CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 24 March 1924, Page 8

CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Pei Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, March 21. British airmen are making a determined bid to forestall the Americans in the honour of first circumnavigating, the world. They are making every’ effort to have the machine in readiness to start from Calshot, near Southampton, on Tuesday. Britons will rely on one machine against rhe Americans’ four. The British route will be via Lyons, Brindisi. Athens, Cairo, Bagdad, Karachi. Calcutta. Rangoon, Burma, Hongkong, Aleutian Islands, Vancouver. T<. >nto, and St. John’s, crossing the Atlantic via Azores.

The crew will consist of Flying Officer Plenderleith. Pilot Squadron Leader MacLaren, Navigation Sergeant Andrew and an engineer. LONDON. March 21. In the House of Commons, in Com mittee. on the Air Estimates, Sir John Simon complained that the Government had reduced aeroplanes to :i minimum. Replying to the criticism, Mr Leach (under-Secretary to the Air Ministry) said the Government was determined most thorcughlv to investigate airship-. The sub-Committee set up for the purpose of research had already ordered experimental machines connected with the projected air mail to Ird' A rr-inrements were being m< ie ■v th the Governments of Canada, An- end New Zealand to train crficer -zr.s pilots.

C immander Burney expressed regret that thev did not provide adequate assistance for commercial aviation, csp.c.aily airships. The Pacific was new the focus of naval power, vaster

area than the navy ever before had to control. The cost of searching 1000 miles by airship was 25s compared with £77 by light cruiser. Whereas £55,000,000 were required to pay for light criusers, airships could be obtained for £3.500,000. The House of Lords carried the second reading of the Auxiliary AitForce Bill, having for its object the recruiting of thirteen Home Defence Squadrons on the lines of the territorial army. '