INTERCOLLEGIATE AIR CONTEST CANCELLED

Because it was convinced that it would be impossible to raise sufficient funds for the annual meet which was scheduled for tomorrow at Mineola, the Intercollegiate Flying Association has officially cancelled the meet.

With the announcement made May 5 by the War Department refusing to provide planes for the meet, leaders of the Association at first planned to obtain the necessary machines from the Curtis Company; but this scheme proved impractical owing to the cost of renting and insuring the planes.

The War Department's decision to withhold the necessary machines for the meet has been received with great disappointment, not only by the participating students, all ex-service men fully capable of handling the planes, but also by many officers of the Army who have been cooperating enthusiastically with the college flyers. The Washington officials, however, cite ample reasons for their action, asserting in the first place that Congress, as indicated in the debates appears unwilling that further loans of flying equipment should be made to civilians. In many cases, it is pointed out, accidents occur, causing loss of property, if not of life, and the Army is held responsible for the care of its equipment.

In addition to these reasons the air force of the army has been greatly reduced, and the whole service is now making extensive preparations for the so-called "bombing project", which will consist of a series of manouvres designed to test the capacity of the aero service to withstand the attacks of a hostile fleet. Both men and machines are now being tied up in consequence of these preparations; and to loan the Intercollegiate Association enough planes for a meet would necessitate an impossible shift in the department's present arrangements.