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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2262.PDF
536 FLIGHT NOVEMBER 15TH, 1945 NATIONALISATION always by enterprising individuals. Hequoted from a previous speech by Lord Winster in which the importance of ex-port was stressed; and pointed out that air transport formed one of the invisibleexports necessary to balance our imports. EARL AMHERST pleaded for the earlyestablishment of an overall Civil Air Navigation Control; hoped that theradar adopted for civil flying would be the "Gee" system which was availableand British; criticised the temporary arrangement of using Croydon and partof Northolt while Heathrow was being finished; pleaded that some machineryshould be devised (possibly by B.O.A.C. acting temporarily) for engaging per-sonnel immediately, otherwise there would be long delays while legislationwas being prepared. • LORD SEMPILL called attention to thefact that air transport made little head- way in America from 1919 to 1931.Then came the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Civil Aeronautics Authority, andmatters took a very different turn. He had hoped that the Minister would havetaken some note of the U.S.A. experi- ence and tried to create a similarorganisation here. He criticised the use of Hum for transatlantic passengersand suggested that Prestwick had the facilities and could be linked with Lon-don by an air shuttle service in two • hours. He regretted that the A.T.A. hadbeen disbanded. It had a number of experienced pilots and a* first-classground organisation. On the technical side Lord Sempill ad-vocated that the Minister should take steps to ensure that all future air trans-port machines should be powered by gas turbine units, a field in which GreatBritain held the lead. He would like to know if a certain number of small air-craft might be made available for private flying, and whether the Minister wouldsay if it was intended to continue and increase the subsidies to clubs. Atpresent firms were given no encourage- ment to build new light types, yet theexport of such types would help and would "show the flag." LORD SHERWOOD wanted to knowwhat B.O.A.C. was costing the country. There were now to be three corporations.1and they would cost a great deal of ~ money. He could not see that three cor-porations were going to be of real benefit in working civil aviation. - Let it be; under one head, he suggested, and if necessary have separate divisions. Hewould like to know the terms of refer- ence of the tribunal, and whether it wasgoing to have an independent chairman. Certain aerodromes were to be taken over.He would like to know what was being done to see that those not taken overwould have the same benefits,. One could not have some flying safe, some fairlysafe, and some dangerous. He did not believe that it was only by private enter-prise that public work could be success- fully carried out, but a great deal de-volved on the Minister. ' It was up to him to choose people with real initiative.If he failed in that the whole scheme would fail. As for civil aviation nowhaving the same equality as the R.A.F. and Fleet Air Arm, if the Ministry ofAircraft Production, were concerned he would not mind, but he was not happyabout aviation being handed over to the Ministry of Supply. New Blood for B.O.A.C. ? LORD MORRIS did not welcome the useof Prestwick, which was 400 miles from London. He was deeply interested inHeathrow,- "a fog-bound piece of land near Slough, which has cost the taxpayerquite a lot of money," and asked for full information about it. He suggested thatthe Minister should look into the suita- bility of Langston Harbour, near Ports-mouth, where he would have at once at his disposal both a land and a marineairport. Lord Morris next turned to B.O.A.C. He wanted to know what theMinister had meant when he said he would "strengthen" the board. Thetime for injections had passed, and the proper thing to do was to scrap it en-tirely, allow Mr. Marchbank to return to his trade union, Sir Harold Howitt to -his accountancy, Mr. Simon Marks to his department stores, and Miss Pauline*Gower to her husband. We had reached a stage when B.O.A.C. must be adminis-tered by people in the industry, or who had an intimate knowledge of the indus-try. How much longer, he asked, was the taxpayer to pay the salaries ofBrigadier-General Critchley and his asso- ciates? The Government should getback into the service of the country some of the very able technicians who had leftor been discharged, men like Woods- Humphery, Burchall, Dismore, Walker, Mayo, Burke, Handover and Waugh.These men had been replaced by people who, if his information was con-pet, weretotally unfitted for their posts." LORD WINSTER, replying to thedebate, said surface interests would take a larger view of their public responsi-bilities than Lord Swinton had credited them with. He was opposed to thesealed-pattern form of management, and wanted several methods of approach. Asfor ordering aircraft, he wanted operators and manufacturers to be in the veryclosest touch. He recalled that B.O.A.C.' had operated one of the most difficultair routes in the world successfully and ' without partners. If one publicly ownedcorporation could do that, he failed to understand why other corporationsshould not be able to make a success of their work. Lord Rennell had asked howpassenger allocation to air and shipping was to be effected. The passengers them-selves would do that. Traffic returns would show how many wished to travelby each method, and the capacities would be adjusted accordingly. To Lord Balfour he would say thatpublic ownership was not to be an over- riding consideration, putting safetysecond. He regretted the reference to "phoney" boards, and as for not inter-fering in administration, he was willing to substitute the word "management."As for charter flying, Lord Winster said he had made it clear that he did not wishto knock private flying on the head.' Lord Reith had asked several questions.The corporations would be allowed to do business direct with other concerns. Heregarded that as coming under the head- ing of day-to-day management. He saidthe Minister would be fully accessible to. the chairmen of the corporations. Thesuggestion of something in the nature of * a Civil Aviation Board would be takeninto consideration. Replying to Lord Londonderry, theMinister said there were interim agree- ments by which they allowed the Ameri- ~~can Government to come in. They wished to facilitate this in every way andwere doing their best to secure the most suitable airports for their reception. Other points from Lord Winster's replyare: B.O.A.C. intended to operate a transatlantic air service via Prestwick.The number of services would depend upon the traffic offering. The Swedeshad asked permission to use Prestwick for a series of experimental flights over theAtlantic this winter, and permission had been given. Scottish services would beoperated by one of the corporations, and full advantage would be taken of theexperience existing in Scotland. He was conscious of the need for more aero-dromes than Northolt, and he was out to get more. The Secretary of State for Airwas' being extremely helpful. VISIBLE EXPORT : The first of the four civil-version Sunderlands ordered by the South American shipping line Compania Argentina de Navegacion Dodero is launched at the Short and Harland works at Queen's Island, Belfast, by Senora de Dodero, wife of the shipping line's chairman. As far baok as 1943, Mr. Evelyn Baring went to Buenos Aires to discuss the possi- bilities of British aircraft, and within a few days of V.E.-Day the Dodero line was able to confirm the purchase of the four Sunderlands.
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