AIR DEFENCE OF BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22003, 29 January 1937, Page 11

AIR DEFENCE OF BRITAIN

Hundred Squadrons By

End of March

ADVANCING REARMAMENT

PROGRAMME

(UNIIT.O I'ltr.tiS ASSOCIATION—COI'YIUGMT.)

(Received January 28, 7.30 p.m.)

LONDON, January 27

"Stop this rubbish. Only a farmers' policy can save the country and stop war," shouted a man from the public gallery of the House of Commons at the opening of a debate on air defences.

Sir Thomas Inskip (Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence) regretted various speakers' references to Germany, "towards whom," he said, "we have nothing but the friendliest and most peaceable intentions.

"Experience has shown how laborious must be the process of building up our air defences to capacity after a long, leisurely period of production," Sir Thomas said. "Nevertheless, we are a long way ahead of the schedule that could have been achieved' by the old method. There would have been no difficulty in forming squadrons if the Government had taken the easier path of ordering old instead of new types of machines." It was expected that 100 squadrons would be formed by tne end of March. The rate of progress would be accentuated as the months passed. Speaking of shadow factories, he said that the Government would begin the production of air frames in the Austin factory in the autumn and engines in January, 1938. The erection of other factories was reaching an advanced stage. Provision had been made for the air defence of London, including a balloon barrage.

NEW BRITISH BOMBER

LARGEST CARRYING CAPACITY

IN SERVICE

LONDON, January 27

The first of the new type of bombing aeroplane which has just been delivered from the Handley Page works to the Royal Air Force under the expansion scheme has a bomb capacity greater than any machine at present in service, and it can be adapted in an emergency to carry 30 full-armed men. Other bombers of the same type are being turned out under the mass production system.

HEAVY TAXATION PREDICTED

(Received January 29, 1.35 a.m.)

LONDON, January 28

Sir Robert Home, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking in Staffordshire, predicted a 5s income tax, and even then the necessity of a large rearmament loan.