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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 1013.PDF
* NOVEMBER 16, 1916. AVIATION IN Co-ordination of the Air Services. SIR EDWIN CORNWALL, in the House of Commons on November 7th, asked whether the War Council have given full and special consideration to the question of the best means of co-ordinating, organising, and developing the Air Services, or whether the matter is left to the War Office, Admiralty, and Munitions Department to adopt whatever policy they individually may prefer ? The Prime Minister : The functions of the existing Air Board were explained to the House in May last by the then Under-Secretary of State for War and by my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and included the task of organising and co-ordinating the supply of material for the two Air Services. His Majesty's Government have just received the first Report of the President of the Air Board, and it is receiving their most careful consideration. Mr. Ashley : When will the decision of the Government be announced, as there is great feeling in the country about this matter ? The Prime Minister : Very soon. Mr. Joynson-Hicks, on November 8th, asked the Prime Minister whether the time has come to confer further powers of an executive character on the Air Board, as foreshadowed at the time of its formation ? The Prime Minister : I would refer the hon. member to my reply yesterday to a question on the same subject. The Government has just received the first Report of the President of the Air Board, in which certain suggestions and recom mendations are made, which are receiving our most careful consideration. Major Hunt: Is the right hon. gentleman aware that the Air Board will not go on unless it has full power ? Mr. Joynson-Hicks : May I ask whether the Report has not been in nearly three weeks now, and whether he can expedite its consideration ? It is very important. The Prime Minister : No one is more alive to that than I am. Mr. Billing asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of Lord Curzon's recent Report on the Air Service, thereby substantiating the prediction of the member for East Herts, he will consider the Paper dealing with the creation of an Air Ministry and an Imperial Air Service handed to him by that member on April 12th ? Mr. Bonar Law : Lord Curzon's Report is a confidential document, and I cannot accept the hon. member's descrip tion of it. The whole subject is being fully considered. Mr. Billing : Would the right hon. gentleman mind inquir ing whether the Paper which I handed to the Prime Minister personally has been considered, and whether, if it has not, it is going to be considered ? Mr. Bonar Law : I have no doubt that it received the consideration which it deserved. Mr. Lynch : May I ask whether it is not a fact that the chances of the Allies in this war are being injured by putting up such a wretched organisation as the Air Board, and whether it is not time that this question was grappled with in some masculine spirit ? Mr. Bonar Law : That must be a matter of opinion, and I am not prepared to express one just now. Compensation for Air Raid Victims. MR. HOGGE asked the Prime Minister whether he will r efer the cases of persons killed in this country as the result Bombing a Railway Bridge. AN Exchange message from Athens states that on November 9th two Greek and two Allied aeroplanes co operated in wrecking the bridge over the Anguista, near Boya. The driver of a train filled with Bulgarian soldiers failed to see the damage in time and the train dashed into the river. Germany's Apology to Holland. As was expected, Germany has again apologised to Holland for the straying of a Zeppelin, and also for shedding sundry articles. According to the German Charge d Affaires at The Hague, Main Headquarters state that the Zeppelin in question was an army airship, which, owing to a defect in PARLIAMENT. of Zeppelin raids to a new Select Committee with a view to some compensation being given, especially to widows deprived of their husbands T Sir E. Cornwall asked whether the Government is recon sidering the question of losses sustained by Zeppelin raids ; and whether, at an early date, all such losses, both as regards property and persons, will be made a national liability ? The Prime Minister : The Government have this sugges tion under consideration, but 1 cannot yet make a statement on the subject. Sir E. Cornwall: Is the right hon. gentleman aware of the strong and growing feeling in the country in favour of some change of policy in regard to these matters T The Prime Minister : Does the hon. gentleman mean in regard to loss of life T Sir E. Cornwall: Both property and life. Prize Bounties Suggested. MR. DENNISS asked the Prime Minister whether he will initiate legislation to put the aircraft and anti-aircraft services so far as attacks on Zeppelins are concerned in an analogous position to that of the Royal Navy as regards prize bounties t The Prime Minister : This suggestion is worthy of con sideration, and will receive it. The Anti-Aircraft Insurance Funds. SIR E. CORNWALL asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money is in the hands of the Government from anti-aircraft insurance ; and when he will publish a balance sheet and profit and loss account t The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Runciman): I do not think that it would be in the public interest to publish any financial statement regarding the Government Aircraft Insurance Scheme at present. Warnings of Air Raids. SIR J. LONSDALE asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it has now been decided to give public warning of the approach of hostile aircraft; and, if so, will he state the nature of the arrangements that have been made ! Mr. Samuel: Arrangements have been made by which theatres, music halls, cinemas, &c, will, if desired, be warned of an apprehended air raid, in order to afford an opportunity for the audience to disperse. For reasons which have already been explained to the House, it is not proposed to give a general public warning in the London area. Zeppelin Raids (Risk of Fire). MR. BILLING, on November 9th, asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the risk of fire has been increased in many localities as the result of Zeppelin raids ; and, seeing that expert firemen not engaged in certified occupations are now being called up, whether he will consider the advisability of exempting a sufficient number of expert firemen in those towns and villages which have no regular brigade and are in the direct track of Zeppelin raids T Mr. Forster : That a new cause of risk of fire has arisen by the dropping of explosives from Zeppelin airships has not passed unobserved by either the military or civil authorities concerned. These authorities have discussed the question, and arrangements have been made in the direction suggested by the hon. member. the motors and steering gear, was obliged to throw overboard two petrol-tanks. The commander, who had apparently quite lost his bearings, reported that the incident had occurred over Belgian territory. Main Headquarters, the Attache added, would have offered its apologies sooner if it had known earlier that the airship had flown over Dutch territory. Germany Looking Ahead. IN an article discussing General Groner's appointment, and urging the German workmen to do their utmost,' the Dusseldorfer Generalanzeiger concludes as follows:—The English have overtaken our original superiority in artillery, and it is worthy of notice that they are now engaged in constructing airships to approach or even overtake our advantage in this region also." * 005
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