HOUSE OF LORDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 13

HOUSE OF LORDS

DEBATE ON AIR DEFENCE BOMBERS AND FIGHTERS PRODUCTION OF NEW TYPES (British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, May 12. (Received May 13, at 5.5 p.m.) Simultaneously with the debate in the House of Commons, the House of Lords discussed air defence, and Lord Swinton made a speech in which he announced the development of the programme reported by Ear] Winterton to the House of Commons. On the increase in the first line strength Lord Swinton made the additional point that the figures naturally excluded training machines for which the necessary orders had been placed. On personnel he men- 1 tioned that the intake of airmen which a few years ago was at the rate of 1000 a year, was now over 11,000 per annum. Speaking of the purposes of the experts’ visit to the American continent to investigate possibilities in Canada for building up war potential, Lord Swinton , foreshadowed aircraft manufactured there and being flown across the Atlantic for service in war. He said the new technique in manufacture had been necessitated by an order for large, all-metal stressed skin types, which had been found to make most efficient bombers and fighters, and he ridiculed the suggestion that the aircraft now on order and in production for the Royal Air Force were in any way less than the best. They were highly satisfactory in quality, and the best evidence of it was the desire of foreign countries in every part of the world to purchase those very machines, although they had to wait because of priority of the Air Ministry’s requirements. As an instance of the efficient manner in which the Air Ministry was organising and placing vast orders,_ Lord Swinton said they were steadily reducing the multiplicity of types. Of one type there were 1500 on order, with two firms, and of another 900 on order with a single firm. He had noticed the other day that a general of the Air-' Corps of the United States had written explaining the great achievement there of placing an order for 200 planes of one type with one firm.

Lord Swinton ended with an impassioned appeal for peace. The debate was notable for the intervention of Lord Weir, who in an informed and authoritative speech, brought a powerful reinforcement to the Air Minister’s defence of his department’s handling of supply questions. He asked their lordships to consider the various criticisms of the Government’s programme against the*background of two major political decisions which affected it. Three years ago the Government decided on an increase in the Air Force as rapidly as possible. The Government had reached a second decision not only to accelerate and expand the existing programme, but secure acceleration and expansion under conditions of first nriority in labour, material, and facilities. Nothing was now to be allowed to stand in the way of achieving the maximum rate of progress. This did not imply equivalent war conditions, which presumably would mean compulsory control of manpower and facilities, but it meant a general tempo of action as rapid as could be secured in times of peace. He believed the effects of the new decision would lead to an output fully justifying the claims by Lord Swinton and Earl Winterton. He also drew attention to the early difficulties —now overcome—due to the fact that the British aircraft industry, which through post-war years had been supreme in the field of scientific and technical design, was weakened and inexperienced in production owing to the small demand. With regard to the question of mass production Lord Weir expressed the opinion that aircraft had not reached the stage of technical development of design which would justify large scale adoption of these methods. He also defined the standards and requirements of the aeronautical inspection department, and said we would regard, as retrograde any relaxation of the existing standards which might impair the confidence of pilots in their machines.