THE IMPERIAL SCHEME.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9566, 28 July 1921, Page 5

THE IMPERIAL SCHEME.

FORECAST OF THE REPORT

li'er Ftdt>s Asuociatiuu (Jou/right.)

LONDON, July 26. Replying to a question m the House of Commons, Captain the Hon. F. E. Guest, Secretary of State for Air, said the imperial Conference Committee appointed to consider the question of airships, had ordered a report, firstly as to the cost of mooring masts, the basis of a fuel supplyj and the upkeep and operation of the existing airship fleet for the purposes of Imperial air communication, with . special reference to routes between Britain, India, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand; and, secondly, services by aeroplanes. The committee would report also on proposals for the formation of civil companies to operate airships. The report was complete, and had been handed to the Colonial Office.

The "Daily Chronicle" forecasts the report of the Committee on Air Communications, which has been presented to Mr Winston Churchill, Colonial Secretary. The paper .says it would be too expensive an undertaking to maintain the present British airships for the purposes of an Imperial service. . Instead of scrapping them on August 1 as the Government proposes, a proposal to try an experimental period of six months, at a cost of £180,000, has been abandoned, because, having already proved that Australasia and South Africa can be reached by air, experiments are unnecessary. Little good will be obtainable from an Imperial Air Service unless run for longer than six months. A term of years is required to prove if such a service will be commercially remunerative.