“NO OPTION”

Taranaki Daily News, 7 March 1935, Page 5

“NO OPTION”

STRENGTH IN AIR BRITISH DEFENCE MOVE INCREASE IN ESTIMATES A RELUCTANT DECISION EXPANSION OF AVIATION By Telegraph-Press Assn.—Copyright. London, March 5. The Air Ministry estimates, introduced in the House of Commons to-day, are £23,851,000, an increase of £3,685,000 compared with last year. This is due to the scheme to provide an additional 4LJ squadrons by the end of 1938 in accordance with the proposal announced in Parliament in July, The complete scheme will make a total of 1330 first-line aircraft in regular squadrons. The memorandum of Lord Londonderry, Minister of Air, says that the proposed air pact should be of the utmost value in the maintenance of European peace as affording a powerful deterrent against aggression. It was the Government’s earnest hope that it might facilL tate early limitation of the air. forces of the world by a general international agreement. ■

Lord Londonderry recalled last year’s memorandum announcing the Government’s reluctant decision, it having no option, to commence the long-delayed expansion of the Royal Air Force. Lord Londonderry said that the provision of £595,000 for civil aviation, an increase of £82,000, was due mainly to the urgent necessity of improving and developing the ground organisation on Empire routes, to facilitate the night flying improvement necessary for the existing services, and to assist in the development and inception of the projected Empire air transport scheme under which all first-class mails would be carried if possible by air. EXPERIMENTAL PLANES. The provision for experimental aircraft included a contribution to Imperial Airways for the construction of a composite aircraft from which a heavilyloaded seaplane mounted upon a lightlyloaded flying-boat could be released when sufficient height had been attained. Negotiations were in progress for an air service to connect Hong Kong with the main Australian route from Bangkok, and it was hoped that expert-' mental flights would start in the near future, stated Lord Londonderry. Lord Londonderry points out that His Majesty’s Government had made it plain when publishing the air estimates in 1934 that it could not in the interests of national and Imperial security accept a position of continuing inferiority in the air. Accordingly last summer, in view of the rapid development of foreign air forces and the absence of concrete results from the Disarmament Conference’, the Government reluctantly decided that it had no option but to undertake the longdelayed expansion of the Royal Air Force. The programme announced to Parliament last July provided for the addition of 41J squadrons by the end of 1938, and when completed the total first-line strength of the Royal Air Force in regular squadrons would be approximately 1330 aircroft, plus 130 aircraft in nonregular squadrons. Four of the 41J additional squadrons were formed in 1934, and a further 25 were to be formed in 1935 and 1936. In 1935 12 new .squadrons would be added to the home defence force, which would then consist of 54 squadrons, 41 regular and the remainder auxiliary Air Force or special reserve squadrons. FLEET AIR ARM, The fleet air arm, said Lord Londonderry, would be increased by 19 firstline -aircraft. Nineteen of the existing squadrons would also be re-equipped in the course of the year. The new. would raise the total strength of tH z Royal Air Force, including the fieet/.r arm, to an equivalent of 106 i squa/ <?ns, being 93| regular squadrons suppl: ,tented by 13 non-regu-lar squadrons ol the home defence force. The programme was being so arranged that it would be possible to retard or accelerate it in accordance with the requirements of the international situation. His Majesty’s Government believed that the conclusion of the proposed air pact to afford security against aerial aggression in western Europe would be of the utmost value in the maintenance of European peace, and it earnestly hoped that it might facilitate an early limitation of the air forces of the world by, international agreement. It had not yet been possible to inaugurate the projected air service to connect Bermuda with New York, but It was hoped that it would be in operation towards the end of this year or early in 1936.

The subsidy to light aeroplane clubs had been increased to £25,000, compared with £16,000 last year.

ESTIMATES -INCREASED EXPENDITURE ON NAVY Rec. 12.25 prni. London, 6. Tha total expenditure in the Navy estimates is set down at £60,050,000, an increase of £2,500,000. The sum of £2,553,000 is being expended mainly on large repairs and modernisation of capital ships with a view to the prolongation of their lives b \fbe London Treaty. Provision n \ for an increase of 2000 in the Fleets personnel. The construction programme for 1935 consists of three cruisers, one leader, eight destroyers, three submarines and thirteen other vessels. The memorandum of Sir Bolton Eyres- ' Monsell, First Lord'~7f„ the Admiralty, says the number of cruisers, destroyers and submarines ordered is the same as in previous programmes since the treaty. As the effect of the large repair programme will fall heavily upon the Queen Elizabeth class in the JT'xt few years, it has been decided to station battle-cruisers in the Mediterranean in order to equalise the number of ships in the Home and Mediterranean fleets. Civil and service estimates thus far issued total £554,000,000, an increase of £13,500,000.