FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1916
1916 - 1175.PDF
DECEMBER 28, 1916. 31. The R.A.F. before the war was designing a 200 h.p. water-cooled engine, and had proceeded some way with 1 the drawings by August, 1914. General Henderson, who was'one of the judges at the engine competition, was of the opinion that high-powered engines would be required. He hoped, having regard to the entries for the competition, and the high standing of some of the competitors, that private firms would proceed to develop and perfect high-powered engines, and he stopped the R.A.F. designs, and handed the drawings over to the Rolls-Royce Company and Messrs. Napier. The former declined to proceed on the R.A.F. lines, but designed independently the 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce engine, which is just beginning to be delivered. The Napier Company pro ceeded with the R.A.F. designs in collaboration with the R.A.F., and their joint efforts have produced a 200 h.p. engine, which is now being tested. There his been some delay in procuring deliveries of the Rolls-Royce engine. No blame can be attributed to General Henderson in that regard. The somewhat longer delay in producing the R.A.F. Napier engine is probably due to joint collaboration. 32. The desire of the Royal Flying Corps for high-powered <$> <s> AVIATION IN The Air Ministry. IN the proceedings in the House of Commons on the Committee Stage of the New Ministries and Secretaries Bill on December 19th, Sir G Cave Home Secretary, moved the following new clause :— " For the purpose of organising and maintaining the supply of aircraft in the national interest in connection with the present War, it shall be lawful for His Majesty to establish an Air Board, consisting of a President appointed by His Majesty, who shall hold office during His Majesty's pleasure, and of other members who shall be appointed in such manner and subject to such provisions as His Majesty may, by Order in Council, direct. The President of the Board shall act with the advice of the other members of the Board. ". For the purposes of this Act the President of the Air Board shall be deemed to be a Minister appointed under this Act and the Air Board a Ministry established under this Act." Sir G. Cave said : The effect of this Clause will be to establish an Air Board. -As hon. members know, the Air Board has practically existed for some months. It was formed by the Government, and represents the War Office, the Admiralty, the Ministry of Munitions and several other Departments. The Board has, of course, a President who has considerable power, being a Cabinet Minister, but the Board up to now has had no statutory existence. We are desirous of regularising the present position. Mr. H. Samuel: We are very ready to assent to this new Clause. There is a very great deal of interest in the Air Board. Its composition and its functions are all of vital importance in the conduct of the War, and of a successful military and naval Air Service. The right hon. and learned gentleman has told us that the new Air Board, which the new Government proposes, will be, in effect, the same as the old Air Board—at least, I understood him so to say. Sir G. Cave : Yes. Mr. H. Samuel: The House will be interested to learn that. Indeed, I think that it is revealing no secret to say that one of the last acts of the late Government was to settle the con stitution of the Air Board, and I understand that the new Government is continuing the Air Board on the same lines. I do not know whether the Home Secretary can satisfy the curiosity which, I am sure, will be felt by many members of the House at the words of the Home Secretary that Lord Curzon will not continue to be President of the Air Board. If the right hon. and learned gentleman is in a position to tell the House and the country who the head of this im portant body is to be I am sure the information will be generally welcomed. Sir G. Cave : I did not say that Lord Curzon would not hereafter be head of the Air Board. I was only desirous of guarding myself against the suggestion that he would continue as head. I am afraid I cannot go beyond that. The Clause was ordered to be added to the Bill. The following Clause was also added to the Bill:— " The Air Board shall in relation to aircraft have such powers and duties of any Government Department or authority Hi l/QCHT] engines was well known even before the war. and was the subject of discussion between General Henderson and some ot the best known engine builders, a few ot whom haw attempted to design and build such engines, but hiih.u.. without practical result in the matter ot aeroplanes Son,, promise well, and in one or two case* where deliveries have been made of high-powered engines attempts have hern made to design aeroplanes for them, lust so far. \Mth.mi success. 33. General Henderson stated to the Committee that he made a serious mistake in stopping the R.A.F. from pro eeedmg with their 200 h.p. engine design. We do not agrve with him. We see no reason to suppose thai the opposite course would have resulted in the earlier production of high powered engines. 34. It is to be regretted that General Henderson's antiri pation of getting high-powered engines; trom private funis who knew that they were wanted was not earlui realised but that is not due to any fault of his. 35. We think this charge of want ot foresight is unfounded (To be continued.) • <$> PARLIAMENT. whether conferred by Statute or otherwise, at His Majesty, may, by Order in Council, transfer to the Board, or lUthoriw the Board to exercise or perform concurrently with 01 in MB sulfation with the Government Department or authority concerned." At the third reading of the Bill, on the following day, Mr. Ashley moved to leave out the Clause regarding tin establishment of the Air Board. He said : I move purely formally to leave out this Clause in order to ask what will be the powers of the Parliamentary Secretary of the Air Board which it is proposed to appoint. We shall probably have a whole day after the House reassembles for discussing the constitution and powers of the Air Board. It was promised us by the last Government, and 1 am quite sure that the present Government will keep that promise. Before we go off for the holidays 1 wish the right hon. genth man could give us some indication what will be the powers of this Parliamentary Secretary and what he will answer for, what the composition of the Board will be, and what his powers will be. I am glad to say that the Hoard has now been turned into an Air Ministry I suppose it *> the work of the right hon. gentleman, and I thank him fhat we have at last got an Air Ministry, if only in name. 1 want to know wliether their duties will be entirely advisory, or whether they will have executive power. Up to now the Board has consisted of a Cabinet Minister, a member of the other Home, a member of this House, and representatives of the Army and the Navy* I want to know whether a representative of the Ministry of Munitions is going to be added to this Board. I would lay great stress on that, and, if it has not been so decided, I would urge upon the right hon. gentleman whether the matter could not lw; reconsidered. After all. nothing can be done, as the right hon. gentleman knows, without the Minister of Munitions. He has absolute control overall til and the materials in this country, and this Air Board must come up against the Ministry of Munitions whatever it docs. Unless, therefore, there Is a representative of that Mine.tr.. on the Board I am afraid that there will lie great trouble There is, as the right hon. gentleman knows, an Intel national Commission in this country which lives at India House, and which buys aircraft material for our Allies. Great power is being given to the Air Board, far greatei power, I hope, than it had tiefore, and I would press upon the right hon. gentleman to consider whether it won Id not be advisable to put on the Air Board a representative of that International Commission ; otherwise they will be in a very difficult position in supplying the needs of our Allies. They will have no say at all in the getting of the material, and we may find that our Allies are not properly supplied as they should be. Finally, will the powers of this Air Ministry continue after the war, or will they cease when the war is over ? I hope the right hon. gentleman will sec his way to make the Ministry permanent. We are to'd that the labour Ministry is going to continue. Why should not the Air Ministry continue ? It Is perfectly obvious that aviation in the future must be of far greater importance than it lias been in the past, and why the Ministry should cease—in the case of the Under-
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
