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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 1241.PDF
DECEMBER 2, 1920 AVIATION IN PARLIAMENT • Coal Aston Aerodrome MR. HOLMES, in the House of Commons on November 19, asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the unused build- ings at the Coal Aston Aerodrome, near Sheffield ; and whether, in view of the present shortage of houses in the district, some habitable use can be made of them ? Dr. Addison : I understand that the buildings in question are still being used by the Air Ministry, but that they will be available for disposal at an parly date, and I am making enquiries as to the possibility of using them for housing purposes. Mail Contracts and Aviation IN the Commons on November 23, when the Postmaster-General (Mr Illingworth) asked for the approval of the House to the contract, dated November 11, 1920, between the Postmaster-General and the London and North-Western Railway Co. for_the conveyance of His Majesty's mails between Holyhead and Kingstown, from November 28, 1920, the question of aerial mails was discussed. Mr. Lindsay, referring to the period of the contract, said he could quite realise that the London and North-Western Railway Co. could hardly be expected to provide ships for a shorter period, but it appeared to him that, ' considering the advances that had been made during the last six or seven years, the mails to Ireland would probably be taken by air before twenty years had passed, and then this contract would have to be lapsed, or the service would have to run at a loss, because there was a clause providing that if the mails were diverted to other routes the contractors would have to submit to arbitration as to what abatement should be made in the subsidy. Lieut.-Comdr. Kenworthy : The vessels are of an extraordinarily useful type in war time. They were very useful in the last War, and made very handy transport steamers. But that ought not to blind us to the fact that Ihere is a great future for air transport of mails, and this route is ideal for that purpose, and without a doubt in quite a few years—I think within five years—the commercially most efficient method of carrying the mails, as regards speed and so on, .will be by air. I want to ask the Postmaster- General whether any commercial air companies were invited to tender for the carriage of mails by air either now or in the near future. I am very much afraid the Post Office is not nearly so alive to the importance and practicability - of carrying mails by air as other countries are and as they ought to be. The number of mails flown with letters by the mail-carrying aeroplanes in the United States is very great indeed. It is a regular thing between many of the . inland towns, and I am afraid our Post Office is lagging behind in this matter and is not putting forward its best efforts in research in this matter as we have a right to expect. This contract provides a subsidy of £100,000 a year for 20 years for carrying the mails between these two Governments, and that subsidy would be of extraordinary value to an aircraft company or group of companies who could form a syndicate for the purpose. A subsidy which is a moderate one for shipping is a very great subsidy for aircraft, because, for the distance covered and the time, aircraft are infinitely cheaper than water-borne traffic. The advantage commercially in favour of aircraft, either lighter or heavier than air, is getting greater and greater almost hourly as progress is made. It is a tremendous mistake if we have in any way bound ourselves in this contract to carry the mails by water for 20 years. I know in Clause 7, there is a rather complicated paragraph which says the Postmaster-General if he shall deem it expedient in the public interest that any new arrangement shall come into force whereby the quantity of mails or number of officers for the time being required to be conveyed shall be sub- stantially decreased, the contract may be modified and, I believe, even cancelled. There are provisions in Clause 28 for arbitration. Have the legal or business advisers of the Post Office been consulted as to whether an advan- tageous offer by an aeroplane or seaplane company could be considered in the public interest as a reason for annulling the contract and diverting part of the subsidy to air-borne mails ? The Government is giving wholly insufficient encouragement to the commercial development of aviation. The Minister for Air has also the Portfolio as Minister for War, and I feel he is too much engaged in aggressive activities to pay attention to the development of air matters, which I regret profoundly. Has the Post Office considered the possibility of the carriage of mails by air ? And the same thing applies to passengers and perishable goods. The big lighter-than-air craft have a lifting capacity of fifty tons, and big aeroplanes lift ten tons. In a few years' time, if we are still bound for 20 years to carry these mails by the Holyhead sea route, we will be the laughing-stock of the world. Lieut.-Col. Moore-Brabazon : This is not so simple a matter as might at first sight appear. Iu aviation I always think that we are falling into the mistake of presuming too much and giving too little, and that people will be discouraged with the whole subject unless we put the facts more fully before them. The whole question of air mails is a difficult one, because the aeroplane is not an efficient traveller at night, whereas the ordinary traffic across the sea goes on in the dark, and until we educate people to post their letters in the morning, which we shall never be able to do, then this evening service is as satisfactory a thing as one can get. In the London and Paris air service there is very little advantage. The needs of the community are met by the ordinary traffic. But, provided you do get a night service as well as a day service, there is no doubt that an air service can be useful in getting together letters from main sources and sending them on at once and avoiding a great deal of waste of time. The whole question of air mails is one which concerns the general policy of the Postmaster-General. Are you to look upon the carriage of mails as purely a business proposition, or can you use the money voted for the Post Office indirectly to benefit the nation in other ways ? We have been told recently by the military authorities, the chief of the Air Staff especially, that an efficient air force must necessarily depend on efficient commercial aviation. Therefore it is to the national advantage to see that somehow commercial aviation in this country should flourish. At present nothing is being done to encourage it. Though there have been recommenda- tions by advisory committees that there should be subsidies, these have not materialised, and in the present state of our finances I do not think they ever will. So commercial aviation looks to the Post Office as one of the few helps that it is ever likely to get. With regard to Ireland, I do think that a special appeal ought to be made to the Postmaster-General to do his best to try a service as soon as possible, because the difficulties between the two countries, which are largely centred on ethnological and other causes, owe a great part of their existence to the Irish Sea. If we could do away with that, there would be no Irish problem. The better we know each other the less likely we are to quarrel. By increasing the speed of communications we draw the two countries nearer together. I notice in this contract that Clause 7 allows the Postmaster-General practically to do what he likes with regard to breaking or changing the mode of transport. It is a most extraordinary clause, and seems to me to redound to the credit of the Postmastcr-G«neral. I think we ought to have a word from the Postmaster-General that, if possible, he will divert some of the mails along the new route. Mr. Illingworth : Lieut.-Comdr. Kenworthy referred to the question of air mails. I can assure him that this is not being overlooked by the Post Office. Air mails are at present more or less experimental. There are now air mails to Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, but the atmosphere is more favour- able for them. There is less cloud and fog than on the route from this countryto Ireland. In the United States of America, too, they are able to work under more favourable conditions. These distances over land are very muchgreater than is possible in this part of Europe, and in the case of landings they run much less danger. Not only that, but I would remind the hon. and gallant member that theessence of the Irish mail is that it should go by night. At present, of course, night flying cannot be done. I know it was done during the War underexceptional circumstances, but it cannot be expected to be done now, and in fact it is impossible to be done at the present moment. I have had con-siderable discussions with those interested in the flying industry, and they admit that, as far as that is concerned—the most important point for themail service—it is impracticable for the moment, and many of them are also of the opinion that they must depend more on the carriage of goods than onthe carriage of mails. Clause 7 has been referred to by vario'us hon. members. In case in the next 20 years the mail service by air becomes a practical proposition, there is provision made in this Clause for making a corresponding reduction in the amount paid to the London and North-Western RailwayCo. for the fewer mails they carry. The R.A.F. and the Navy and Army MAJOR GLYN, on November 24, asked the Prime Minister whether any representations have been made by the Board of Admiralty and by the Army Council that, on account of the vital importance of highly-trained and experienced airmen co-operating with the artillery of the Fleet and the Army, it is advisable to return to a system whereby there is belonging exclusively to the naval and military forces a section of airmen with adequate machines, stores, etc. ? Mr. Bonar Law : The answer is in the negative. The Admiralty view on this point was clearly expressed in the Notes on Naval Policy circulated with the last Navy Estimates, and I understand that the same view is taken by the Army Council. Imperial Aerial Service MAJOR GLYN asked the Prime Minister whether there is a distinct separatefuture for the air service, apart from its co-operation with either sea or land forces ; whether the expense and duplication of work of the Royal A.r Force iperial aerial service and co-oper Mr. Bonar Law : The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative ; to the second part that the present arrangements have been justified by results, and to the last part, in the negative. R.A.F. in Mesopotamia MR. GALBRAITH, on November 23, asked the Secretary of State for Air ' what is the present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Meso- potamia ? Mr. Churchill : The present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Mesopotamia is approximately £82,000. In Constantinople MR. KILEY asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the present -*• monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Constantinople ? Mr, Churchill: The present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Constantinople is approximately £4,000. Lieut.-Comdr. Kenworthy: Is there any hope of reducing this Air Force expenditure at Constantinople ? Mr. Churchill: I am entirely in the hands of the Great Powers in the matter. We have a certain force there which must be provided with its quota of aviation. In Egypt SIR THOMAS BRAMSDON asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the present monthly rate of expenditure on the Royal Air Force in Egypt ? Mr. Churchill: The present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Egypt is approximately £80,500. And In Palestine MR. TREVELYAN THOMSON asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Palestine ? Mr. Churchill: The present monthly rate of expenditure on the Air Force in Palestine is approximately £18,250. R.A.F. Establishment MAJOR GLYN on November 26 asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the ration strength of the Royal Air Force officers and other ranks on October 1 last, and what was the authorised establishment : whether officers of the Army are to be attached to the Royal Air Force, and for what period ; and whether it is intended that a suitable reserve for the Royal Air Force shall be trained, and fTom what source is it expected this personnel will be drawn ? Mr. Churchill submits the following particulars :— 1. The total strength of the R.A.F. on October 1, 1920, was as follows :— Officers, 2,812; other ranks, 23,862. 2. Numbers authorised in Air estimates for the year 1920 to 1921 were as follows :—-Officers, 3,059 ; other ranks, 26,519. These figures include provision or personnel whose demobilisation had not been effected at the commencement of the financial year. 3. A scheme has been agreed between the Air Council and the Army Council ~~ whereby officers will be seconded from one service to the other. A certain number of Army officers have already been seconded to the R.A.F. 4. Junior Army officers will be seconded for four years, but senior officers will be attached for short periods only. 5. It is proposed to form a Reserve for the R.A.F., and detailed regulations - concerning training are already well advanced. 6. The Reserve will be drawn from the following sources :— (a) Officers holding short service commissions who have completed their period of service on the active list, and permanent officers of the R.A.F. who may be permitted tOTetire or relinquish their commissions before reaching the compulsory retirement age of their rank. (4) Officers who, by the conditions of their entry into the R.N.A.S. or R.F.C., have a period of service in the Reserve to complete, and who may be allowed to complete such service in the R.A.F. Reserve: (c) A limited number of flying officers who have returned to civil life after service during the War. (d) Medical officers. (e) Other ranks who have completed their engagement with the regular Royal Air Force. Aeroplane, Croke Park, Dublin MR. ALLEN PARKINSON asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the aeroplane which circled over Croke Park on Sunday carried any armament; and whether there was any firing from the aeroplane on Sunday ? Mr. Churchill: I have been asked to reply to this question. The aeroplane carried her normal fixed equipment of one gun. No firing took place from the aeroplane. I may add that the machine was on patrol duty unconnected with the gathering at Croke Park, aud her gun was on this occasion partially dismantled. —, 1243
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