Evening star., 1942-01-23

ent facilities may prepare for further
production and that the new facil-
tiles may be expedited"
Testimony by Gen. Arnold and
Bulk Goes for Planes.
other officials showed that $7,144,-
056 $40 of the fund would go for COM
plete airplanes. Another $1,547 ,948,-
529 has been allocated for armament,
aircraft cannon, small arms ammu-
milton, bombs and pyrotechnics.
Spare engines and parts will re-
quire almost 81 900 900 900, and new
facilities to expedite production of
the planes will take another $685.
900, 1000. About 81 900 900 900 will be
spent on supplies of the Signal Corps
and Chemical Warfare Service.
In recommending speedy House
action the Appropriations Commit
tee made it clear that the program
was a preliminary step" toward
President Roosevelt's goal of 10000
planes this year and 125, 900 in 1943.
and that still more huge sums of
money would have to be allocated.
The committee said in report
on the measure:
THE funds in this bill will pre-
vent q decline that would occur
next August in airplane production
due to the fact that existing orders
would run out by that time, will
fill up new capacity heretofore ap-
propriated for that will be in pro-
duction by that time, and increase
the capacity for the production Of
bomber types"
Noting that there had been great
increases" in the unit cost of planes
and plane parts, the committee
recommended that the War Depart
ment give close attention to the
problem of preventing further price
rises.
THE financial burden of the pro-
gram on the American people is
oppressive and will become more
so and every dollar saved means
a dollar less to be borrowed or ex-
tracted by taxation" the committee
asserted.
At the same time, the report said
that the big appropriation was a
part Of the $56,000. .000, 900 war ex-
penditure program for 1943 outlined
by President Roosevelt in his budg-
ct message to Congress early this
month.
This program, supplemented by
those that are to follow, also in
wolves the greatest dislocation, re-
adjustment and conversion of in
dustrial production that the Nation
has ever experienced" the commit
tee observed.
Economy and Speed Assured.
1t said, too, that assurances had
been given by high officials that
the plane program could be prose-
cuted economically and speedily.
About 1898 3,000, 900 will be spent
for plant expansion, mostly addi-
tions to present facilities and with
new construction limited to bomber
assembly plants and other facilities
for production of explosives and in
cendiary materials.
The committee also included in
the bill a separate appropriation of
$50, ,000,0 900 for construction of the
Douglas Dam on the French Broad
River near cambridge, Tenn, in the
Tennessee Valley.
Disclosing that the pending ap-
preparation would cover procure
ment of $4,000 combat planes and
10000 training craft, Gen. Arnold
testified that he could not agree
with a report of the Senate Defense
Investigating Committee which as
serted that relatively few of the
Nations planes were on a par with
Axis craft and that there had been
too many production delays.
Later Models Effective.
Replying directly to statements in
that report, under questioning by
committee members, Gen. Arnold
said it was true that he had said
that the P-40 type of plane was no
longer regarded as better than
good pursuit trainer. But since the
original P-40, he said the P-40 A, B,
C, D, E, and F had been developed
and had been found very effective.
THE Truman tSenate Investigat-
ing) Committee talked about 'pid-
ding changes in carburetors,' but
that same piddling change In our
carburetors was to correct something
that probably caused a forced land
ing, with the death of eight or nine
people" Gen. Arnold said.
Production of planes on existing
orders will reach a peak next Au-
gust, Gen. Arnold said, but there
were indications in other testimony
all of which was carefully edited
by War Department and congress
sional oficials-that production on
the $4,000, ,000, 900 program would
not be completed until late in 1943.
Gen. Arnold asserted that the Air
Force and the air industry were
seeking round clock production
schedules. At the same time, he
added, the War Department has
adopted a program of training
pilots and mechanics and construct
ing bases, "all figured out so that
they will all be available at the right
time" He also said:
When you are flying, and par
tcularly when you are carrying out
training, there comes a time when
the air gets saturated with air.
planes, beyond which you have the