HIVES OF INDUSTRY

The swarming hives of industry we viewed have their replicas in every part of the United States, and include ten plants of the Curtis Company and the great Wright Martin factories. At Dayton, Ohio, near the spot where the Wright Brothers, the pioneers of the modern aeroplane, made their early flights, we inspected one of ten affiliated concerns of the Dayton-wright Aeroplane Company, now engaged in quantity production of a bombing biplane. Here, again, we found that vexatious delays had occurred until recently. Happily, this period of evolution is now well passed, and although it would be inadvisable to give figures, it was gladdening to observe the red, white, and blue circles of the American Aviation Service.

Your correspondent was given every opportunity to test the efficiency of this particular type. Orville Wright witnessed our flights, and later, in the course of conversation, it was refreshing to learn that this quiet, unassuming genius of the air was still devoting his alert mind and highly technical knowledge to aerial problems.

In all the factories which we visited, we were met with an intensely patriotic spirit animating every one of the thousands of employees. They sing the song and practise the sentiment of “Keep the home fires burning.”