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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1178.PDF
FLIGHT MAY 6TH, 1943 Where the Money Goes Factory Built on Fires and Other "Illuminating" Matters Qleaned from Official White Papers TIE war is costing some ^15,000,000 a day. That wasthe figure recently mentioned fay the Chancellor ofthe Exchequer, who also indicated that it still had a distinct tendency to go on rising. One fully appreciates, of course, the enormous complexity of conducting a war of global magnitude, the financial ramifications of which probably no^ne person could be expected fully to grasp. That a certain amount of wastage is inevitable under such conditions can hardly be denied; nothing remains constant for any appreciable length of time, and when estimating must be done, operational requirements and speedy production of necessary supplies are far and away more important than the cost in pounds sterling. Nevertheless, considerable thought, effort and time is expended in trying to ensure a reasonable degree of economy as the recent issue of two '' White Papers'' clearly indicates. These papers are the Civil Appropria- tion Accounts and the Seventh Report from the Select Committee on National Expenditure, and while experts whose job it is to explain (and excuse?) all those things which the harassed taxpayer might, in his ignorance, regard as avoidable waste, will undoubtedly have an answer to all of them, there are certain items which the ordinary Man-in-the-Street will persist in regarding with a distinctly critical eye. The Week's Prize Story Pride of place among things which the casual reader will be tempted to condemn out of hand as bordering on sheer ineptitude is the now celebrated case of the Factory Built Upon Fires—a choice example of seemingly official blundering which hit the headlines with a bang. In the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General contained in the Civil Appropriation Accounts, this illu- minating (in more than one sense) disclosure is headed, with becoming moderation, "Unsuitable Factory Site," and it explains how a £1,000,000 agency factory was " erected on a requisitioned site which consisted of made- up ground composed mainly of combustible waste material which had not become fully consolidated." Apparently it had not become fully combusted, either, for shortly after production had begun, an underground fire was dis- covered. The managing firm tried to deal with this in- convenient form of central heating, but- more fires broke out and some of the factory buildings started to settle. For some six months, it appears, the unfortunate manage- ment struggled with the problem of trying to keep the fires down and the factory up, and then the Ministry of Aircraft Production, doubtless suffering a twinge of conscience, since it was responsible for the choice of site, took on the job of "combating the fire," which was patently beyond the scope of the local-N.F.S., and with dealing with the subsidences to "secure the stability of the whole factory." Somewhat Expensive This little job, the report announced, called for " a comprehensive scheme" running into at least ^656,000 of the country's money, and by September last ,£440,000 of this had already -been spent; the report finally admits that "it is not yet possible to frame a final estimate of the expenditure which may ultimately be involved."' The writer does not feel equal to making comment which shall be adequate and yet not infringe those standards of good taste upon which FlighJ, justly prides itself. If the reader will turn back to "The Outlook" pages, he will find the Editor's considered opinion on the matter. Compared with this astonishing affair, however, the fact that a number of landing grounds were expected to cost • ^1,500,000 instead of the original estimate of ^580,000, because of later extensive alterations, hardly seems to matter since it can be put down to unforeseeable changes in operational needs. Neither does the Select Committee's' report on National expenditure provide anything so start- ling. This paper, in fact, is notable for the amiable accept- ance by the Air Ministry and the M.A.P. for almost every recommendation made to them. Broadly speaking, the Ministry concerned either accepts it in principle but ex- plains why it does not put it into practice, or it bears in mind, or it intimates that the recommended course has already been adopted—all of which will provide food for thought for those who dare to question the usefulness of Select Committees! THE LOCKHEED.VEGA VENTURA FURTHER details of the Lockheed-Vega Ventura medium bomber, which was illustrated by a page ofphotographs in Flight of January 21st, have now been officially released. Amilitary version of the Lodestar, the Ventura is an all-metal mid-wing designvery similar in its general appearance to the Hudson. The Ventura I is powered by a pairof Pratt and Whitney R.2800 S.1A.4/G engines, each developing a maximumoutput of 1,850 h.p., and the Ventura II has the later R.2800 2SB/G engines,each of 2,000 h.p. Both types are, of course, 18-cylinder "Double Wasp "units, and are fitted with Hamilton Hydromatic c.s. airscrews. With a top speed of 300 m.p.h., a cruising speed of 260 m.p.b., and a maximum range ofapproximately 1,000 miles, the Ventura weighs 26,000 lb. gross and carries a crew of four. Its maximum bomb load is2,500 )b., and the defensive armament consists of either eight or ten guns disposed as follows: Two 0.5111. fixed forward-firing guns in the upper part of the fuselage forward of the flight station, and two o.3O3in. guns in the nose (described byM.A.P. as " depressible"), all of which are electrically This flying view of the Ventura shows the positions of the aorsai and under turrets which quickly distinguish it from the Hudson. * operated by the pilot; two 0.303111. guns in the under-tumt and either two or foul o.3O3in. guns in the Boulton Paul dorsal turret. Dimensions are: Span 65ft. 6in., length 52ft. 7|in> height 14ft. 2in., span of tailplane 25ft. ioin., noimal wing area 551 sq. ft., wing area with flaps extended 619 sq. ft. A description of the assembly methods employed on Venturas at the Vega plant appears in the current issue (May) of our associated journal, Aircraft Production.
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