Show I Rw A N NR R EN ENAIR AIR CRAS CRASHES ES With the tremendous war expansion expansion expansion sion of the army and navy air branches has come an accompanying accompanying accompanying frequency of press reports of crashes by fledgling pilots These stories have brought a flood of worried worried worried wor wor- ried inquiries to Washington ties Relatives of aviators have expressed expressed expressed ex ex- ex- ex pressed concern over the number of these accidents and the adequacy of the training programs The WASHINGTON W MERRY GO ROUND has investigated both mat mat- For military reasons detailed figures cannot be disclosed But the following generalizations can be published 1 That the U. U S. S percentage of accidents is less than that of the British and appreciably under under under un un- un- un der the best available German figures The casualty rate among Nazi trainees is reported to be quite high due to 10 limited training training training train train- ing facilities personnel and equipment 2 While U. U S. S accidents have increased numerically because of the greatly increased number f men in training the percentage percent percent- age of accidents has not in in- creased Today it is about the same as the ratio in 1940 19 This fact is of key importance since it means there has been no deterioration deterioration deterioration de de- de- de in the basic quality of the army and navy air training training training train train- ing systems despite ups speed-ups and other war factors 3 The present training systems systems systems are far superior to those of the World war Trainees are selected more carefully and given much more and better instruction instruction instruction in in- before they get their coveted wings The question of allowing military air crashes to be reported has been beena a subject of inner circle debate for some time Some authorities contend contend contend con con- tend this is valuable information to the he enemy and cite the fact that Britain has banned such press stories The President however has not entirely agreed with this view He Heis Heis Heis is against publication of totals or percentages but sees no objection to press reports of individual mishaps This is the policy being followed but the question is still under discus discus- sion Buy Buy Defense Bonds Bonds- SPRING AT TIlE THE WHITE WRITE HOUSE Outside the White House fence march soldiers with fixed bayonets But inside the tall iron fence defying defying defying defy defy- ing the ch changes wrought by war is the perennial transfiguration tion of spring The grass is a soft green and the beds of pansies and jonquils have burst into bloom in colorful bril bril- liance The flowering shrubs and trees were never lovelier the lovelier the magnolias magnolias magnolias mag mag- nolias japonica and forsythia On the Pennsylvania avenue side the magnolias are making a gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gor gor- showing supported by the forsythia and japonica bushes all at their best The same three faith faith- fuls are on display near the fountain in the South garden These are arc the two best show places in the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House grounds The only scar in the scene is the construction work on the East grounds where sewers and conduits are being laid for what is officially described as a remodeling operation operation opera opera- 4 tion The colors seen best by the President President President dent from his desk are those of the jonquils and pansies in the rose garden garden garden gar gar- den just outside his office window There is a touch of irony in the fact that some of the best color is Nipponese in origin the origin the Japanese magnolias and the japonicas which are otherwise known as Japanese quince Buy Buy Defense Bonds Bonds- HULL nULL AND WINCH WINCHELL ELL Cordell Hull dignified austere secretary of state sat gazing out I over the Atlantic ocean recently from a Miami Beach cabana adjacent adjacent adjacent adja adja- cent to the cabana of turbulent Broadway sleuth news-sleuth Walter Win- Win chell thou For two months Mr Hull has been absent from Washington there has been speculation whether he would return So sleuth news-sleuth Winchell Winchell Win- Win chell cheU put the question bluntly to his cabana neighbor Mr Secretary are you going pack to work The secretary of state replied in he affirmative He said that after he had had sufficient rest in the South he was going back to work Note One Note One of Winchell's friends reproached him for putting such a blunt question to Mr Hull Replied Winchell Ive gotta ask questions That's my racket HOME FRONT FLASHES Donald Nelsons Nelson's appointment of a co to boss the rubber industry industry industry in in- is the first of a number of similar industry rulers Others slated to be named will be coordinators coordinators coordinators co co- co- co for textiles food aircraft metals ores Attention draft registrants You Youcan Youcan Youcan can write it down as certain that congress will enact allotment legislation legislation legislation legis legis- lation providing government aid for dependents That means those exempted exempted exempted ex ex- empted on dependent grounds will willbe willbe willbe be reclassified |