BRITISH ÆRIAL FLEET.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12790, 15 June 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

BRITISH ÆRIAL FLEET.

SUPPLY FOR ARMY AND NAVY. / LONDON, May 1. The Government has now 'authorised the purchase of 60 aeroplanes. Fifteen of these are for the naval: wing of the Royal Plying Corps at Eastchurch, 20 for the Army Squadrons of ihe corps, amd 25 for the Central Flying School on Salisbury .Plain. The total of 60 includes sp>ne 20 machines already ordered. One • or ' two have already been delivered- -The topal does not include the older machines already " m use. Orders that have recently been plaoed include: Six British Deperdussin monoplanes, five Short biplanes and monoplanes, four Howard-Glanders monoplanes, three A. V. Roe biploJnes, one Bristol monoplane, and one, Cody biplane. As soon as a sufficient number of Army and Navy flyers have been trained the Government will increase its orders tb a total of 100 machines. The hydro-aeroplane, upon which naval experts 'have been engaged, has made rapid progress. As soon as the Govern* ment Is satisfied that jit nieets the requirements of the Navy a large number of machines wjH .be ordered without delay, Experiments, with hydro-aeroplanes have been made recently with a monoplane on 1 Lake Windermere, and with biplanes at Barrow Dook and at Fleet Pond, near Farnborough. It should be remembered that, when the 100 aeroplanes are m use and a corresponding number of pilots trained, the British aeronautical service will still be very greatjy inferior m numbers and experience to the French service, and some considerable distance behind the German service. The .'figures of the expenditure provided for aeronautics. (including airships and aeroplanes) m the current" year are as follow^: — France £1,250,000 , Germany ..:..:., 700,000 Britain -„ 308,000 France has -also m hand the £130,000 raised by subscriptions to the National Aviation* Fund. "The German figure is approximate pnly, "ho dfetajls being .-pub-lished.'-'Additional votes aye anticipated, arid a public fund is being largely subscribed to. The : British vote includes J899,000 for the purchase of land.