AMERICA’S AERIAL STRENGTH

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIV, Issue 20932, 11 January 1938, Page 7

AMERICA’S AERIAL STRENGTH

“WILL BE SECOND TO NONE”

THOUSAND BUILDING AT ONCE

WARNING TO WARLIKE POWERS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received January 10, 6.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January 9. The Washington correspondent of the United Press learns that President Roosevelt has decided to recommend to Congress a huge naval and aircraft building programme and the construction of more submarines and destroyers, instead of battleships. His ground for doing so is that lack of building facilities would delay for at least two years the start of the actual construction of the latter. This supplementary

programme is expected to cost nearly 2,000,000 dollars.

Outline of Proposal

It is believed the programme will include the construction of nearly one thousand more planes by 1940, whereby the combined navy and army and air force total will be approximately 4500 modern planes. The Secretary of the Navy (Mr C. A. Swanson) in a recent report, revealed that the United States is lagging behind all naval powers in submarine and destroyer categories. Mr Taylor (chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives) said the national defence programme would be enacted as speedily as possible. “The greatest urgency is an adequate Air Force,” said Mr Taylor. “There is no question in my mind that in the event of war it will come in the form of bombs, gas and general aerial attack. In order to combat this we must have an aerial defence system second to none.”

Buccaneers Warned

Mr Taylor condemned three unnamed buccaneering nations and expressed opinion that the United States must be on guard, otherwise a surprise move may catch her flat-footed. “The programme is really a preparation for peace,” said Mr Taylor. “It is a warning to other Powers that they had better go easy with Uncle Sam. Treaties mean nothing to-day and it would be idiotic for the United States not to prepare but instead just pray that the rest of the world may be good.”

Subsidies for Ships

Mr David Kennedy announces that he has signed long term subsidy agreements with seven steamship comparies for the immediate construction of 20 ships, and the preparation of plans for 23 more. Negotiations are under way with the eighth company for ten ships at a total cost of 110,000,000 dollars. The construction on fourteen ships will be started in 1938.

ANGLO-FRENCH CO-OPERATION READY FOR EMERGENCY IN THE AIR SUPERIOR SOVIET MACHINES LONDON, December 31. How close Franco-British air cooperation is appears from the fact that the British anti-piracy air patrol of the Mediterranean uses Bizerta, Tunis, as its base. In the very near future, an exchange of technical Information between the French and British Air Forces Will take place in London. Britain Is greatly interested in' the French programme of expansion and development of the latest types of machines. France has to reckon with powerful air forces on two fronts, south and east, with the more remote possibility that Spain may yet offer Fascist air bases to the South-west within 100 miles of the great French munition factories round Tarbes.

Apart from the development of the French forces, there is certain reassurance in the fact that Russian machines have proved too strong for Germany, Italy and Japan, and that the Soviet “snub-noses” are too fast for Italian and German aeroplanes in Spain when evenly matched. Reports from China suggest that the comparatively few Soviet aeroplanes there outfly and outfight the Japanese in the air. The British and the French intend to make a tremendous effort to retain their air superiority in Western Europe, with the Soviet as a possible reserve. So far the Soviet purges have not seriously affected the air command.