A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK
AGOOD many people have been perplexed and disturbed by some figures of American aircraft production given by Raymond Gram Swing in a broadcast some three weeks ago. According to Mr. Swing only about 6,000 planes were likely to be produced in the year ending June 30th, 1941—or 500 a month. Actual deliveries for March, he said, were " 8o to the [American] Army, 23 to the Navy, and a fairly small number to foreign purchasers." What does " a fairly small number " mean? A message from the News Chronicle's New York correspondent, published on May 15th, stated that we should " soon " be receiving from the United States machines at the rate of from 300 to 400 a month. He added that something like 2,000 planes " have been delivered or are being delivered now," and on Tuesday of this week The Times published the official figures of the cost of aeroplanes shipped to Britain and France respectively during April. The total was roughly 11,700,000 dollars, or rather less than £3,000,000 at the current rate of exchange. At an average cost of £20,000 apiece (a rough but reasonable estimate) that means something like 15o machines for ourselves and France (most of them were for France) last month. The total is modest, but rather better than Mr. Swing's March figures would suggest, and the improvement from now on should be progressive. Time being so important, a good deal depends on how many of the bombers can be flown across.
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