AVIATION'S PART.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 254, 26 October 1928, Page 7

AVIATION'S PART.

USES AND DANGERS.

Britain's Air Policy And Empire Development.

STRONG FORCE NEEDED.

(British Official Wireless.)

i (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, October 25. Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary for Air, delivered this evening an address on avmtion m the British Empire of Scotland° yal ® eoßTa Pkical Society Dealing with the problem which the invention of aviation had created for the British Empire, he said that we went into the war in wealth and power completely immune from invasion. We came out of it victox-ious indeed, but with our capitals more open, by reason of this new invention, to foreign attack than any of the great capitals of Western Europe.

Year by year we must give our minds and money to the building up of an Air Force strong enough to deter any wouldbe enemy from attacking. He was glad to think that while five years ago there were practically no air force squadrons available in this country for home defence there were now 30 squadrons out of 52 that were being formed.

Aviation, had," however, imposed upon the British taxpayers a new item in expenditure upon armaments at the very time when we wished to reduce, over the whole world, the burden of armaments. How could we find some advantage from flying to set off against this liability?

years of experience of this in the Air Ministry had impressed upon him, with a continuous force, that the only way in which thai liability could be counter-balanced. was by making the fullest possible use of the unique power of mobility of the aeroplane for effecting economies in Imperial defence and developing the communications and resources of the scattered Empire.

There were certain fields of Imperial defence where the Air Force wing could be economically used as a substitute for the older military forces rather than as a. supplement to them. A conspicuous instance of this policy' was the case of Iraq, where we had been able to reduce a garrison, which in 1921 was comprised of 33 Imperial battalions, costing over £20,000,000 yearly, to five squadrons of Royal Air Force without a single Imperial battalion in support, costing less than £2,000,000.

A single squadron of Air Force had forced the Imam of Yemir, who had for years encroached upon the Aden protectorate to leave it and release the sheiks friendly to the British whom he had kidnapped.

In Somaliland the aeroplanes had, in a few weeks, removed the constant danger of Hullahs' risings and on the north-west frontier of India, with practically no casualties on either side, peace had been imposed upon unruly tribes by British airmeii."" ' He> foresaw the time when air power, like sea power, would be concentrated upon two or three strategic points of the Empire and when the units, instead of being uneconomically tied down to local defence, would be freely moved from one threatened point to another. Such a policy pre-supposed the closest possible liaison between the Air Forces of the Empire. Dealing with aviation as a means of improving Imperial communications, Sir Samuel Hoare said that early next year a regular aeroplane service would be running every week between London and Karachi. Another great trunk aeroplane service was projected between London and Capetown.

He was daily expecting detailed proposals which would enable him to judge whether the creation of this service was possible. In regard to airships, he believed that they could be used for eliminating two-thirds of the time now spent in journeys between London and the capitals of the Empire.

That was the justification of the programme under which, for the last three years, the Air Ministry had been engaged upon the design and construction of two great airships. He anticipated the success of the experiment and the Dominion Governments were cooperating also, believing in its success

NEW NON-STOP RECORD

Croydon To Berlin In Six Hours*

Flying.

LIGHT 'PLANE'S FEAT.

(British Official Wireless.) (Received 12 noon.)

RUGBY, October 25.

The Simmonds Cirrus Spartan aeroplane in which night -Lieutenant Webster recently won the King's Cup, created yesterday what is stated to be a world's record for a non-stop flight by a light aeroplane. With a passenger machine, 50 gallons of petrol on board and piloted by H. Banting, the machine left Croydon aerodrome at 6.30 a.m. and reached Berlin in a direct flight at 12.45 p.m. Only a little more than half the fuel was expended in the flight.

TOUR OVER AMERICA.

Graf Zeppelin Awaiting Favourable Wind.

GERMANY NEXT WEEK.

(Australian and N.Z. Press, Association.) NEW YORK, October 25.

The Zeppelin LZI27, which 1 was recently flown from Germany to Lakehurst, New Jersey, is now awaiting a favourable wind there prior to & flying tour over America. Passengers will be taken on the trip.

The cities of Detroit, St. Louis, and Chicago are to be visited. Dr. Eckener, commander of the airship, proposes to make the trip brief. The .LZI27 will therefore return to New York and hopoff for Germany early next :week. •

Nearly all the passengers have been chosen 'for the return trans-Atlantic trip. Many of them came in the diri? gible from Germany. Elaborate catering and other arrangements have been made for the passengers' comfort on the western tour.