building,
5000 such ships in nine converted
shipyards-three on the Pacific
Coast. three on the Gulf Coast and
three on the Atlantic Coast. He
said 5000 Of them could carry
100000 fully equipped soldiers or
$4,000 tons Of material 20 the
British Isles every other day.
Kaiser also believes that each
of the converted shipy yards could
turn out 10 flying boa.s a month
three months after work begins
and 40 a month by the end Of thu
first year.
The plan received the endorse
ment Of Senator Clyde l.. Herring
(D) OF Iowa and Senate Republi-
can Leader Charles McNary Of
Oregon