TRANSATLANTIC

Evening Post, Issue 66, 15 September 1936, Page 16

TRANSATLANTIC

AIR SERVICES

BRITAIN'S FOUR SCHEMES

A JOINT COMPANY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, August 8. Passengers and mails will be carried across the North Atlantic in British aeroplanes at least twice a week in each, direction when the regular service to be worked in conjunction by British and American, companies is established. Announcement that the Governments of Great Britain, Canada, the Irish Free State, and Newfoundland, had approved, plans drawn up in discussion at Ottawa last November has been made by Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary of State for Air. Sir Philip indicated that two stages would precede the regular, service, the first covering a series of survey flights and the second an- experimental service transporting mails only. All practical preference would be given to the direct route from England, via the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, and Canada. For an initial period, however, it may be necessary to operate the services via Bermuda during the winter months. A joint operating company is the operative mechanism chosen by the Empire Governments. It will be incorporated at the instance of three companies, of which, one .will be nominated by each of the Governments of Great Britain, the Irish Free State, and Canada. Great Britain nominates Imperial Airways, which in the time that must elapse before the1 joint company can take over will .conduct experimental flights and investigations. Nine directors will make up the board of the joint company, of whom three, including the chairman and managing director, will be nominated by Imperial Airways, three by the Canadian company, and three by the Irish Free State company. Capital will be subscribed and held as to 51 per cent. byImperial Airways, 24} per cent, by the Canadian company, and 24} per cent, by the Irish Free State company. Great Britain will pay far the largest portion of the annual subsidy required. Canada will contribute 20 per cent., subject to a maximum of £75,000; the i Irish Free State, 5 per cent., subject to, a maximum of £12,000; and Newfound-j land a sum to be agreed with the British Government. All the remainder will be made up by Great Britain. ANGLO-AMERICAN ENTERPRISE, j Each of the four governments has i undertaken to arrange for provision of the needed airport, radio, and weather forecasting facilities. The general transfer of meteorological services to a new organisation which is being developed in the Irish Fnee State will involve the British Government in a further annual contribution of £6000 to the Irish Government in payment for services rendered.

In return for landing facilities to be granted to the joint company by the United States Government, Pan-Ameri-can Airways, which is to share in this transatlantic service, will be granted landing facilities in Great Britain, Canada, the Irish Free State, and Newfoundland. Each of the four Governments' has also undertaken to grant landing and transit rights within its own territory to the. joint company and to Pan-American ■'* Unless otherwise determined by consent : of the Governments, no other company will be granted such rights in respect of transatlantic services for fifteen years,-after which period, what Sir •Philip Sassoon calls ;the question of "exclusivity" and the granting of further financial assistance to the joint company will be reviewed. Proposals of , the. -.joint.. company which may affect national policy or the relations of the..Gqyernments concerned, either between themselves or with other .Governments/ must be referred for approval to an Inter-Govern-mental Committee on .Transatlantic Air Services, which will consist of four members appointed respectively by the four Governments. Decisions of this committee will be reached by unanimous vote. CHOICE OF SCHEMES. Britain has four schemes under consideration for transatlantic air services. First, to begin experimental flights directed to establishment of the North Atlantic service will probably be Short four-engined monoplane boats, one or more of which are being modifled for non-stop journeys of 3000 miles by installation of extra fuel tanks. The "second string" is the Mayo "composite aircraft" which is scheduled to go through full flying trials within the next two or three months. Following the composite aeroplane will be two four-engined landplanes now being built for the Air Ministry by the de Havilland Company. These machines, styled the D.H. 91 or "Albatross," are low-wing monoplanes with retractile undercarriage that have been designed and built on lines similar to those of the Comet racer which in October, 1934, won -the England-Aus-tralia speed and handicap races. Power will be supplied by four of Tthe new Gipsy-Twelve engines which have been running. experimentally for some months past. Cruising speed in excess of 200 m.p.h. and maximum speed in the neighbourhood of 250 m.pji. are expected. -

The iourth method likely to be tried was indicated to the House of Commons by Sir Philip Sassoon. who said that the introduction of suitable catapault launching "arrangements for the development of British trans-ocean air services was under active consideration.

Meanwhile, Britain pursues actively the organisation of an air-mail service to South America. Tenders for the working of: a service received before midnight on July, 31—the'closing date —are now up for study by the InterDepartmental Committee on International Air Communications; a body of experts presided over by. Sir Warren Fisher. Amount of subsidy to be paid will depend on the proposals made by the tendering companies Five competing schemes were at one time submitted; recently the merger of British Airwaiysand British Continental Airways, which were responsible for two of them, has simplified the position and strengthened the hands of the combine in its bid for the service. Allocation of the contract will be announced following the Air Minister's decision on the report which he will receive from the Warren Fisher Committee. There is every si»m of determination to go ahead without any avoidable delay.