EMPIRE AIR POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 60, 12 March 1927, Page 9

EMPIRE AIR POLICY

FLIGHT TO DOMINIONS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, 11th March

In the House of -Commons, on a motion to go into Committee of Supply on the Air Estimates, Sir Samuel Hoare, I.Secretary for Air, made his annual statement of the policy of the Air Ministry. He said that the House would observe three significant features in the Estimates. Firstly, they made provision for a substantially stronger Air Force for less money than was needed last year. Secondly, they showed a large reduction in expenditure upon the Middle East; and, thirdly, they embodied in a conspicuous manner the considered policy of replacing old ■machines by new types. He warned the House that, while a close scrutiny of establishments and a slowing down of the expansion programme had for the coming year made possible a 3 per cent, reduction in the net estimates, heavy commitments in connection -with the Defence programme were bound to involve an increase of expenditure in future years. : NEW TYPES OF AIRCRAFT. While the Air Estimates were down by 3 per cent, for the coming year, the strength of the. Air Forces was none the less being increased by nearly 10 per cent. Those who were sincerely interested in the progress of flying would welcome the forward move made in the Estimates for re-arming our squadrons with both now machines and engines. All Home Defence regular squadrons were already equipped with new types, and lie hoped that at the end of the year two-thirds of the whole Force would be in the same position. The vote providing for new machines and engines showed a net increase of £330,000. It could not therefore be said that in the effort to reduce expenditure ho was sacrificing the vote for new materials and scientific and technical research.

Sir Samuel Haorc pointed out that in the Middle East British Defence expenditure in Irak alone was over £20,----000,000 in 1921, whereas to-day it had been reduced to about one-tenth of that amount. What better example could there be of the internal progress, better order, security, and peace that for the first tifiio for centuries were beginning to make themselves felt in the Middle East than the fact that during the last twelve months there had been no military operation of a serious kind in any part of the country? IMPERIAL NOT PAROCHIAL. Continuing, Sir Samuel Hoare said that for the first time in the Air Estimates the supreme importance of an Imperial Air policy received its pror.er emphasis. Air policy, if it was to be anything, must bo Imperial and not parochial, mobile and not local. We could only achieve this result if the various countries of the Empire worked together towards a common objective, and it was the acceptance of this view that added an altogether exceptional value to the' discussions of the Imperial Conference upon air development.' During the year a number of co-operative flights would take place across the whole length of Africa from Capetown to Cairo. The South African Air Force would take part with our own units from Egypt, while the Crown colonies in East Africa and the Sudan would take'their share by means of a subsidy, which they had offered for a link in the chain between Kisrau and Khartoum. So far as he know these would be the first long-distance flights carried out on the system of Imperial co-operation. Perhaps out of these small beginnings would gradually emerge a regular air route connecting Egypt and South Africa. PLIGHTS AS TRAINING. In addition to these 'special flights it was proposed to inako long distance Empire flights a regular part of the training o f Air Force squadrons. It was also proposed to Begin preparations of landing grounds for a flying route to Singapore, and to send for the first time to the Far East a flight, of flyiiinboats, one of whose duties would bo to co-operate with the Eoyal Australian Air l'orcc. The importance of these proposals lay in tho fact that they woro illustrations of an Imperial A impolicy that would gradually emerge in years to come, and whose "foundations it would not have been possible to lav without the fruitful discussions that .took place at the Imperial Conference. BOUNDLESS EXPANSES OF EMPIRE.

In conclusion, Sir Samuel. Hoaro declared that the British Air policy was on tho one hand, to make tho Air Force as mobile as possible, and on the other hand to direct the aim of civil aviation not to tho enclosed spaces and storms and fogs of Europe so much as to the boundless expanses and wide horizons ol the British Empire. Ho called at- .. l°n to tl!0 prospect of using the Air Force as an instrument of economy and not as a stimulus to greater expenditure, of making aviation an asset and not a liability to tho British Em