BRITISH PLANS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 78, 1 April 1936, Page 7

BRITISH PLANS.

AIR DEVELOPMENT. Commons Discuss Australian Services. QUESTION OF SUBSIDIES. United Press Association. —Copyright. LONDON, March 31. "We are on the point of attacking the Atlantic in addition to developing Empire air routes," said Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary of State for Air, in the House of Commons yesterday. Sir Philip was moving the second reading of the Air Navigation Bill to extend the present subsidy period from 1940 to 1955, and to increase the annual amount of subsidies from £1,000,000 to £1,500,000. Members criticised the bill from the point of view of the subsidies and the past service of Imperial Airways, Limited. Mrs. H. B. Tate (Con., Frome) asked why Britain had no service to so many parts of the world where she ought to have one. Australia intended to take over the service from Singapore to Brisbane and Sydney, which was an indication of the service given by Imperial Airways. Pan-American Airways were going to run a service to New Zealand and Australia. Major J. W". Hills (Con., Ripon) said that Imperial Airways would fly over any route provided that the Government would find the money. It was said that the company's machines on the Empire routes were obsolete and slow. It was impossible for the company to order the new machines required for the Empire routes until the subsidy question was settled. Machines were actually ordered beforehand and part of the delay was due to the trouble in coming to terms with the Australian Government. Sir Alan Anderson (Con., City of London) said the development of aviation was all a question of money. Other nations were spending on an entirely different scale. Sir Alfred Beit (Con., St. Pancras) said Australia's attitude as regards the sending of all first-class mail matter by air without surcharge remained unsatisfactory. Australia's strategic needs could be satisfied if she kept land aeroplanes for internal "feeder" services. Australia would benefit by the acceptance of the Air Ministry's proposition for a flying boat service from the fact that she would have at her disposal both types of aircraft in ease of emergency. In defending Imperial Airways Sir Philip Sassoon said that foreign competitors were copying the company's system to an increasing extent. Twentysix foreign nations were using British machines. The bill was read a second time by 140 votes to 85. AIRSHIP'S DEBUT. Germany-Brazil Flight Under Way. DETOUR FROM FRANCE. (Received 11 a.m.) FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, March 31. The airship Hindenburg began her maiden voyage to Brazil at 4 a.m. (Greenwich mean time), carrying 50 passengers and 40 of a crew. She was obliged to make a detour via Holland as France had not answered the request to fly over that country. ANTARCTIC FLIGHTS. Ellsworth Expedition Ship at Balboa. BIG CLAIM FOR U.S.A. BALBOA, March 31. The Ellsworth expedition ship Wyatt Earp, with Sir Hubert Wilkins and Mr. Hollick-Kenyon on board, arrived here en route to Norfolk, Virginia, where Sir Hubert will resume work on his plans for a submarine expedition to the Arctic. Mr. Kenyon will return to Winnipeg and resume his duties with Canadian Airways in flights to the north country mining areas, which he says are more interesting than flights over the polar wastes. If the area which was explored by the Ellsworth expedition contained oil and coal and possibly other minerals, as he believed, it would be entirely practicable to work sections commercially by sending supplies in during warm periods and maintaining freight communications according to the season. The expedition had claimed for the United States a sector from the South Pole to the coast.

OVER ENGLAND.

GIANT AIRSHIP SEEN. RUGBY, March 31. The German airship, Hindenburg, on her maiden voyage was sighted from several south coast towns flying westwards over the Channel. She was making good progress aggrinst strong head winds.