AIR TRADE RIVALRY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 27, 13 November 1935, Page 12

AIR TRADE RIVALRY

THE NATIONS IN COMPETITION. Guarded by Government-enforced secrecy, the Air Ministries of Great Britain, France, German, and Italy have taken over The production of ocean-spanning air liners in an effort to skim the rising cream of international trade. All four of these nations are attempting to build extra size flying boats in order to obtain international commercial air supremacy. Their immediate goal is trade with America, by the use of their own planes across the Atlantic. The United States, just as anxious as any other nation for expanded air commerce, is relying on private enterprise for thp development of aircraft for the job. Thus far, the United States seems to be out in the lead.

Pan-American Airways, with 32,000 miles of aerial trade routes already in operation outside the limits of the continental United States, dominates the channels of commerce between the Americans, and is reaching out across the Pacific to the Orient. These activities are the basis for a development which will transport mail and passengers both ways across the Atlantic in flying boats and pilots whose ability is based on a background of millions of hours’ experience in trans-oceanie flyins;. Already European Governments have invested 'three years and many million pounds in an effort to produce multiengined marine aircraft to compete with America’s big flying “clippers. These latter, 20-ton, four-engmed, flyjng boats are to have a 26-ton youngei brother, a Martin ocean transport now completing tests at Baltimore. The French are eclipsing the Martin with a 37-ton experiment, the T-ieut. de Vasseon, which recently cracked up in tests in France, but will soon be ready for more trials. It is powered by six 800 horse-power engines and was constructed by'the French Government at a cost of about £60,000 for French international aid line, An France. „ , f Great Britain is tesing the first ot a new group of four-engined filing- oa s in a flight in easy stages from 1 iymouth, the original testing ground, to Signor Mussolini is known to be co - centrating much of his attention to the development of Italy’s ocean-going aviation. Within the last year he has welded into one operating unit, owned outright by the Government, all operating air lines. Reliable but official sources say that Italy is soon to come out . with flying boats which will be dispatche from Rome not only to the Far East, but across both the north and south Atlantic. Russia, rapidly becoming one of the most air-minded nations in the world, has not thus far given any indication of her intentions in the international flying field.