EMPIRE'S AIRSHIPS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11280, 9 August 1930, Page 5

EMPIRE'S AIRSHIPS

ATLANTIC FLEET COST £6.000,000 TWICE WEEKLY SERVICE. \ MILLIONAIRES OFFER OF £20,000 '. FOR A TRIP- REFUSED. United Press Assn, by El. Tel. Copyright • OTTAWA, August, 7. Sir Dennistoun Burney, designerjof the R.IOO, addressing the. Canadian. Club at Toronto to-day, estimated that, in round figures, it /would cost £'6,000,000 to establish a of airships for.a twice weekly service between Britain and Canada. He quoted tentative figures or mail and passenger traffic available to show that the gross revenue would bb about £4,000,000 a year, and the running expenses £1,00,000 less. ■He suggested, that- the British and Canay dian.' Governments might guarantee 75 per cent, of the initial cost charging iih per cent, interest on the investment, constituting a firs 6 charge on the ships. He also suggested that'if the two governments guaranteed six tons of mail per week at the rate of ,£2OO a ton. for transportation, there would be necessary, a surcharge of only 4<l to 5d on a letter which would traverse the ocean in 48 hours, instead of eight days. , He said the world was changing, and the Empire, to maintain its place, must develop a rapid form of transportation. In an interview ,Sir • Dennistoun. said a multimillionaire of New A ork had offered £20,000 for a trip in the RIOO from Montreal .to New. York. He told the bidder that the dirigible at present, was a Government, project, and not operating commercially. AIRSHIP FOR INDIA. . PREPARATION OF RlOl. PROPOSED SPEED OF SIXTY MILES HOURLY. “ (British OHoistl Wirele»*4 .' ' RUGBY. August,.?. While the airship RIOO is in Canada- work is proceeding on the preparation of the RlOl for her flight to India, which takes place next month'. The RlOl has Diesel oil engines, and is. the slower ,of the two ships, but she is being equipped with two new reversible, engines out of her . complement of five, and these, it. is hoped,.will improve her manoeuvring .capacity and provide a cruising speed.of GO miles per hour. * A meteorological investigation indicates the existence of an almost permanent north-west wind current in the Midlde East.. The R.lOl is hkoiy to follow a northern course after leaving Ismailia. while the return- journey from Karachi, as far as Egypt, will follow a southerly route over the Inlinn Ocean. A new hav amidships isbeing added to the RIOI. and this is expected to increase its lift. . REGRETFUL REFUSAL OF MILLIONAIRE’S OFFFJI > NON-COMMERCIAL AGREEMENT MUST BE ADHERED TO United Press Assn, by El. Tel. : Copyright (Received Aug. 8.7.40 p.m.) NEW YORK, Aug. 7. It is reported that Sir Dermiston Burney has refused an offer of an unidentified local millionaire to pay 100. COO dollars for a•- passage flight from Montreal to New York, Sir Dennistoun Burney stated: .“It is a shame to throw away money like that”, hut he was forced to Fold to the non-commercial basis agreed upon in England, and would .not consider making the flight.