AIR STRENGTH OF FRANCE

Southland Times, Issue 23681, 2 December 1938, Page 7

AIR STRENGTH OF FRANCE

Production At Rate Of 200 A Month

BETTER CO-OPERATION WITH INDUSTRY

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright)

(Received December 1, 10.40 p.m.)

PARIS, December 1.

The Minister for Air (M. Guy Lachambre) told the Air Committee of the Chamber of Deputies that by January France would be producing aeroplanes at the rate of 200 a month. There were still difficulties over the production of aeroplane engines, he said, but these would soon be remedied by better co-operation with private industry.

“The Peace of Munich has at length aroused France to a realization of her weakness in the air,” says The Spectator. "The immediate objective is the construction of 4000 aeroplanes, which would give France a first-line strength of 2600, with the necessary reserves. The cost is estimated at £50,000,000; but an essential preliminary is to modify the 40-hour week so that France may have some chance of competing with a Germany, whose workers in some cases work as much as 60 hours a week. “In France the working class is still so far from realizing the necessities of the emergency that it still refuses to accept the 45-hour week decree applied by M. Daladier to the aircraft industry. The workers, however, have lost much of their strength by the collapse of the Popular Front, which now, in spite of the protests of M. Blum and the communists, is in full dissolution. "It is unfortunate M. Daladier has not attempted to conciliate the workers by demanding sacrifices from all classes. France’s crisis is financial as well as military.” EXPANSION”JF FLEET AIR ARM FIRST-LINE STRENGTH OF 270 AEROPLANES

(Received December 1, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, November 30. The putting into commission of the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal in December will make the first-line strength of the Fleet Air Arm 270 aeroplanes. Five more carriers which are being built will bring the strength to 500. The Secretary for Air (Sir Kingsley Wood) in 'answer to a question in the House of Commons, said he was taking the opportunity of his forthcoming visit to the international aeronautical exhibition in Paris to meet the French Minister for Air and to discuss with him matters of mutual interest, and he would be accompanied by three members of the Air Ministry staff. He did not intend to enter into any new strategical supply arrangement with the French Air Ministry, nor was it proposed to establish any standing organization for co-operation and liaison between the two services. BRITISH AIR PARITY WITH GERMANY (British Official Wireless) (Received December 1, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, November 30. Replying to a question in the House of Commons on air parity with Germany and international air limitation, the Prime Minister (Mr Neville Chamberlain) said the policy of the British Government, as explained by the Secretary for Air, was without withdrawing any previous declaration to build up an air force adequate to ensure the protection of Britain, the preservation of her trade routes and the defence of her territories overseas, as well as to fulfil her international responsibilities and to co-operate in the defence of the territories of her allies in the event of war.