BRITISH AIR FORCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 115, 11 April 1930, Page 9

BRITISH AIR FORCE.

DEBATE IN HOUSE OF LORDS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 9. 'Lord Trenchard, in his maiden speech in the House of Lords, called attention to tho importance of an adequate and efficient air force to the British Empire. Lord Trenchard referred to a statement recently made by the Undersecretary for Air that to-day Franco had a first-line strength of 1300 aeroplanes, Italy 1100, America 100 and Great Britain 770. That meant that Britain was fourth among the Powers in air strength. He said this fact required very earnest consideration. We were to-day as dependent for the security of the Empire upon air power as we were upon the Naw. The ensuing debate was remarkable for arguments against the Air Force liv Earl Beatty (for the Navy), and the Earl of Cavan (for the Army). Earl Beatty declared that the Navy would lVillingly forego the disagreeable work in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea in favour of any better agency, but he asked how aeroplanes could tell the nationality of a vessel or show that it was smuggling arms. It was necessary for a sloop to draw alongside :uid examine papers. Moreover, the weather for nine out of 12 months precluded air boats. And how could an aeroplane discharge an important function of the Navy, namely, showing the flag? The Earl of Cavan said that the question was essentially one for Cabinet and the Committee of Imperial Defence. The Air Force was a new army, but it depended on the other services. He then proceeded to attack indiscriminate air warfare' where innocent and guilty alike were punished. Why the matter was never on the agenda at Geneva was inconceivable to humanitarians.

Lord Thomson, Secretary of State for Air, said that? the elements in air power were an air force of sufficient strength to carry out the policy of the country, air communications sufficiently developed, an air transport system nourished and fed by an adequate aircraft industry, and, lastly, a highlydeveloped system of aemonautical research. No means of purely passive defence had been devised for dealing with attacks from the air. Ho assured Lord Trenchard that the Government was giving its most careful attention to the subject. The Prime Minister was taking an active part as bead of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Turning to the question of air disarmament, Lord Thomson said that we had never claimed a one-Power standard in the air. Air disarmament was one .of the biggest problems that lay ahead. If air development went on there would be no town •in England snfe from bombing. His own view was that no country could possess air power that was not a progressive and highly developed country. Countries which could possess air power were very few, and they were, fortunately, democratically governed. Without their political co-operation and agreement, however, there was no prospect of disarmament in the strict sense in air matters. MASCOT AERODROME.. CANBERRA, April 10. The Federal Public Works Committee recommends an expenditure of £40,000 toward the improvement of the Mascot aerodrome, in order to make it worthy of the City of Sydney, and the Government has approved of the expenditure.