CIVIL AVIATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24832, 2 March 1944, Page 6

CIVIL AVIATION

POLICY AFTEE WAR DEBATE IN THE COMMONS LONDON, Feb. 29 During the debate on the air estimates in the House of Commons today Mr. Frank Bowles (Labour) moved a resolution emphasising the importance of civil aviation in the pcst-war world. "It should not be regarded as a bargaining point between the nations, but placed on a basis of full international co-opera-tion," he said. "The Labour Party recognises with enthusiasm the joint declaration by Australia and New Zealand in January. "The Lnbour Governments of Australia and New Zealand, with the Labour Party in Britain, will, after the wnr, form a large nucleus standing for the principle of internationalism in civil aviation." The motion was later withdrawn. Shipping Company Requests Mr. R. M. Hughes (Labour) said that civil aviation left in private hands would lead to war. Shipping companies were asking for a share in civil aviation. Why should they be given it? he asked. Shipping companies were not likely to encourage air development if it took the cream of their traffic. Civil aviation should be separated from the Air Ministry.

Captain Wright (Conservative), referring to a suggestion of suspicion, on the part of the Dominions, of British intentions in post-war civil aviation, asked if this were not due to tho old fenr that ' playing with the Mother Country meant once more coming under its domination. The Government should make clear the desire to work together as one great unit, with everybody as equal partners. Air bases all over the world should be open to all on a reciprocal basis. Young Pilots' Hopes Flight-Lieutenant Teeling (Conservative) said that if the Labour Party was going to decry the future of aviation as its speakers had done in the debate it was not going to got the support of the young men and women. They would not bo attracted by the kind of internationalism which Labour favoured. Young pilots were looking forward to the opportunity of jobs in civil aviation all over the world. Mr. Quintin Hogg (Conservative) said the Labour Party had now produced a restrictive policy, not a policy of development. It persistently refused any development of civil aviation unless it strictly conformed to its own doctrinal approach. It was a policy of bedlam. It was not a policy of idealism, but a policy of fantasy. GREAT PROGRAMME AIR MINISTRY WORKS BRITISH ACHIEVEMENTS LONDON, Feb. '29 "The most gigantic civil engineering programme ever undertaken in Britain is now nearing completion," said Sir Archibald Sinclair in the House of Commons. "The Air Ministry's works organisation has erected 1,000,000 buildings and concrete tracks equivalent to a 30foot road from Britain to Peking." The night accident rate in the Royal Air Force had fallen steadily m the past two vears, he added. It was 30 per cent lower in 1943 than in 1942, and was now lower than at any time during the war. Remarkable strides had also been made in the rehabilitation of wounded airmen.

The Transport Command was being expanded to meet the future requirements of the R.A.F. in this theatre of war, and also to meet the ever-increas-ing requirements of the Mediterranean and the still more rapidly increasing requirements of the South-east Asia Command. It would play a big part in future operations. Transport Command aircraft had their share in the recent victory on the Arakan front in Burma. The command had shared the burden of air transportation with the British Overseas Airways Corporation, whose route mileage increased by more than 20 per cent last year. Its mileage in 1943 was four times greater than the combined route mileage of Imperial Airways and British Airways in 1938.

"That does not look like putting civil aviation into cold storage," commented the Minister.

STRENGTH IN AIR BOMBING POLICY DEFENDED LONDON, Feb. 29 In the debate on the air estimates in the House of Commons, Mr. Arthur Woodburn (Labour Clackmannan) urged that to whatever strength our air force was dissipated after the war we should maintain our great research organisation until such time as peace could be guaranteed. It was clear, he said, that this country would have to maintain an air force capable of safeguarding its interests. Squadron - Leader Robinson, the serving Conservative member for Blackpool, referred to recent criticism of Allied bombing policy. He said we should make it abundantly clear that Allied bombing had nothing at all to do with revenge. It was entirely governed bv strategic military necessity. No crews had ever been briefed to destroy a German target which had no industrial or military significance. Any suggestion to the contrary was the most unfair criticism of a body of men who were prepared to sacrifice their lives to destroy the German war machine in order to preserve the freedom of our country and to effect the liberation of the peoples of Europe. German industry must be bombed until productive capacity fell far behind the needs of the German forces.

TYPES OF AIRCRAFT USEFUL FIGHTER-BOMBERS LONDON, Feb. 2!) Replying in the Commons to questions about dive-bombers, Mr. H. 11. Balfour, Under-Secretary for Air, said Britain had received American deliveries, hut practice had shown that fighter-bombers proved much more successful for the function of dive-bombing than dive-bombers themselves. The Germans, too, were turning over to the production of fighter-bombers. Mr. Balfour a (Hod that progress had been made in torpedo aircraft attacks on battleships, but the supply of German battleships was limited and we had difficulty in obtaining an adequate number of targets. Britain was taking great interest in the heliocopter, and he was convinced that they had an enormous future. After Germany was defeated, Britain would still need a very large air force for a long time, for she had the policing of Europe to undertake, and the battle against Japan, to which they had pledged themselves.

ART TREASURES SAFE OLD MASTERS RECOVERED (Heed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. '-'(J Art treasures, including a quantity "of silver and glassware belonging to Queen Marv, were recovered to-day from the cellar of a Loudon firm, where they hud been buried since the building was bum bed on February 2.'L ■All the articles are practically undamaged except some pictures, which can be fully restored. The pictures include a famous Reynolds, also a Franz Hnls worth about £25,000, and a van Dvck worth about £lo,ooo. The search is continuing for other Ati treasures.