The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1915. AN AMERICAN FAILURE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 205, 28 August 1918, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1915. AN AMERICAN FAILURE.

For the cause ihat lack.i assistance, for the wrong that needs resistance. For the future in the distance, And the good tliat we can do.

So much was expected from American aircraft that it is certainly disconcerting to find that not a single American battleplane or heavy bombing aeroplane is yet on the American front. Up to August 1 only IiOO de Havilland machines had been sent to France, and only 4,0011 Liberty motors delivered to On- Allies, and even these motors wen- found to be ton heavy and powerful for light lighting machines, and many of them were found to be imperfect iv Borne degree. When the Coiled Suites entered the war the most extravagant hopes were built on the assistance that would be given to the-Allies by the thousands of aero planes that would lie turned out from the American workshops. Some of the papers in France and Britain talked of 100.000 aircraft ill a few mouths, a figure that was palpn'.ly absurd, but the programme laid down by the American Government was sufiiciently ambitious to justify the hope that wry substantial assistance would be forthcoming within the year. The aeronautical programme called for the construction of 22,000 aeroplanes, school machines, and battle planes, and 41',0'KI aeroplane motors. It also required the creation of a specially-trained personnel of over] 100,00(1 ollicers and men, of whom 10,000 were to be (Hers. A sum of £14(1,(11)0,1100' was voted for the carrying out of this programme, as well a_. £20.000,000 fori the naval air service. It was calculated that at least fi.ooo American battle] planes would be in the war zone by the beginning of last May. and that the early days of next year would see over 30,1100 at the front. We are now told that not a 6iugle American battle plane i is yet at tbe front, but that under the aircraft programme expected to be completed ne";! year it is anticipated that ''"ill complete squadrons will lie sent to the front from the United Slates, together with the trained personnel. What is the cause of the failure of America to carry ouf even a fraction of the programme she laid down for herself; The Americans themselves blame the War Department, and say that it ought to have organised the work more efficiently, and supervised it in such a manner as to know wbat was and what was not being done. The American system of government is probably partly to blame, since there is no unified body of policy or administration. In all industrial and commercial matters both legislation and administration are distributed between the Federal and the State Governments, and in each of these Governments the legislative and executive authorities frequently conflict. One consequence of the limitation of Federal powers has been that America, has never been able to build up a really efficient Civil Service on which new departments might rely. Departmental reorganisation, redistribution and reform are limited by Congressional statutes, and the Legislature frequently interferes in the internal organisation and functions of the different departments. There has been no central authority, and consequently the

rapid prosecution of war preparations has met with many difficulties. A tendency arose to vest authority in were intended to be purely advisory bodies, and as these bodies multiplied they often came into conflict, with each other. Washington bad no War Cabinet, and owing to the conflicts that arose between . the various advisory committees ibe President ultimately was called upon to decide everything. In some things the United States showed remarkable rapidity. Conscription was declared within forty days. General Pershing's force was dispatched within eighty days, and the embargo on exports to northern neutrals was declared within .ninety days. Where America partly failed was where failure was least expected, namely, in skilled business administration. Considering how much American business methods have been extolled by many people in comparison with our own, it is certainly interesting to find the Senate Committee recommending a separate Department of Aviation on the British model, and acknowledging tho

superiority of Allied aeroplane -models to anything the Americans had 1 _?dii able to produce as the result of ex- ( „.rimonts costing many millions of dollurs. The whole of the Aircraft Dcpa'lmcnt has now been reorganised and [\*aced under the charge of a thoroughly competent business man. and the Sen:_te Committee hopes that the quantity »of aeroplanes produced will soon be a.'toquatc to meet ■11 demands. When the .Americans overcome initial difficulties r_nd get into their stride they make very rapid progress. We have seen this in, the shipbuilding programme, and no __übl aeroplane construction will develop in the same way.