AIR FORCE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18634, 8 March 1926, Page 9

AIR FORCE.

SQUABBLE IN U.S. FEWER 'PLANES PROPOSE^ (raou otm own co&KEsromußß.) SAN FRANCISCO, January 16. Flying in the face of no fewer than four different investigations in whjeh the weakness of America's air defences were shockingly revealed, the Hons* appropriations committee has laid down before Congress a programme fcr naval aviation for the United States that will leave the navy with fewer aeroplanes in 1928, than it possesses today. While the committee recommended funds for 227 new planes of "modern" type, Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, included in the record of the hearings, a statement that on July Ist, 1928, when the money is expended, the TT-S-Naval Air Service will have only 556 aeroplanes as opposed to 561 oa July Ist, 1925. Carrying a blow against naval aviation still further, the committed sot only refused point blank to provide funds for a dirigible to replace the Shenandoah, but earnestly recommended that the naval dirigible station at Lakehurst in. New Jersey should be closed. ' Urging that the 470 officers and men. now at Lakehurst, be assigned to general fluty, it would pnt the Navy's sole remaining dirigible, the Los Angeles, definitely out of commission. By its recommendations the _ appropriation committee would restrict the lighter-than-air activities of- the "navy to a single xnetal-elad dirigible, of 250,000 cubic feet capacity and costing 300,000 dollars. HenryTord XnterattfL ' Experiments with this type of dirigible are now being conducted by Hewy Ford, .whose engineer* recently laid all of his plans before the U-3- Navy. Secretary of the~JJavy Wilbur and Admiral -Hilary P. Jones, both - appeared before the Naval Affairs Committee and urged construction of s Ave* million dollar dirigible to replace tie Shenandoah. , They made the request, however, on condition that it would not iuttrfw* with other financial requirements " of the navy. Dirigible airship*, tbtymaintained, have not yet proved nor disproved their military value, but possess certain which they 4®* ?ire to explore, • A report of the Navy General Soim presented by Secretary Wilbur, qaitl: "The operations of the 1 Shenandoah, with the scouting fleet, ft (lighter tha* aircraft) considered, alone, do aot justify their existence as military w*ta of the fleet. To eosnpare favourably in military value, the rigid lighter-than-air ship in it? present stage* of development with a modem cruise* iswhoijy unsouffd and bated onJy on imaginatie*Judging from paw. performance* of rigid ughter-thaß-ftir „ oft, it sews# improbable. that this type irifl Fiye valuable as aircraft carriers. The aevelopmeut has not progressed to the point whero their value as scouts ean be definitely determined." Discussing the Xos the General Board said: "As she is, k»w»W, , restricted' to commercial uses oniy» it is doubtful if experiments of any real value for military purposes can be carried out," ' Four Tears to Build. . Reporting against a ship to replace ; the Bheoandoab,- the appropriations committee said: "If Congress should authorise such an airship it would take j approximately four years to wmplete It. Are we justified in spending 1,718,500 dollars annually (at Lakehurst) for four years, to provide training for, a® operating complement for sneh a vessel not even authorised} The eoounittoe is proposing that the station be closed. The direct saving would be 717,000 dollars a year.". Declaring that the Shenandoah tragedy bad not influenced the committee in opposing construction of a huge lighter-than-air craft, the report added: "If we can reasonably look to private enterprise for rigid airships in time ®f war, we might as well get out of the rigid-airship field, and put the savings to other needed uses." "A supply of trained pilots and ww particularly the source •of supply. Is the only real problem confronting naval aviation at this time," said the report, and to remedy this situation it was recommended that a new grade «t '■ "flight ensign" might be established at the naval academy. For the Bureaa of Aeronautics, the Appropriations Committee allots for 1927, the pm* of 18,674,000 dollars, as compared with 14,981,000 dollars allowed in 1925, but authority is given to spend aa additional 4,100,000 dollars as of 1926 to sutt contracts authorised, for that year. During the coming year it ia expected thtft the aeroplane carriers, Lexington and Saratoga, will be put in commission. Provision is made for continuing that programme. Thus the total outlay for nav*! aviation approximates 44,000,000 dollars. ' In his testimony before the committee, Admiral Moffett paid that white the number of aeroplanes would be fewer in 1928 than to-day, they would be more modern and effective.