AIR STRENGTHS COMPARED

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 182, 29 April 1940, Page 10

AIR STRENGTHS COMPARED

Production By Allies And Germany INACCURATE CLAIM BY NAZIS (British Oiltelnl Wireless.) (Received April 28, 7.5 p.m.) RUGBY, April 27. The German propaganda machine, after the very severe losses suffered by the German navy in the Norwegian campaign, has been at pains to minimize the importance of sea power as compared with air power, and in order to emphasize German superiority in the latter has had recourse to comparative figures of German and American aiicraft pioduction.

An attempt lias been made to prove that the German capacity far exceeds that of Britain, France and the United States combined. The figures cited are 500,000 workers in the German aircraft industry and 300,000 in the American. The inaccuracy of the German claim is palpable. For security reasons no precise figures nor trie numbers employed m British aircraft production have been published, but a rough estimate may be deduced from a statement on February 2 by the then Air Minister, who said: "In the field of our aircraft production the numbers already employed today are higher than in the peak period iu the last war.” An authoritative source gives the relevant figures for the last war as 364,362. If that figure was already surpassed in February, it is clearly substantially greater today. . Margin of Superiority,. Accepting the German estimates of their own and the American figures, Hie British and American totals are at least equal to those of Germany while considerable figures, which are not available, for France and the British Dominions constitute an ample margin of superiority over Germany. At the beginning of March, 1940. the Italian trade paper, “Le Vie Dell Avia,” estimated Germany’s aircraft industry as capable of producing at the rate of 1000 planes a month, but it pointed out that owing to a lack of raw materials, storage facilities or personnel, it was not producing to capacity. As early as May, 1939, on the other hand, the Italian technical periodical, "Inter Avia,” cited with approval a "Sunday Times” report that British aircraft production had already reached 1000 a month. On April 5,1940, the American paper, tlic Minneapolis/“Star,” stated: “The best estimate current of German and Allied air strengths comes from Theodore Wright, senior engineer oE tlie Curtiss Corporation, and an extensive visitor to British, French and German engine plants. He estimated in a current aviation magazine that the Allied acquisition of planes, including those delivered by America, overtook the German production in January at 1600 cacti monthly, and that the Allies are now adding planes more rapidly than Germany.” With regard to American production an American Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce report published this April gave the figures of 1500 a month, With capacity for considerable further expansion. Not all of this output can, of course, be regarded as available for Allied purchase.

CANADIAN SQUADRON

Training A Justification Of Empire Scheme (British Official Wireless.) (Received April 28, 7.5 p.m.) RUGBY, April 27. The Canadian Defence Minister, Mr. Rogers, who today visited the first squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force to arrive in England, said: “From what we have seen, the squadron's training was a great justification of the Empire scheme.’’ Mr. Rogers described reports received by the supervisory board of the air training scheme as “most gratifying,” and said Canadian industry was seeing that aeroplane production in Canada was going ahead very well indeed. During an address to the squadron, (lie Minister said: "I know well that you realize fully the honour implied in your selection and that you will be worthy of that trust.”

WORK IN THE BLACKOUT

Concern At Accidents (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. April 26. The question of industrial accidents and working conditions in the blackout has been the subject of correspondence between trade unions and the Ministry of Home Security. Expressing concern at the growth of tbe number of accidents which, he stated, was due to war conditions, the Secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union drew the attention of the .Minister, Sir John Anderson. to questions arising out of the problems caused by overtime, the black-out, and similar conditions created by the war. In reply Sir John Anderson stated that these questions were' receiving constant attention from experts who were fully aware of the error of sup posing that increased output could tie secured by long hours, and stated that the special difficulties created by the black-out regulations had been to some extent met. Dealing with industrial accidents. Sir John Anderson said that while there bad been an increase in the actual number, so far as it was possible to judge, it was doubtful if the increase was proportionately greater than the increase in the number of workers employed, coupled with the increased number of hours worked.

WIRELESS SCHOOL FOR AIRMEN

(Received April 2S, 7.5 p.m.)

OTTAWA, April 26

The University of Manitoba has eva cuated a section of its buildings to permit. tlie establishment of a Commonwealth air-training wireless school.