The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-04-15
Economic HighHghts

arabic from local welfare.
The way some Of the fire-eat-
ing commentators sound off these
days, all hope for peace has been
abandoned and the only question
yet to be answered is when the
shooting war will start. But such
expressions are definitely mislead-
ing. The attitude in the best in
formed circles is one Of realistic
grimness, but not Of unrelieved
pessimism. The feeling still re-
mains that peace can be secured
and maintained, and some Of the
top minds Of the country are deal
ing with the ways and means on a
seven-day-week basis.
Obviously, the work in behalf Of
peace has two phases. First, there
is the diplomatic phase-the effort
of the State Department and 9TH
er civilian agencies TO lay the
groundwork for an eventual agree
ment with the Soviet Union and the
nations within her orbit, and to
cement the Western powers. The
principles underlying this effort
are pretty well agreed upon for
the present. The European Recov-
cry Plan is the most momentous
step taken thus far.
Second, there Is the military
phase-the feeling that we must
back up dollars and supplies with
sufficient military preparedness to
make belligerents wary Of tackling
us. When it comes to this, there
is a world of honest disagreement
as to how it can best be done.
Unless the international situa-
tion takes a serious turn for the
worse, universal military training
has almost no chance to win Con-
gressional approval. The draft has
much better chance, but if it is
approved it will be on a severely
limited and temporary basis. A pro-
gram which is almost sure to be ap-
proved, on the other hand, calls for
swift and extensive enlargement of
our air arm.
A short time ago, the Presidents
Air Policy Commission, which was
made up of number of well known
civilions in thief ields of law, edu-
cation, journalism, finance and
manufacturing, made an exhaustive
report called Survival in the Ali
Age" It's explicit recommendations
are likely to be the framework or
which a plan for military air de-
velopment will be built.
First of all, the report assumes
that other nations may have the
planes and missiles capable of de-
| livering a sustained attack on the
States mainland by the end of 1852
1t then reasons that, by that time
we must increase our Air Force to
minimum regular establishment
of 70 groups with 1896 first-line
planes, an Air National Guard Of
27 groups with 3,212 first-lint
craft, and an adequately equipped
Air Reserve of 81 groups. 1t says
that the Navy Air Arm is suffi-
cient in size, but that it must have
, ample funds for the constant re-
placement of obsolescent planes. II
estimates that all this will require
an increase in the Air Force bud
get from its present $2,S50,000,0O
to S4,150,000,000 for the current
year, and $5,450,000,000 for 1949
Next, it points out that strong
aircraft industry is essential-wt
can't obtain the planes unless there
are going plants capable of pro
ducing them at the desired speed
AS of now, the military services
are buying 21,000,000 pounds OF
air frame weight annually. 1t be.
lieves that this should be increas'
ed by 100000 pounds for 194S
and by another 22,000,000 pounds
next year. 1t urges that procure
ment be planned as far in advance
as possible, and that orders cal
for the gradual delivery of planes
over a 5-year period. This woulc
make for stability in the manu-
featuring end, which hasn't known
from one year to the next what Il
will be called upon to produce.
Going on, the Commission urge:
intensified and better coordinateC
research in all phases of air war
fare-atomic energy, guided mis-
siles, gas turbines and rocket en-
gines, landing aids, etc. In that
connection it points out that, while
other nations keep mum about then
aeronautical research, we widely
publicize our advances and says
that "rigid enforcement of wartime
security measures" is necessary.
The Commission then recon-
mends strengthening and improve
ment of civilian aviation and goes
into detail as to extensive change;
in governmental organization
which it believes necessary to IT.
program.
There, in brief, is one projected
phase of the preparedness pro
gram, and the other arms are ad
vocating theirs. The point is tC
create a highly developed but rela'
tivelv small peace-time establish.