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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0723.PDF
AVIATION IN No Quarterly Insurance Policies. MAJOR NEWTON, on August 14th, asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the advisability of having a fixed premium covering all risk from hostile attack, whether from the sea or air, so that owners of property on the East Coast may no longer be compelled, merely in consequence of their geogra phical position, to pay an extra premium as compared with owners of other property ; whether the present rate of insur ance against damage from the air is ample to cover all war risks ; and whether arrangements can be made for these policies to be renewable quarterly at a proportionate premium, failing which will he announce that in the event of the risk ceasing during the currency of a yearly premium a propor tionate return of premium will be made. Mr. Harcourt: The Prime Minister has asked me to answer this question. I fear it would not be possible to abolish the distinction between the two kinds of policies pro vided by the Government scheme, or to say with any con fidence at this stage whether a lower rate would or would not cover all risks. I am advised that the issue of quarterly policies, except as provided in the scheme, would be open to serious practical objections, and that it would not be possible now to give any undertaking as to return of premium. • Non-Poisonous Dope. MR. ROWLANDS, in the House of Commons on August 8th, asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office—(1) whether, in the contracts given to the various aeroplane manufacturers there is a specification of the particular dope to be used ; if so, can he say what are the special dopes so named, or are the manufacturers allowed to use the non-poisonous dopes upon the market; (2) the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in the contracts given to the various aeroplane manufacturers, there is a specification of the particular dope to be used ; and, if so, can he say what are the special dopes so named, or are the manufacturers allowed to use the non-poisonous dopes upon the market ? Major Baird (representing the Air Board) : I have been asked to deal with these questions. Considerable progress has been made in the production of satisfactory dopes of a non-poisonous kind, and the Admiralty and the War Office have recently issued instructions to contractors specifying various non-poisonous dopes which meet their requirements. The effect of these instructions is that the use of dopes con taining tetrachlorethane is no longer permitted for the pur poses of either the Naval or the Military Air Service unless the non-poisonous dopes cannot be obtained. Any cases of failure of supply of the non-poisonous dopes will be made the subject of special inquiry. Of the eight doping schemes approved, seven are supplied by the trade. Mr. Rowlands : May I ask the hon. and gallant member whether the other dopes used by private manufacturers are allowed to be used where the demand is for them ? Major Baird : Subject to their complying wfth the specifica tions which have besn circulated, of which I shall be happy to send my hon. friend a copy. Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps. MR. R. MCNEILL asked the Secretary of State for War if it has been decided to disband the Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps and to replace it by a corps drawn from London Electrical Engineers ; whether the Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps has been serving for twenty months, during which it has been repeatedly congratulated on its efficiency and never censured ; whether he is aware that the intimate local knowledge possessed by the men is of great value in enabling them to distinguish the sound of hostile aircraft from similar local noises, and that an incentive to zealous service is afforded by the fact that as a local corps the men are charged with the protection of their own homes ; whether on the only three occasions when Zeppelins have approached Dover the corps detected the enemy and illumined the aircraft so as to give full opportunity for the anti-aircraft gunners, who were thus enabled on one of the three occasions to damage the invader ; whether the intended change will involve considerable increased expenditure ; and if he will say why, under these circumstances, the change is to be made ? Mr. Forster : The disappearance of this corps, which was composed partly of naval active service ratings and partly of local men who were able to give only part-time service, has PARLIAMENT. resulteAuitomatically from the introduction <>i the Military Service Act, and from the transfer of the anti-airor.H t det'c n. v from the Navy to the Army. The result is that the naval active service ratings have been handed back to the Admii .Ut\ by whom they were required; the members of the cetpi eligible for general service have been enlisted for gem 1 vice, and those eligible for home service mils h.ive been enlisted in the London Electrical Engineers and will t>e employed as far as possible at Dover. The good work done by this corps in the past is fully recognised. Mr. McNeill: Does my hon. friend realise that there is very great local dissatisfaction ? Mr. Forster: I am very sorry to hear it, but I am afr.n.i under the circumstances which i have narrated in my answer the proceedings were inevitable Cost of Tuition in the Services. COMMANDER BELLAIRS, on August 15th, asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the average cost 0! tuition in flying at Government establishments of pupils for the Royal Naval Air Service up to the obtaining of then brevets, including a fair proportion of aerodrome expenses, maintenance and wastage of aeroplanes and engines ? Dr. Macnamara : It would not be possible to give tlx information asked for without obtaining details from the local establishments with much subsequent investigation and collation at the Admiralty. In view of the present pressure of urgent executive work, it is regretted that it is not prac ticable to undertake this additional work. Co-operation between the Services. MR. BENNETT-GOLDNEY asked the Prime Minister whether he will take steps to put an end to the still existing lack of co-operation between the Royal Naval Air Service authorities and the Military Air and Anti-Aircraft Services ; if he is aware that only recently, in substituting the military authority for the naval authority at an important station now moved somewhat further inland, the efficiency of the equipment bu been impaired by replacing the more powerful electric pro jectors by others of a less power and by the provision of obsolete Boer war guns of a harmless nature beyond a very short range ; whether his attention has been called to the in efficiency of our anti-aircraft defences when, during one of the recent Zeppelin raids, the projectors at an important station were found to be quite inadequate as they could only flash their lights effectively to a low altitude, and that although such anti-aircraft guns as had been provided fired incessantly none of the shells got anywhere near to their objective ; and, in these circumstances,, if he will consult with his naval and military advisers and ask them to point out to their respective Departments that, although the public is willing to make any necessary sacrifice, they are altogether opposed to the present lack of co-ordination between the two Services which still continues to minimise the effectiveness of our anti-aircraft defences as a whole ? Major Baird : In the present case no question of co ordination or lack of co-ordination between the two Services arises, for the reason that the guns and searchlights ,ot thi place which I have been privately informed by my hon. friend that his question refers to, though originally in the hands of the Admiralty were transferred from the Admiralty to the military authorities, and are now under the control of the Department responsible for Home Defence. 1 have made careful inquiry, and am assured that the searchlights now- employed are of the same type as were in use when the defence was in the hands of the naval authorities. No guns have been removed except on replacement by others of a more efficient kind. Single Men at the R.A.F. MR. CHARLES DUNCAN, on August 16th, asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that at the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, married men are being discharged, while numbers of single unskilled men are being retained ; and whether, in view of the dis satisfaction being caused by this action, he will investigate the matter with a view to securing more equal treatment ? Mr. Forster : No, Sir. I am informed that single unskilled men are only being retained in a few cases, and that these will be dispensed with as soon as suitable substitutes can be obtained. /
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