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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0178.PDF
MARCH IO, 1921 7o?oJ?n' • ^'H- l8> but my right nou- friend has not S'ven an orderan AiT<L "un.n8 tne War we said over and over again that the essential of institfit77"T " at you should keep your factories in existence. You cannotthe dvff factories by the wave of a magician's wand. You cannot get back l S staS "ecessary for making aeroplanes or air engines. You?>ep y0Ur factories going. Ours have almost disappeared. Mr. Holt f S IS Pract»caUy Sht h d l hi,=?> going. s e t . . tir^ .Pract»caU gone. Shorts, who made naval machines, are now 'i* on»mbuses, and have practically stopped doing air work. Sopwiths tS. rv f S° "p some few m0I»ths ago, and eight of their best men, including bv Ta ae«gner and the assistant works manager, have been taken over ment h: K T y gone therir> and are working for the Japanese Govera- ""?"•» wnicn, I may say, is spending far more money on aviation than we are.i» as strongly convinced as ever that the future success of any country i*"™1.111 ia the air. Whether the success will be Great Britain's willwspena entirely upon how the leaders of thought in the Cabinet deal with fatal"* t1' I Plead for civil aviation, not merely because I think it would be"iai to have no civil aviation lines while other countries have them, but uecause it will provide a reserve in personnel and on the factory side of aviationHIT our military aviation when we want to increase it. It cannot be increased on an emergency unless there are the factories and the reserves of men. If we7~ ample civilian air services, the pilots would provide an ample reserve t i;1? £y aviation, and could be called upon in a time of sudden emergencyto nu up the ranks of the military air service. If, however, you have no civilian air service today, if your men are going to Japan and your factories are shut "PT T3re y0U eoing to i ? o t thik h Tiy0U eoin exPan<i l really do not think that any more money is necessary. We are spending 11,000,000 on civil aviation, and £880,000 of that is being spent on organisa- tion, staff, meteorology, and so forth. What is the good of it unless you nave some air routes ? I have been against subsidies, but I have been forced, such is the position of the Air Service, to change my views, and say quite iranwy that I cannot see how, for the next year or two, we are to have a commercial air service without some subsidy. Kear-Admiral Adair: I associate myself with what was said by Sir W. Joynson-Hicks as to the lack of development and experiment in connection with the Naval Air Force. I believe that if it had been dealt with by the M'M y> ltS develoPlnen.t would have been greater. • k" "*ose'ev: The question 1 desire to dispute in these Estimates lies •"L realm of civ»l aviation and research. We find that over and above tne amount spent last year there is an increase of £336,326 in the amount WJ? t0 ?iVil aviation a*11* research, while on the military and mechanical • fi. M-15 an 'acrea?e °f £1,615,450, I only wish some of the increase 10 toe military expenditure could have been devoted to the more vital side 01 crvil aviation. That desire is enhanced when one studies the figures prevail- ing in-trance in this connection. France this year is allowing £3,400,000 to °ivr av'at'011 at the present exchange—on the real exchange, of course, fP° ; £7,000,000. £600,000 is devoted to aerial transport. In this country tne whole amount devoted to civil aviation is £880,000, while to aerial transport you are allocating the piteous sum of £60,000, with the result that now all the private companies in this country have been forced to close down. tlut even more serious than that is the fact that, compared with our great expenditure 00 the immediate military demands of the moment, we have allocated a very small sum indeed to experimental and research services. u 1 r researpl1 we find only £i>835,ooo. That really is the crux of the whole situation. After all, aerial matters are in their infancy. Types change from day to day. Far more swift than changes in the construction ofba |Jt\eships are changes in the construction of aeroplanes. Types become obsolete far more quickly. So in the light of these considerations, the ever- cbanging character of aerial discovery and aerial development, what is the use of expending our money on the immediate situation and starving research, which at any moment may throw out a new type which will not only render all existing aeroplanes entirely obsolete, but may revolutionise naval and military warfare ? Surely it cannot be impressed too strongly that this side of research, in the case of a science which is in its infancy, is everything. Compared with that nothing matters to anything like the same degree. I deplore most strongly not only the right hon. gentleman's utter failure to keep going civil aviation, on which in former days he informed us he intended to base the whole aerial power of the country, but the entire failure to allocate a proper sum or make proper provision for aerial research. I beg the right non. gentleman to turn his attention for a moment from the prospects of the next war to the immediate prospects of developing civil aviation and a research department by the aid of which in the future we might very possibly retain an aerial supremacy commensurate with that which we have maintainedin the past. Mr. Denniss said that during the war we were never supreme in the air.We were superior, but not supreme in the air. What is the present constitu- tion of the Air Force ? It is the very minimum that can possibly be pro-vided, and simply on account of the present crare for economy. Economy is vital. Let us have economy by all means, but economy at the expenseof national safety is a crime, or very near it. We have an irreducible minimum Air Force at the present time. It is totally inadequate for war.What would happen if we were plunged into another war in the next few years ? How would the right hon. gentleman expand the Air Force ? Fromwhat quarter would he draw his reserves ? Can he answer that question ? I shall be very much surprised if he can, unless he answers it in this way :that he would look to the creation of a large and successful mercantile air fleet in the same way that the Navy looked upon our immense mercantili-marine, which comprised more than one-half of the total tonnage of the world, as the source from which to draw good men. Without them whereshould we get our reserve of pilots, our mechanics, our designers, our factories ready to produce the large amount of aeroplanes that would be required ?Mr. Churchill says in connnection with the Air Force that there are no fewer than 54 industries to be studied and practised and employed, andthe amount of scientific knowledge that has to be brought to bear he describes as being very great. Every argument that he put forward with regardto the fighting force applies equally to the commercial air force. Those 54 industries will be all required for the commercial air force, and in thoseindustries you will have the means in time of war, which may be sooner than the.right hon. gentleman or the country expects, of expanding the Air Force,and in that you will have a large reserve. I wish that we could have a commercial air fleet which would providea proper reserve for the defence of the country. Let us have if necessary a Supplementary Estimate for the purpose which I have mentioned. I saythis because -the Air Force is the most economical force which we can have. The right hon. gentleman has admitted that it saves an enormous number oftroops in the field, particularly in countries like Mesopotamia and India. So we might very well commend it to the country on the ground of economy.Lieut.-Com. Kenworthy said : I am sorry that an hon. and gallant Member talks of the naval wing dropping off the bird of the Air Ministry and beingtaken up by the Admiralty. 1 hope there is no such intention. If the Air Service gets once more under the deadening hand of the Admiralty,Heaven help them ! The Admiralty will strangle development, and to takt this step would be to take the most retrograde step possible. The futunof flying for the next few years will depend, as regards sea warfare, on efficient carriers. Owing to the short range of action of seaplanes, you have to relyon the right type of carrier. The question of civil aviation has been dealt with very fully, J regrttalso that last year we managed to save £500,000, which was voted by this House for civil aviation, but owing to neglect of some sort was not applitdto that purpose, with the fatal result that we see today in the closing down of so many aeroplane firms.Mr. Churchill, in reply, said that the tenor of nearly all the speeches has been a reproach of the Government for not spending more money on the air, citherin its military or its civil branch. Some have wished for a different allocatioi between one branch and another. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks wishes for a differentallocation which would facilitate further the development of civil aviation without in any way prejudicing the importance of military aviation. Thatmeans, I presume, that he would be in favour of spending more money. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks : I referred to the fact that £88o,cco has been spenton civil aviation and a great deal of it on bricks and mortar. It was tb<- better allocation of that sum for which I asked.Mr. Churchill: With the one exception of my hon. fritnd it is quite trm that the general trend of the comments during the debate was criticismbecause we are not doing more. Mr. Bonar Law, in regard to a full discussion upon the return of the AirMinister from Egypt, said : I would make the suggestion that, after tlw comparative short discussion which we have had, if the Committee will giv friend. I think that is doing everything we can do to meet the convenienceand wishes of the House, and I hope they will consider it reasonable. To which the House agreed. THE ROYAL ; • —• -" V - ."'"•• • London Gazette, March 1 Permanent CommissionsThe following are granted permanent commissions with effect from the dates indicated, retaining their present rank and seniority, except whereotherwise stated. Gazettes of dates indicated, appointing these officers to short service commissions, are cancelled :—PU.-Lieut.—D. Stewart, M.C., A.F.C. ; Oct. 24, 1919. Since promoted. Plying Officers.—H. N. Hampton, D.F-C.; Oct. 24, 1919. L. N. Holling-hurst, D.F.C. ; Dec. 12, 1919. R. W. G. West; Sept. 16, 1919. Flying Offr. W. E. Theak is granted a permanent commn. in the rankstated, retaining his original sen.; May 28, 1920. Gazette of June 8, 1920, appointing this officer to a short service commn., is cancelled.The following Flying Officers are restored to the active lists from half-pay :— C. L. King ; March 4. W. M. Yool; Feb. 15.Flying ofir. E. E. Turner, D.F.C., is placed on half-pay, Scale B, from Feb. 5 to Feb. 10 inclusive (substituted for Gazette, Feb. 18). Observer Offr.P. C. Campbell-Martin, M.C., is dismissed the Service by sentence of General Court-Martial; Jan. 5. Fit.-Lieut. R. G. Mack relinquishes his permanentcommn. on account of ill-health contracted in the Service, and is permitted to retain the rank of Capt.; Feb. 19.I Stores BranchFlying OSr. L. H. Vernon is granted a permanent comma., retaining his present rank and sen.; Juue 17, 1920. Flying Offr. F. J. Cooke is granteda permanent comma., retaining his present rank and sen.; June 17, 1920. Gazette, Jan. 28, appointing this officer to a short service comma., is cancelled.Flying Offr. J. Baxter is placed on the retired list; Feb. 26. Short Service CommissionsThe following are granted short service commns. with effect from the date s indicated, retaining their present rank and sen.:—Plying Officers.—S. E. Adams; Feb. 1 (substituted for Gazette Feb. 15). AIRFFORCE G. R. Burge; Feb. 10. E. A.'Locke-Waters; Feb. 17. H. D. O'Neill,A.F.C. ; Aug. 1, 1919 (forjthree years on the active list). Re-secondingGazette, Apr. 27, 1920, re-seconding Flying Ofir. H. D. O'Neill, A.F.C, to the R.A.F., for two years, is cancelled. Flying Branch -• -- The following relinquish their temp, commns. on appointment to T.I Reserve, and are permitted to retain the rank of Lieut.:—Lieut. R. «• J-. Thompson; Sec. Lieut. (Hon. Lieut.) E. Lawson. Administrative Branch Lieut. B. W. Blower relinquishes his temp, commn. on appt. to T.F- R<*•> and is permitted to retain his rank. Sec. Lieut. H.Davies relinquishes his temp, commn. on ceasing to be enlpld.; Aug. 10, 1918. Gazette, Jan. £t, 1919, relating to this officer, is cancelled. Techincal BranchCapt. and is(actg. Jtands. MemorandaFour Cdts. are granted hon. commns. as Sec. Lieuts., with effect from the date of their demobilisation. London Gazette, March 4 Flying BranchLieut, (actg. Capt.) -W. H. Demel, D.F.C., relinquishes his temp, comnin- on appointment to T.F., and is permitted to retain the rank of Capt. Lieut.V. M. C. B. de Sarigny relinquishes his temp, coinmn. on appointment to a commn. in the Army (June 2, 1920): substituted for Gazettes, May 21, 1920'and Aug. 13, 1920. I78
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