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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 1111.PDF
FLIGHT, OCTOBER 16, 1931 Many other kinds of oil and i. ; ase come from these works. 1 'ere was, for instance, another i; ,chine which fascinated me. •] it boy grasped a large collap- sii.le tube like an exaggerated t. othpaste tube, firmly in the left band by the screw top. This tube V.JS open at what we ignoramuses call the bottom. Into it was filled g"jase as it came, just the exact quantity, squirting through a nozzle. A jab with the unoffend- ing tube at the left-hand side of another machine slightly closes this end, and a moment's application to the centre of the machine completely closes it, rolls it over twice, and squashes it flat. An- other jab and a metal clamping strip is jammed on the flat part ; the tube is then ready for you to empty by " squeezing from the end!'' One fact, about which all hands are proud, is the fact that everything at Hayes is British. All the machines and equipment are British and the capital is British, which is a pleasing thought nowadays, when so many fac- tories in this country are being put up to enrich foreigners. EFFICIENCY: This British elevator raises the barrels from the store and delivers them to the wharf ready for transport by road in a fleet of lorries painted in the very familiar Wakefield green. The " Lab." is, of course, the sanctum sanctorum of the chief chemist, and in ii an- many closely guarded secrets about Castrol—and, I imagine, other oils! Here, even7 batch of oil has to be tested lor composition, purity, viscosity, specific gravity, carbon content, etc.. to see it is up to standard, and to ensure that if you get some XXL in Fimlico it will be exactly the same as that you can get in Jericho. 1 say can get, because 1 am sure you can, although I have never been there ; but the Wakelield organisa- tion sees to it that you will not have to change your brand of oil however much vou travel about the world. IMPERIAL AIRWAYS REPORT / III ' HE accounts of Imperial Airways for the year \^) || ended March 31 last, as disclosed in the Direc- III tors' Keport, read at the General Meeting on October 15, show a trading profit, after crediting subsidies, of £155,165, compared with £169,376 for 1929-30. A larger provision is necessary for obsolescence (£94,273, against £85,387), and also for insurance (£22,616, against £17,260), with the result that a sub- stantial reduction is shown in the net profit, which is £27,140, against £60,139. From the latter figure, how- ever, £25,000 was last year deducted for provision for taxation, but no deduction on that account is shown to be necessary on the present occasion. As already announced, it is proposed to pay, on October 29, a divi- dend of 3 per cent, for the year (against 5 per cent.), absorbing £14,041, while £2,500, as last year, is written off the item " Consideration for waiver of any claims by the Air Ministry for repayment of subsidy," and the carry- forward i;; increased from £20,957 to £31,556. European Services.—The report states that on the Euro- pean services, as would be expected, the steady rate of progress of traffic recorded each year since the inception of the company did not continue. The regular services were well supported, but the traffic offering was not suffi- cient to make it necessary to schedule as many additional services as in the past—and, broadly speaking, these addi- tional flights are naturally the most profitable. The effect of the lower traffic revenue has been counteracted to a large extent by substantial operating economies. England to India Service.—The total traffic carried on this service shows a satisfactory increase. Air mail despatched from all countries by this weekly service averaged during the year approximately 40,500 letters, compared with 34,200 letters per flight the previous year. During the year the western stages of this service followed the route through Central Europe, and the inconvenient connections involved for passengers, particularly during the winter months, together with the disturbed state of commerce in India, adversely affected the passenger traffic. The Italian Government has, however, now given provi- sional permission for the service to call again at certain Italian ports, and the route through Italy recommenced in May, 1931. England to Central Africa.—To comply with local re- quirements it was expedient to operate the African section of the England to Central Africa route through Imperial Airways (Africa), Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary. The company's service to Central Africa began on March 6, 1931, and therefore less than a month's active operations are included in the year under review. The extension of this service through to Capetown is expected to begin at the end of 1931. Generally-—Air fares and freights have been reduced in sympathy with the fall in values throughout the world, but the new aircraft operate at a lower cost per ton-mile than has ever yet been attained by the company. During the year the final call of 5s. a share was made on the ordinary shares, and the capital was increased by the allotment of 25,000 ordinary shares of £1 each to Cobham- Blackburn Air Lines as part consideration for the acquisi- tion of that company's interests in the African route. London-Paris Air Fares ALTHOUGH, owing to the depreciation in sterling, in- creases in fares continue to be necessary on foreign sections of rail-and-boat journeys between London and the Conti- nent, the winter air fares by Imperial Airways, on the Continental air routes, not only show no increase but are actually being reduced. By the " Silver Wing " air service to Paris it will not only be quicker, but also cheaper, to fly to the French capital from London than to travel by the fastest corresponding de-luxe surface transport. The single London-Paris air-fare is being reduced from £5 5s. to £4 12s. 6d. as against the present increased rail and boat fare of £5 8s. 2d. The reduced return London-Paris air fare is £8 15s. The journey by air, including the two motor-car connections between aerodromes and cities, is now accom- plished in 3 hr. 45 min., as compared with 6 hr. 40 min.by the fastest corresponding land-and-sea route. There are to be two winter air services in each direction between London and Paris, one leaving the London and Paris air ports at 8.30 a.m. and the other at 12.30 p.m. Return air tickets, available for 15 days, will be issued by the early morning service between London and Paris at a fare of £6 6s., and by the mid-day de-luxe service at 10s. extra. 1041
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