US. Army Without Suitable Aeroplanes to Engage in Major War, Says Gen. Mitchell Washington, Feb. 11.
OUNDING the only "sour" note in the Washington symphony on national defence, which has recently become the theme song of the Roosevelt Administration, Brig.-Gen. William Mitchell to-day told a Congressional committee that the United States Army is without suitable aeroplanes to engage in a major war.
Gen. Mitchell, stormy petrel of the Army when he was chief of the Air Corps, said in testimony before the House Patents Committee that a patent pool agreement between aviation manufacturers hed retarded American aeronautical development to such an extent as to cripple the aerial defence of the nation, The pool discourages initiative on the part of individual builders. Gen. Mitchell said. He assigned a portion of the blame for "this disgraceful situation." however, to ""the stupidity and short-sightedness of the Army."
Gen, Mitchell said that the United States needs bombers capable of making the round-trip between Midway Island and Japan, as well as a series of air fortresses throughout her Pacific possessions.
"The question of such bases came before the House Miltary Affairs Committee to-day, as the Administra. tion moved forward in its three-fold programme of national, defence—a merchant marine "second to none," adequate coast defences and improved aviation bases.
Appearing before this committee in behalf of his bill providing for ten new military aviation bases, Mr. J. Mark Wilcox, Democrat, Represent ative of Florida, suggested that Alaska's great mineral wealth may make Japan covetous of that huge day. of Japan is entirely In"" Mr. Wilcox. said, "Alaska is a veritable storehouse of minerals, Tt Is unnecessary for me to point out that Alnska fs closer to Japan, geographically, than it is to the United States."
Treatles Valucless Mr, Wilcox contended that the policy of unpreparedness will not Keep the United States out of war, charging that the entire world is arming for a renewal of confilet and that disarmament treaties are of little or no. value:
The Florida legislator pointed out that the United States had sincerely set the example for the rest of the world at the time of the conclusion of the Washineton Naval Treaty. now seranped at the instance of Jagan.
"We scrapped actual, battleships." he claimed, ""Opher nations scrapped Type D floating drydock for esr! Harbour, including mooring facil-files and acccescries, $730,000, 'S. New buildings, quarters, barracks, mean Halls aad accessories at Peat! Har our, including $169,000 for a radio receiving station on Oahu.
Ammunition "storage facilities, tu etuaing buildings "and. accessories at the naval ammunition depots at Balboa Two New Records by German Planes London, Feb. 16.
Two new speed records fo Uiners were established to-d:
Carrying nine passengers, a nin" fon Lufthansa plane covered 220 miles between London and Amsterdam in exactly 60 minutes.
'A similar alr Uner, carrying over a ton of freight and mail, reached Cologne from Londons over a distance of 320 miles, in one hour and 32 minutes. This plane averaged 208 miles per hour—Reuter. land Coco Solo, Canal Zone, $200,000.
Raving dry-decke at Mare Island Navy Yard. at cout of $3.50 000, store-bruse and accessories Mare island, enctine $800,000, for Brig.-Gen, Charles F, Kilbourne, chief of Army war plans, opposed the Wilcox BIN in testimony before the same committee.
Gen. Kilbourne offered a substitute mensure, providing for six bases, stead of ten, whh an indefinite number of intermediate bases.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.