THE MENACE FROM THE AIR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 25, 29 July 1922, Page 7

THE MENACE FROM THE AIR

INCREASING PUBLIC ATTENTION ARE THE SERVICES DEFICIENT? (miTtD FMJJ ASSOCIATION,—COMMMT.) (AUtTIUUAN • NETT IBAIANB CAILI ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, 27th July. Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Londonderry asked whether the Government was aware of the nation's anxiety (regarding the alleged deficiency of the Aii Service,, and the serious menace threatening the country from the air. Viscount Long said that he .believed that Britain was spending more proportionately than other countries on air services, but wae not achieving anything like adequate protection, notably in the direction of providing fighting machines. Lord Gorell (Under-Secretary of Air), in replying, _ welcomed the increasing ■public attention to the question of air (power. As far as he could estimate now, ithe separate Air Ministry was lees costly than separate naval and military air services wooM be. Undoubtedly there _ was a great potential air menace to Britain. Probably, if war came, there would be continuous air raids on docks, 'factories, fodd; depots, and mobilisation places, which would demand a revision of older ideas and methods. Nothing that the land or sea forces could do icould prevent the menace from the air. The Committee on Imperial Defence was (investigating the whole snbject, and would shortly report whether the situ-, ation demanded the provkion of more machines and increased expenditure. There were now 32£ air squadrons, twenty of which were serving overseas. The Navy had 358 machines and the .Army had 111, in addition to 60 machines which werehfeld as a first r^erve and 6 for field training.