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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0492.PDF
MAY 2, 1918. fitted, above all others I have come across in this sphere of business, to expressthe swiftly changing war conceptions which a Service HKe ihis provides in tein s of a great and expanding mechanical supply^ The confidence which was it-posed in Sir William Weir by. the Air Board led to the whole business of design, as well as that of supply, being entrusted to us as soon as Lord Rothermere lradobtained the necessary power. The union under one authority of design and supply is the foundation of production on a great scale, and this is speciallytrue when the character of the production is continually varying and developing. The interests of design and supply are naturally at variance, design let king aswift and immediate road to perfection, and supply succeeding only through standardised output. We are very lucky indeed to have found at such a time amattcapable of reconciling these conflicting interests in amanner which ccntir.ucs to command the increasing confidence of all concerned. Lancashire Aircraft Acceptance Park.MAJOR DAVID DAVIES, in the House of Commons on April 22nd, asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether be can stale the totalamount of money which has been spent upon an aircraft acceptance park in Lancasihre ; whether this park is still being used ; and, if not, whether he canstate the reasons for which it has been closed ? The Undersecretary of State to the Air Ministry (Major Baird) : The totalamount spent on this acceptance park, the name of which (he hen. member has been good enough to communicate to me privately, is about £15,ceo. It wasformerly used both for the erection and storage of aeroplanes. It has not btcn closed, but is at present only used for storage. It is, however, intended fo useit again at an early date for the erection of machines. Air Ministry and Glasgow Hotel.MR. WATT asked the .Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether his Department has last week commandeered another hotel in Glasgow, notwith-standing the statement by the Air Minister that hotels are unsuitable buildings for conducting the business of Government Departments ; if so, is he aware of thelack of hotel accommodation in that city for commercial men, and for inspectors and the like sent by Government Departments; does he know that large terracehouses can be got there uninhabited and in large numbers ; and will he, in these circumstances, reconsider this matter ? • , . Major Baird : No final decision has been arrived at as regards the talcing over,of this'hotel, and it is hoped that it may be possible to find suitable acccmnicda- tion elsewhere.Mr. Watt : Is the hon. and gallant gentleman aware that the Minister for Air made the statement that hotels were unsuitable buildings for the work ?Major Baird : I do not recall that. I have no doubt the hon. member's memory is better than mine. Resignations of Sir D. Henderson and Sir H. Trenchard.COMMANDER BELLAIRS asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the anxiety created by the resignations of the two officers of greatestexperience in the Air Service from the Air Council; and whether he will give a day. for discussion, in order that an adequate statement can be made on theadministration of the Air Council and, if necessary, discussed ? • The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Bonar Law): If there is a generaldesire, the Government will be glad to afford an opportunity for this discussion, which,probably would most conveniently take place on the Vote of the Salaryfor the Secretary of State for the Air Ministry. Major Sir J. Simon: Can the right hon. gentleman say whether the WarCabinet ever saw General Trenchard about bis difficulties before the Govern- ment dispensed with his services ? Mr. Bonar Law : I do not think that arises. Compensation for Lost Tools.MR. TYSON WILSON, on April 24th, asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether men in the Naval Air Service (Royal Ail Force) who provide their ownworking tools are entitled to compensation for such tools if they are lost under circumstances over which they have no control ?Colonel Gibbs: All working tools required are now required for n;en of the Royal Air Force. My hon. friend's question, therefore, does not arise.Mr. Wilson : Is the hon. and gallant gentleman not aware that quite a large number of these men provided their own tools when they joined up, and are stillusing them ? Colonel Gibbs : I will inform my hon. and gallant friend of what the hon.member says. Cabinet Changes.MR. MACMASTER asked the Prime Minister if he has any statement to make to the House and to the country in regard to recent changes in the Cabinet andn the Air Force ? The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Bonar Law) : I do not think that anystatement as to the changes in the Cabinet is necessary, and there will be an opportunity of discussing the Air Force on Monday.Mr. Macmaster: Apart from the opportunity of discussing the appointments, would it not be for the convenience of the House when changes are made in theGovernment that they should be announced in the House itself ? Mr. Bonar Law : I hardly think so. It would add a great deal to our discus-sions, without producing much benefit. Mr. Macmastcr: Is the old obsolete practice to be followed ? General Trenchard's Resignation.MAJOR SIR JOHN SIMON had given notice of the following question : To ask the Prime Minister if he will say on what date Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard :tendered his resignation, and on what date the matter came beiore the War Cabinet, and the resignation was accepted ? Brigadier-General McCalmont: Before this question is answered, may I pointout that hitherto it has always been customary for hon. members of this House who had commissions to retrain from making use of confidential information,which reached them in the course of their duties, in putting questions or taking part in the Debates of this House which affect the conduct of their superiors,and may I ask whether, in view of that fact, the right hon. gentleman expects that practice to be continued in view of the question on the Paper ?Mr. Bouar Law : That is a very large question, upon which I do not think that I should be asked now to give a decision. In the main, it must be left to thegood sense and the good feeling of the members in question. Sir Hugh Tren- chard tendered his resignation on March 19th to the Secretary of State for theRoyal Air Force, who, on April 10th and 12th, brought the matter before the War Cabinet. The Secretary of State intimated on April 12th to General Tren-chard that he accepted his resignation. Sir E. Carson: Has the Secretary of State power to accept the resignationwithout going to the War Cabinet ? Mr. Bonar Law: Certainly.Sir J. Simon asked whether, between the date when General Trenchard's resignation was tendered and the date when it was accepted, the War Cabinetor any member of it ever saw General Trenchard on the subject, and discussed with him the difficulties of his position ? • :Mr. Bonar Law: The answer is in the negative. • • • •: Sir Francis Blake asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air MinistrywhetherMajor-General Sir H. Trenchard's resignation was tendered and accepted some weeks ago; whether he continued his work temporarily upon beingrequested to do so ; and whether he was consulted before the fact of his resigna- tion was made public ? . . , .Colonel Gibbs : The answer to the first part of the question is that the resigna- tion was tendered on March 19th, and accepted a fortnight ago. The answerto the second part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the third part in the negative. ' . '.'.-' . * ' Aeroplane Parts. ;CAPTAIN BARNETT asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether manufacturers of aeroplane parts are able to obtain supplies promptlyfrom the Air Board depots ; and if he is aware that dissatisfaction prevails among such manufacturers because they are unable to obtain supplies withoutinordinate delay ? Mr. Kellaway: I have been asked to reply to this question. In a rapidlyincreasing aeronautical production programme, where it is necessary to bring into production a vast number of accessories under war conditions with minimumproduction capacity and labour, it must occasionally happen that there is a certain lack of concurrency. I am satisfied that such situations are met withenergy, and failures of the kind referred to by the hon. and gallant member are not more frequent than is inevitable. . . " - . - • • ' '. The Supply of Steel.CAPTAIN BARNETT asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether definite contracts were made with certain merchant firms to stockspecial steel sheets for aircraft purposes; if such contracts have recently been withdrawn and manufacturers of aeroplane parts are being supplied direct fromAir Board depdts; and, if so, whether it is proposed to compensate the merchants for the expense and loss incurred ?Mr. Kellaway : I have been asked to answer this question. No contracts of the kind suggested were made, but certain merchant firms were utilised forhandling small stocks of material pending the completion of adequate storage accommodation by the Department of Aeronautical Supplies. No contractshaving been withdrawn, no claim to compensation arises. Captain Barnett: May I give the hon. gentleman information on the subject ?Mr. Kellaway: I shall be very glad to receive it. American Aero-Squadron.MR. HUME-WILLIAMS asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the men of the American aero-squadron attached to the British military campsat Salisbury Plain are living in tents which are not provided with any flooring ; whether the men are in consequence suffering from cold and damp ; and whetherhe will consider the possibility of providing the tents with flooring either of weed or of some substance which will keep them comparatively dry and warm.Mr. Macpherson : No demands of this nature have been received in the War Office, but I am making inquiries and will communicate with my hen. andlearned friend later. Resignation of Lord Rothermere, ... 'SIR EDWARD CARSON : Is it true that the Secretary of the Committee of the Air Service (Lord Rothermere) has resigned, and has his successor beenappointed ? Mr. BonarLaw : It is true, I regret to say, that Lord Rothermere has resigned.Hii successor has not yet been appointed. , • THE AIR FORCE DEBATE. I K the House of Commons on April 29th the Air Force Estimates, 1918-19, wereconsidered in Committee. Motion made, and Question proposed, 'That a sum, not exceeding £1,000,be granted to His Majesty, to defray the Expense of the Air Ministry, which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day ofMarch, 1919." Mr. Pringle : I beg to move to reduce the Vote by £100.It is undoubtedly an unusual and a somewhat anomalous course to propose a reduction in the Vote of the salary of a Minister in the case of an office whichhas just been vacated, and to which a new appointment has only been made two days ago. No doubt, owing to the change, the debate we are likely tohave to-day will lose something in piquancy, but I think there is ground for believing that it will not be entirely shorn of usefulness. In the first place, Ibelieve I am expressing the feeling in all quarters of the Committee when I say that we deeply sympathise with the late Secretary of State for the RoyalAir Force in the reasons of ill-health and private sorrow which have compelled him, at this juncture, to relinquish his post. In spite of his retirement, a dis-cussion of the recent changes at the Air Ministry is necessary at the present time, because, as we have been informed by the Leader of the House, thedecision taken in regard to the late Chief of the Air Staff was not simply a decision of the late Secretary of State, but a decision of the War Cabinet. [Anhon. member: " No! "] That is so, it has been stated by the Leader of the House. That is somewhat unusual in cases of this kind. In the second place,we have been informed, in answer to a question, that the matter which issued in his resignation was a question of policy, and in these circumstances it is theright of the Committee'to be fully informed of the differences of .opinion on policy between the Minister and his Chief of Staff which issued in the resigna-tion. Further, there is even a stronger reason for the discussion, because the Committee is now still more interested than it was before that the best use should be made of the undoubted ability, particularly in regard to the AirService, of the late Chief of the Air Staff. Mr. Pringle then recapitulated the ascertained facts, and continued :It seems to me that there is much that requires explanation. This strange and anomalous situation has had a number of extremely unfortunate effects.In the first place, the resignation in itself, announced without any explanation, has given rise to a great deal of unrest in the public mind as to the conductof this Service, and it has brought about what is of far greater importance, a condition of complete consternation throughout all ranks in the Air Force.We have had a number of semi-official explanations o0ered in the usual way when such Ministerial and official changes occur.No real explanation has been given in this case. The only approach to an explanation has been given by the Secretary to the Air Ministry. It was thatthe difference between the late Secretary of State and the Chief of the Air Staff related to the different views which they held of the functions of theChief of the Air Staff. The hon. and gallant gentleman (Major Baird) gave an account of the functions of the Chief of the Air Staff when he presentedthe Air Estimates, on February 21st, and I think it worth while to quote what he then said, as I assume that statement was a summary of the Order mCouncil constituting the new Air Council. He then said: " The Chief of the Air Staff is charged with advising His Majesty's Govern-ment as to the conduct of air operations in all questions of air policy affecting the security of the Empire, including Home defence. He is iurther charged•with liaison with the Allies, with the Admiralty and with the Army Council as regards policy, operations, and intelligence. Under his Department fallsthe subject of policy as to air organisations and establishments. The principles of training are laic! down by him. Schemes of development of the Air Forceare also settled by him. Guidance as to the specifications of aircraft, engines, armament, ammunition and other equipment, strategic and tactical, dispositions 49O
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