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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0348.PDF
Alcfe MAY 29, 1924 IN PARLIAMENT THE GOVERNMENT AIRSHIP POLICY IN the House of Lords on May 21 Lord Thomson, Secretary of State for Air, in reply to Lord Gorell, who asked the Government whether they were in a position to make a statement as to their airship policy and moved for Papers, said that in the first place he would repeat the assurance of the Prime Minister in the House of Commons last week that His Majesty's Government recognised fully the necessity on Imperial, commercial, naval, and military grounds for proceeding with the development of lighter-than-air vessels. As a nation we could not lag behind either France or the United States in this respect ; in fact, our need was greater than that of any other country. An improve ment of Imperial communications which would bring India within seven days and Australia within 14 days of our shores was obviously a matter of extreme importance. If airships could be operated in all climates, and under even adverse weather conditions, there would not only be a great commercial future for them, but by their means it might be possible to effect considerable economies in the naval and air estimates. The late Govern ment had decided to develop airship construction by private enterprise, and negotiations with that end in view had been carried to an advanced stage with Commander Burney, who had put forward what was called the Burney Scheme. One of the first things which he did when he became Secretary of State for Air was to investigate the Burney Scheme. A Sub-Committee of the Cabinet was set up whose conclusions formed the basis of the state ment which he was making to their lordships that day. Lord Thomson went on to give an outline of the Burney scheme, and, proceeding, he said that for a period of at least seven years, which might have been extended to eight, because he questioned whether the first ship would have been built within 12 months, £2,800,000 was to be paid under the Burney Scheme in subsidies. For that sum six airships were to be constructed—say, for the purposes of calculation, £350,000 a ship, leaving £700,000 for ground facilities, sheds, mooring masts, etc. According to his advisers, £350,000 was a fair price for the first ship, but in the case of subsequent ships many of the same materials, the same sheds, gas plant, and so on might be used, and, in view of that, £350,000 seemed a rather excessive price. Moreover, these ships, under the Burney Scheme, remained the property of the company that built them. Further, than that the company had a free lease of the valuable properties at Cardington and Pulham, which were perhaps the finest proper ties of their kind in the world. For a subsequent period of eight years, £2,000,000 was to be paid in fees. For that sum six airships would be operated on the Indian route, but those ships would only be available for other pur poses in return for special charter rates. During the whole currency of the agreement—namely, 15 years—a total sum was to be payable from public funds of £4,800,000, to which must be added the value of the properties at Cardington and Pulham, as well as the airships, machinery, and plant at those stations. A conservative estimate of their total value would be £500,000, which was the sum mentioned in the agreement, the option price. It was proposed, under the Burney Scheme, that half the net profits of the company each year should be set aside for the purpose of repayment of the subsidies, and security was provided in the shape of debentures not bearing interest. It had been calculated that at least 60 years would be required with profits averaging 20 per cent, per annum before the total amount of £3,300,000 would be repaid. At the end of the 15 years' period the company would have a virtual monopoly in view of the immense sums of public money with which it had been endowed, and its possession of the unique stations at Cardington and Pulham. As he saw it, the company would have become, under the original agreement, almost a State Department—disposing of these enormous sums merely on the fulfilment of certain not very onerous conditions. Proceeding, Lord Thomson said the group would have become the one and only airship provider in the country*, and, provided conditions were fulfilled, would have enjoyed complete freedom with regard to contracts with other Powers and a most enviable independence of Treasury control. It would have had money and time enough to disregard all rivals in the commercial world and fix its own prices. In practice control by the Government would merely have extended to insisting on certain results being forthcoming at the end of three years. Once committed to an enterprise of this nature, it would have been very difficult for any Government to extricate itself. Another objection to the scheme was that expert opinion in the Air Ministry was not satisfied with certain technical matters at the stage the negotiations had reached when the present Government came into office. The grear* technical objection taken was the fact that Commander Burney did not propose to construct what the Air Ministry thought suitable ground facilities in India and at intermediate stages. He had thought of utilising the untried method of mooring masts, which the Air Ministry experts thought would have involved unwarrantable risks. Justice, however, demanded that he should refer to the advantages of the Burney Scheme. Under its provisions there might have been a fleet of six airships within seven and fourteen years, and the presumption was that a not inconsiderable sum of private money staked in the success of the enterprise might have served as an incentive to energetic effort. The enthusiastic optimism and driving power of Commander Burney had been remarkable. He had kept alive interest in airship development when others doubted, though in his (Lord Thomson's) opinion he took too much for granted. In this sort of enterprise there was a commercial risk and a technical risk. In regard to the commercial risk, he found a very widespread opinion that until airships had been properly " tried out " and their safety and convenience proved, they were not likely to be of much commercial value. Many of the leading firms likely to be interested in airship construction had for this and other reasons held back. In these circumstances, some form of State assistance was essential to encourage that form of enterprise. In the case of subsidies the sums must be very large both during the constructional stage and the later, in order to induce constructors to start work. If, on the other hand, the work of building the airships were undertaken by the Government, then the Government would have to make itself responsible for the costly and unremunerative stage of experiment and research. When the practicability of airships had been proved there was little doubt in his mind, and in the minds of his advisers, that a number of firms would come forward, and that the industry would be put upon a national and, indeed, an Imperial basis. Continuing to outline the scheme which the Government proposed to put into effect, Lord Thomson said : In the first place the Air Ministry will proceed with airship research, including flying trials, full-scale trials with one of the existing ships, which will be reconditioned for the purpose. It will also construct at Cardington an airship of the capacity of about 5,000,000 cubic ft., an increase of 2,250,000 cubic ft. on the size of the largest airship hitherto constructed in this country. In designing this vessel regard will be had to service requirements, including naval recon naissance. The Air Ministry will also undertake the provision of the necessary ground facilities in England and in India, and in some intermediate stages, for the accommodation of ships of these dimensions. I cannot say precisely at the moment where these intermediate stations will be fixed. Simul taneously we propose—provided satisfactory arrangements can be concluded —that the Air. Ministry shall place a contract with the interest represented by Commander Burney for the construction of an airship, also of the size of 5,000,000 cubic ft., this ship being designed for commercial purposes. What data may become available as the result of the programme of research and experiment to be carried out by the Ministry will be placed freely at Commander Burney's disposal, and at the same time the Air Ministry hopes to get useful data from Commander Burney's part of the experiment. In fact, we hope to pick each other's brains. Commander Burney has done a great deal of useful work—a great deal of experiment. We hope, as a Department, to get some benefit from it. We are already in negotiation with Commander Burney, and I am not at all unhopeful that we may be able to conclude a satisfactory agreement. Failing agreement with his group, the same offer will be extended to other airship constructors. I think your lordships will agree that Commander Burney's past services in regard to airship development deserved some recognition. The form that recognition has taken is to make him the first offer of the construction of a commercial airship. At the same time this offer in no way gives him a monopoly ; on the other hand, airship con structors in the later stages of development will be invited to make their tenders, and will equally have the benefit of the research and experimental work carried out by the Air Ministry. Lastly, we propose to provide for the Burney interest to take over this ship from the Air Ministry at a reduced price in the event of their requiring it for the operation of an improved commercial airship service. In regard to design, to ensure proper co-ordination two Advisory Boards are to be set up. The first of these boards is to deal with the proper aspects of airship development and will comprise representatives of the Treasury. Admiralty, War Office, Air Ministry, Colonial Office, and Post Office. The second board will be purely technical in character, and will include repre sentatives of the Air Ministry, Admiralty, and War Office, and will have power to co-opt outside experts if thought desirable. This second board will be the consultant body for the construction of both ships. Certain questions affecting the training of personnel and the relations between the Admiralty and Air Ministry in regard to airship development are being referred to the Committee of Imperial Defence. These proposals should enable two airships to be placed in commission in a shorter period than under the original scheme. The Government ship and the commercial ship will be laid down simultaneously. It will also result in the maintenance of two separate airship manufacturing plants and other ground facilities on a scale which will admit of rapid expansion. Moreover, the existing airship stations will remain State property instead of passing into private hands. As regards the financial aspect of the scheme under these proposals, it will not be necessary to incur from the outset very heavy commitments. A three years' programme only will be authorised in the first instance, and no decision will be necessary as to further developments until this programme is nearing completion. The estimated net expenditure involved during the three years will not exceed £1,200,000. Proceeding, the noble lord dealt with some criticisms which might be made against the Government's scheme. Dealing with that of value for money, he said that for the money to be expended the Government would provide in less than three years' time extended experiment and research which should be of the greatest value and which would clear up many points of airship construction which at present were obscure. In addition, an air highway to the East would be provided suitable for airships of the largest size, with harbour accommodation and repair facilities, which would be open to all. These facilities of the air highway were absent from the first stage of the original Burney scheme. All this, he contended, was real value for money, and was an indispensable preliminary to what might eventually become an Imperial, and even a world-wide, airship service. He admitted frankly that the scheme was a comprefnise, but with good will it should become a fruitful compromise. If they could develop Imperial communications and foreign communica tions by means of airships they would be able not only to remove unemploy ment in this country, but they would be able to make this island a great air port, as it bad been a great seaport in the past. Further, they would build up reserves of men and material whose value to the country there was no need to stress. It was largely for those reasons that commercial airship construction had been linked up with Government airship construction from the outset. In this matter both patience and imagination were necessary. His own vision was not sufficiently distant to enable him to see the time when the debentures would be paid ; but he did often have visions of what aviation would be in the future. He could even foresee the time when noble lords would leave that House on gliders with light engines and wend their way- westward along the Thames, northward to Scotland and southward to Hampshire and Kent. The point he wished to make was that they would need a rest, and perhaps they might call in on one of these giant airships floating serenely and safe high up and far removed from the terrestrial dirt and noise. Under a private enterprise scheme there would be no guarantee about those airships. Under the scheme which the Government put forward each airship would have a certificate of airworthiness. In three years' time he hoped and believed that they would have accomplished much in the way of airship research, and that they would have two airships based upon that research suitable for their respective function? in the future. He trusted those ships would represent the greatest advance yet made in this form of aviation. In ten years' time he hoped to see at least half a dozen airship constructors competing for orders in this country and building up a great and growing industry, serving the purposes of Imperial communications, bringing the peoples of the Empire and of the world closer together, and carrying mails and freight. The scheme he put forward thai day was far from perfect ; it was tentative and experimental, but he believed that it was the shortest way to the consummation he had indicated. It might or it might not prove somewhat slower, but it ran fewer risks than any scheme yet presented, and it would, he trusted, provide a broad foundation whereon to build. The Marquess of Salisbury said, while he did not wish to depreciate the efforts His Majesty's Government were making for the provision of an airship service, he did not think their plan was quite so good as the plan of the late Government. The Duke of Atholl contended that the Government were most unwise to expend £1,200,000 on an experiment of their own when a private company was willing to make it for £400,00(1. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu said that if the journey to India could be shortened to three or four days and the journey to Australia to seven or eight days it would be a magnificent thing for the Empire, and that object was so important that it was worth any risk to attain it. The Earl of Balfour asked if the Government contemplated that the airships built in the future for commercial purposes should be built in this country, or if the Government intended to carry out the doctrine of Free Trade and allow all nations to supply us with them. 348
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