FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0395.PDF
FEBRUARY 13, 1936. FLIGHT. 177 "The total British export trade in 1934 of this industry oas about 25 per cent, of the productive capacity then devoted to Air Ministry work. That represents an important margin of reserve productive capacity, and, in fact, the margin of productive capacity is rather higher than that when all factors are taken into account. This trade is essential to an industry which is subject to considerable fluctuations in turn over. It provides employment, and if this country lost the trade i( would go elsewhere." In the matter of civil air transport it was stated: — "While the Society believes that there will be still greater and "reater development in civil air transport it considers that that development will only come by way of freedom from restrictions and by education and demonstration. If by jnternationalisation of air transport is meant international con trol the society must say that it cannot visualise the satis factory working of a body under international or League o: Rations control; and the same remarks apply to a national body subject to international control. What, in the opinion of the Society is required, is freedom from the international restrictions which at present hamper air transport." • Allegations Denied The memorandum then dealt with other evidence which had been submitted to the Commission, and proceeded :— "Certain allegations have been made with which the Society must deal. "It is stated that the vested air armament interest has, by means of a long-period campaign of propaganda, succeeded in leading the organised air interests of the country to believe that the policy of air disarmament is foolish, impracticable and detrimental tc British interests. This complaint is mainly based on the statement that the aircraft industry supports certain trade journals by advertising in them. The industry does advertise in these trade journals and is quite prepared to believe that without these advertisments the trade journals could not survive. In fact, however, the industry deprecates publication in a trade journal of matters which belong to the sphere of politics, a subject with which, in the opinion of the Society a trade journal should not deal, more particularly so in relation tc international affairs. It is easy to say that the industry has the remedy in its own hands and could solve the problem by withholding advertising : but the solution is not so easy as that. "The Society suggests that exaggerated importance is attached to this question of advertising. No public informa tion is available as to the circulation of the journals in question, but it is thought that the circulation is not such as, in the opinion of the Society, would materially influence general public opinion; while the suggestion that everybody, from the Air Minister downwards, would take his views on political matters from a trade journal cannot be accepted." The conclusions of the S.B.A.C. were summed up in the following passage •— "The history of the war shows that reliance on State design nearly led tc disaster and that when State design and control broke down it was the farsightedness of private enterprise which saved the situation. Reversion to State design or con trol in an industry which is obliged by progress in design and knowledge to cop6 with increasingly complex problems would be a retrograde step and would gravely impair the air poten tialities of the country." When Mr. C. V. Allen nad finished his outline of the past history and present objects of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors, witnesses were questioned. These included Sir Robert McLean, chairman of the S.B.A.C., Mr. C. R. Fairey, head of the Fairey Aviation Company, Mr. F. Handley Page, managing director of the firm which bears his name, and Lt.-Col. L. F. R. Fell, of Armstrong Siddeley. Professor Gutteridge. acting chairman of the commission, asked about the position with reference to the export of military aircraft to foreign countries. Mr. Fairey explained that the grip of the Air Ministry on the aircraft industry was such that not a single military machine could be exported without the full knowledge of the Air Ministry. The system of "approved firms " ensured complete control. Concerning the possibility of converting civil into military aircraft, Mr. Fairey stated that the design of long-range. bombers approximated to that of long-range passenger machines. If other types of military aircraft were abolished, the risk of conversion would be increased. This view was also confirmed by Mr. Handley Page. With reference to new inventions, Mr. Handley Page ex plained, in reply to questions by Sir Philip Gibbs, that if a new invention was adopted by the Air Ministry it could bo kept secret under the Official Secrets Act. Sir Philip Gibbs said that perhaps the main charge against the British Aircraft Industry was that the firms acted to gether and formed a kind of friendly ring in order to establish prices. This wac refuted bv Mr. Fairey with the remark, "Completely untrue." Sir Robert McLean agreed. The question of selling engines to Germany was also raised, and Sir Robert McLean stated that, as the engines were sold to Germany w'ith the permission of the British Government, he assumed there was no danger to be expected on that score. To Dame Rachel Crowdv's statement that the accusation had been made that the technical delegates at Geneva opposed total air disarmament, Sir Robert McLean replied that he took it that the delegates were carrying out the instructions of their Government. Finally, it is interesting to note the terms of reference under which the Commission has been called : " (1) To consider and report upon the practicability and desirability (both from the national and international point of view) of the adoption (a) by the United Kingdom alone, (b) by the United Kingdom in conjunction with the other countries of the world, of a prohibition of private manufacture of and trade in arms and munitions of war, and the institution of a State monopoly of such manufacture and trade. " (2) To consider and report whether there are any steps which can usefully be taken to remove or minimise the kinds of objections to which private manufacture is stated in Article 8 (5) of the Covenant of the League of Nations to be open. " (3) To examine the present arrangements in force in the United Kingdom relative to the control of the export trade in arms and munitions of war, and to report whether these arrangements require revision, and, if so, in what directions." FOR BLIND-FLYING TRAINING alth nSW ^"''es Nighthawk has an ingenious arrangement of hoods by which the pupil is prevented from seeing the horizon, lough he can see, and fly by, the instruments fitted to the dash. The instructor retains a very wide angle of view. In the spring the Nighthawk will become available as a luxurious four-seater. (Flight photograph.)
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
