AERIAL NAVY FOR FRANCE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 73, 26 March 1912, Page 7

AERIAL NAVY FOR FRANCE

♦ ■ — NATIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. By Telegraph.— Press Association.— Copyright, (Received March' 26, 8 a.m.) PARIS, 25th March. Subscriptions to aid the national aviation movement exceed^ £81,000. [Last month a cable message from Paris stated : — "Several Paris newspapers are promoting national subscriptions and fetes to provide funds for the creation of a- large aerial navy.] IMPORTANT STATEMENT. The Military Estimates were the subject of debate in the French Senate on the 13th of last month. M. MilliesLacrouc, the Committee Reporter, intimated that credits were already set aside for aviation amounting, to 12,000,OOOf. (£480,000), and would be completed by supplementary credits. The expenditure for this year would amount to 22,p00,000f. (£880,000), and for the following years to 25,000,000f. (£1,000,000). ' M. Millerand, Minister of War, explained that they were coming to the creation of a fifth branch of the aervice. All facilities would be, given to officers to familiarise themselves with aeroplanes. Dirigibles would not be neglected. Fifteen aerial cruisers, with all the latest improvements, were going to be constructed; but attention would be mainly directed to aviation. The unit of aviation, or "squadrilla" (escadrille), would comprise eight aeroplanes, divided into monoplanes and biplanes, capable of carrying several passengers each.^ eleven or twelve motor-cars, one traction car, and one extra swift motorcar, and a repairing car and a repairing van. At present thirteen squadrillas might be constituted. They had 208' aeroplanes, and 1 there was a. mobilisation scheme for each equadrilla. By the end of the year they would be able to mobilise twenty-seven field and five garrison squadrillas — i.e., 344 machines. Thirty aviation centres would be fitted up in 1912, each having a separate flying ground, and each squadnlla would have special pilots and mechanics attached to it. An aeronautical regiment with seven companies would be constituted. M. Millerand admitted that 12,000,OOOf. would not be sufficient to carry out this programme, but he would bring in a special Bill immediately after the Estimates had been passed.