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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1631.PDF
DECEMBER rS, 191-9 AVIATION IN 'Compensation tor Air Raid Damage CAPT. MARTIN, in the House of Commons on November 8, asked the Prime Minister whether he can offer any hope of compensation for injuries to person or property of civilians caused by air raids ? Mr. Chamberlain : The Treaty with Germany provides that compensation may be claimed from Germany in respect of damage to injured persons and to surviving dependants by personal injury to or death of civilians caused by attacks from the air, and in respect of damage to property of civilians injured or destroyed by the acts of Germany or her Allies from the air. Claims, if not .already furnished to the Foreign Claims Office, should be sent to the Board of Trade. I am not, of course, in a position to say how much will be recovered 'from Germany in respect of them. Sir J. Butcher : Will the person who makes the claim get paid anything if Germany does not carry out her obligations to pay ? Mr. Chamberlain : No. Mr. Rawlinson : When is it expected Germany will make the first payment on account ? Mr. Chamberlain: I have answered practically the same question two or three times. Payment by Germany cannot be received until after the Reparation Commission has got effectively to work, and the Reparation Commission cannot get to work until after the Treaty has been ratified. Air-Mail Service Fees LIEUT.-COM. KENWORTHY asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the Assistant Postmaster-General in the Government of the Uarkd States of North America has stated that by use of aeroplanes to carry mails between New York, Chicago, and Washington at 2 cents a letter, a saving will be effected of over $1,500,000 in 1920 over all other methods of transit; and, in view of this statement, will he reconsider the air-mail fee of xs. 8Ji. between England and France with a view to popularising this service and placing it on a commercial footing ? Mr. Pease : The sum of $1,500,000 referred to by the hon. member is the •estimated value of the travelling post offices and other railway rolling stock and the time of post office sorters which will be rendered unnecessary by the .provision of the additional aeroplanes recently ordered by the United States Post Office for its air mail services. Payment for the conveyance of mails by rail in the United States is made on a basis different from that in force in this country ; but I do not gather that the sum indicated is a net saving con sequent on the use of aeroplanes for the conveyance of mails. The air mail service between London and Paris is experimental, and the arrangements are of a temporary character and will be reviewed after six months' working. I nope that when permanent arrangements for the service are made it will be possible to reduce the amount of the special fee. Anti-Aircraft Gun, Hyde Park SIR O. PHILIPPS asked the First Commissioner of Works whether, in view of the historic interest attaching to the anti-aircraft gun which stood in Hyde Park and assisted to protect London from the attacks of German air craft, arrangements can be made for this gun to be re-erected in Hyde Park on the same site with a suitable inscription ? Mr. Churchill: My right hon. friend has asked me to answer this question. It is proposed to place in the War gallery of the London Museum, Lancaster House, an anti-aircraft gun which formed part of the London Anti-Aircraft Defences. Anti-Aircraft Station, Putney Heath MR. LORDEN, on December 9, asked the Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that it was proposed to continue the anti-aircraft station at Putney Heath until a permanent site was found, he would give instructions for the station to be put in a cleanly and satisfactory state at once and some provision made for washing motors and lorries other than the roadway ; and would he state what steps, if any, had been taken to prevent contamination • of the filtered water.in the reservoir ? Mr. Churchill: I am informed that there is no other space for washing motor* and lorries other than at the side of the road, where a special place was made for that purpose. Special precautions have been taken in order that the filtered water in the reservoir should not be contaminated, and the wash- houses and latrines have been constructed well away from the reservoir. A sanitary inspector recently inspected this station and expressed his satisfac tion. The Water Board were also satisfied with the arrangements made. Instructions have been issued for the station to be kept in a cleanly and satisfactory state. British Aeroplanes at the Paris Exhibition LIEUT.-COM. KENWORTHY asked how many British aeroplane firms are showing at the Paris Exhibition ; whether the number is satisfactory ; and what steps are being taken to encourage and assist British firms to attend foreign exhibitions of aircraft ? Capt. Guest (Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) : I have been asked to reply to this question. The answer to the first and second parts is that six British aeroplane firms are showing at the Paris Exhibition, and that on the whole this number of exhibitors may be taken to be satisfactory. The Society of British Aircraft Constructors was unable to obtain sufficient space on the ground floor for a corporate exhibit, and, therefore, are not exhibiting. In regard to the last part of the question, offers of assistance were made to the Society of British Aircraft Constructors at a meeting held early in October. Air Ministry Stores Deficiencies MR. RAPER asked the Secretary of State for War how much has been written off since the Armistice as a charge against the public for stores defi- •ciencies of air squadrons stationed in Great Britain and of the various air store depots and parks which were at that time in existence ? Capt. Guest: This information would take some time to collect, and I am unwilling at present to throw additional work on the Air Ministry and local Air Force staffs ; but if my hon. friend presses for it, I will obtain the infor mation and send it to him. Mr. Raper : Can the hon. and gallant gentleman give us some rough idea of the amount ? Capt. Guest: No, I cannot, and I do not think a rough idea is what the hon. member requires. Mr. Raper : When can we have these particulars ? Capt. Guest: When the pressure on the Ministry is a little less than it is -now. Australia by Air SIR N. MOORB : Has the Secretary for War received any official informa tion as to the arrival of Capt. Smith Ross in Australia ? Mr. Churchill: I understand he has successfully arrived, and I think I shall be doing right in sending official congratulations on this very remarkable exploit. .Navy Estimates and Aviation 1 N introducing the Navy Estimates in the House of Commons on Decem ber 10, Mr. Walter Long, in the course of his speech, said: " Who can say what is g»ing to be the development of the Air Service in the future, and what is to be the effect of the Air Service ? I was told today that the Royal Air Service is going to be so effective that it will destroy the battleship, which is such a big target. That is the view of one side. I go to a great airman and I say, * I am told that our big battleships are no longer going to be of any use because they offer such big targets for bombs, which are heaven knows PARLIAMENT how many tons in weight and which are to be dropped from the clouds on to the battleships.' He said : ' Some people will tell you that, but, speaking for the air people, I can say that as fast as they are developing these attacks we are developing the counter-attack and the defence, and we shall have something to say before you abandon your big ship simply because an airship has been devised that is going to threaten you with bombs.' There are two sides to the question. I am taking neither side. We have today in His Majesty's Navy some of the most magnificent ships the world has ever seen, and to destroy these vessels because we are told that the air is going to replace the Navy would be a criminal thing for any Board of Admiralty to do. " The suggestion has been made more than once that there ought to be a staff composed of representatives of the Admiralty, the War Office and the Air Ministry, and that they should meet in order to discuss and consider the greater problems, the world problems, which we shall have to solve in the near future. I say for the Board of Admiralty, both naval and civilian mem bers welcome the joint arrangement by which the chiefs of the staff of each Department may meet periodically in order that our plans may be concerted. Whatever the predictions of those who believe we can do without a Navy, I believe the people of the country will continue to demand that there shall be a Navy sufficient to give us reasonable security." Mr. George Lambert said he did not consider that the Secretary of War should be at the same time Secretary for Air. The naval services of the country could not be carried on without the Air Service, and he would put the Air Ministry under the Admiralty. Rear-Admiral Adair charged the Admiralty with being negligent as regards the Air Service. Aviation was only a means to an end, and that end in the case of the Air Service attached to the Navy was maritime warfare. The Naval Air Service must be formed of men who were part and parcel of the Navy—naval officers; no amateurs could effectively do the work. When the Admiralty allowed the whole of this Service to be turned over to the Air Ministry they made a still greater blunder than when they started it as a separate service, though administered by the Admiralty. Maj.-Genl. Seely said it was impossible to exaggerate the effect that develop ments in the air might have on the Navy. He pointed out the difficulty which would arise when the First Lord of the Admiralty went for aircraft to the Secretary of State for Air (who was also Secretary of State for War) and was told he could not have the aircraft he wanted because they were wanted for the Army. It was gambling with the safety of the State, when they had a service depending to an ever greater degree on development in the air that that air development should be subject to the probability of being thwarted by the chief competitor masquerading as the Secretary of State. Mr. Long, replying to Col. Seely, said the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Board had been in constant communication. He did not say for the moment he was satisfied with what the Air Board had done, but he had no reason to believe they had surrendered themselves to the War Office. All he could say was that if, or when, the moment arrived when he found the Navy suffered he should have to consider his position, and that he shculd not hold his office a moment longer than was consistent with his duties as First Lord. The Resignation of General Seely IN the House of Lords, on December 10, Lord Montagu called attention to the resignation of Genl. Seely and called for papers. He said his first object was to inquire what were the reasons which led to the resignation of Genl, Seely ; secondly, whether there should be an independent Air Force and Air Ministry, or whether there was an intention on the part of the Government to revert to the former bad system under which the Air Force was separately under the Admiralty and the War Office. While giving credit to Mr. Churchill for great energy and ability, it seemed to him to be quite impossible for any Minister to give adequate consideration to the problems of the Army and those of the Air Force at the same time. Unless the Air Force were kept entirely independent it would be neglected and other Great Powers would come abreast of us. |j Lord Treowcn appealed io the Government to state their policy in regard to aviation generally. Could not the elements of offence and defence in this country be represented by one great Department or something of that sort ? Lord Vernon expressed the opinion that the Navy should be allowed to have their own air force, as airships were as much a weapon of the warship as the gun. Civil flying should not be mixed up with the flying services. It should be somewhat similar to the mercantile marine and not definitely under the orders of the Admiralty. THE LORD CHANCELLOR said that for the reasons which induced General Seely to resign they must look at the explanation which he himself made in the House of Commons. The Government took the view some two years ago, after long war experience, that it was desirable that there should be a single and independent Air Service. The arguments on one side and the other were weighed in the balance and as a result the policy of the Government was to maintain the separate and independent character of the Royal Air Force in peace and in war. The Ministry had aimed at creating a separate permanent Air Service which would afford as good opportunities of advance ment to officers and men as were afforded in the Army and Navy. The Prime Minister had to decide whether the two offices should be held by one Minister, and took the view that the scale, size and cost of the Air Force in the years immediately following the war would not be sufficiently large to justify the appointment of a separate Minister of State. It might well be that in years to come the importance of the subject would growand It circumstances altered and the necessity arose the present arrangement would lapse. Dealing with civil aviation, he said the day might come when the Board of Trade would assume control of and responsibility for civil aviation in much the same way as it had assumed control over the mercantile marine. Whether the suggestion of a kind of amalgamation of the Army, Navy and Air Force would ever be realisable he did not know; but by the present arrangement they had at least produced a system by which the best brains of the Air and the best brains of the Army could be brought to bear upon the problem in order to try all the resources both of the Air and of the Army. The W.R.A.F. Inquiry IN the House of Lords, on December 15, the report of the W.R.A.F. Inquiry came up for consideration and Lord Stanhope made a personal state - ment. He desired to withdraw unreservedly his specific statement of im morality against certain people, made in the House on July 30, and to apologise to their Lordships for having made it. He desired to apologise to Col. Janson and Miss Glubb for having made any allegation against them. He had already communicated with their respective solicitors apologising for his statements, and had paid the whole of Miss Glubb's costs in connection with the inquiry. Earl Curzon, in the course of a speech, said the result of the inquiry was that a large sum of public money had been expended, an immense amount of personal suffering had been caused and most inadequately compensated by the vindication that had been received, and a precedent had been set up which he agreed with the Committee in saying that they earnestly trusted would not form a precedent ever to be followed again. Lord Salisbury hoped that the history of this case would not restrain their lordships from applying the remedy to abuses where they considered such abuses existed. 1633
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