BRITISH AIR STRENGTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 123, 27 May 1938, Page 7

BRITISH AIR STRENGTH

NO CAUSE FOR FEAR GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAMME MR CHAMBERLAIN REPLIES TO CRITICS r BritiM Official Wir.lew.l RUGBY, May 2a. The postponed House of c ° mr "°'? debate on the Labour motion demanaing a searching in<^ v ,nt ° the Hu t h defences was opened by Dr. r.u Dalton, who was followed immediately by the Prime Minister After making the !»»* Government must regard the demana for an inquiry as showing " ant confidence, and therefore must treat the motion as one of censur - • Chamberlain said: lam no. he denv that there have oeen delays an disappointments and check in the pro gramme, which has been altered from time to time and expanded according to what we consider to be the needs of the moment. On the other han.. I have no hesitation in saying that m the Air Force as it stands the country has a defence of which any coun ry may be proud, and that if it were put to the test to-morrow, with whatever deficfencies there vnaj Sx 't won't prove to be one of the most formidable fighting machines m the world. The Government was rejecting the inquiry chiefly because it would not help the purpose, which all part were united in wishing to see achieved namely, securing as speedily as oossible an Air Force eomnlete and efficient in all respects. On the contrary. an inquiry would introduce cor.fusion and deify. Referring to the new J Se " Air Sir Kingsley Mood. Mr. Cham beriain said that he thought the'reputation which Sir Kmgsley Wood had gained in various offices he a ready held would be some guarantee to the House that his methods would be thorough and that he would spare no pains to carry out the duties expected of him. Mr. Chamberlain stoutlv defended Viscount Swinton, tn appreciation of whose services he spoke at length. Three Developments. Mr. Chamberlain mentioned three developments of recent years, which had necessitated great alterations in design, and their cumulative effect on speed and manoeuvre. even tn strategy—the a. I metal monoplane, engines of super-efficiency, and the variable pitch airscrew. He referred to the comparison Dr. Dalton had drawn between the present-day rate of production and that in the Great War which was as different as chalk from cheese. The first squadron of Bulldogs formed in 191 J had a top speed of 120 miles an hour. The first squadron of Gauntlets, formed in 1925, had a top speed of 230 miles an hour, but now they had passed the 300-mile an hour mark, and the Spitfires were the fastest fighter service squadrons anywhere in the world. Speaking of bombers, he could not disclose the range of bomb loads of the latest types, but those in the service were the fastest bombers in the world, and new types which were nowon order showed such a marked advance that it was very unlikely tnat their performance would be surpassed by the bombers of any other countries. Shadow Factories. Mr. Chamberlain contended that there was no part of Britain's air defence which had made a deeper impression on foreign visitors than the shadow factories, and, answering advocates of mass production, he mentioned that while in the ordinary motor-car engine there were 1700. in the modern bomber there were 11,000 to the engine alone and upwards of 70.000 for the rest of the 'plane. Turning to the Ministry of Supply, ha commented on the number of rival proposals before the public, but declared that all of them suffered from the disadvantage that they would dislocate the present machinery, which was working well. He added: “My own view is that, although in actual war the Ministry of Supply would be essential—and. indeed. we have all the plans ready for such a Ministry to put into operation in such instances -I do not believe that a Ministry of Supply in peace time is going to be as effective as the Ministry of Munitions was in the Great War. unless you give it the same powers as the Ministry of Munitions had. I doubt whether it would he justified in asking for such powers in peace time. By setting up a Ministry of Supply you would add nothing to the efficacy of the system. For the reasons I have given the Government is not prepared to set up a Ministry of Supply, any more than it is prepared to grant an inquiry. No one must imagine from that that we are not straining every ner. e to finish our programmes at the earliest moment. Question of Air Parity, Dealing with the question of air parity, Mr. Chamberlain reiterated his previously expressed view that the first-line strength was only one ot t ie factors to be taken into account. Mr. Chamberlain said that he very much deprecated taking a single country always for comparison in judging air power. He thought that such assessments should be made in a way which implied no challenge tc any other country. In proposing the Labour motion. Dr. Dalton claimed that recent political changes at the Air Ministry amounted to an admission by the Prime Minister that all was not well there, and accordingly justified the demand for an inquiry, which in these circumstances he averred would strengthen the hands of the new- Secretary for Air. Dr. Dalton criticised the rate ol production of aeroplanes and compared it with the country's capacity. There was disequilibrium in production between engines and air frames, and the shadow scheme had not yet produced results. Dr. Dalton also generally supported proposals for a Ministry of Supply. The state of the ground defences, particularly the delays in the production of 3.7 inch guns, and the organisation of the balloon barrage scheme, were also points in Dr. Dalton's case. Sir A. H. M. Sinclair (Liberal Leader) spoke both in favour of a Ministry of Supply and of an inquiry Mr. Winston Churchill admitted that the appointment of a new Air Minister had altered the situation, and

he questioned the continued usefulness of an inquiry, but said that he would have preferred the establishment of a Ministry of Supply, and he refused to be satisfied with the Prime Minister's encomium on the existing machinery, which, he declared, was cumbersome and complex. The censure motion was defeated by 32 votes to 144. Air Attack. The following Parliamentary Committee has been appointed to examine the problem of transfe: -nee of persons from areas which might be exposed to continuous air attack and to recommend plans for the purpose: Sir John Anderson (chairman), Colonel G. F. Doland, Dr. Aden Guest, and Sir Percy Harris.