AIR POWER

Wairarapa Daily Times, 16 March 1933, Page 5

AIR POWER

BRITAIN’S POSITION. LONDON, Thursday. In presenting the Air Force estimates in the House of Commons to-day, Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-Secretary for Air, said that the contributions to economy made by the Royal Air Force had. not been made without anxiety. Risks had had to be taken. An apparent rise of £6OOO in the total of £17,424,000 concealed a reduction of £340,000, following the decrease of £700,000 last year. No new units were provided for although ten regular squadrons were still required to- complete the modest programme approved as long ago as 1923. TJio decision to hold this ten-year-old programme in suspense for another year wag practical proof of the whole-hearted desire of the Government to promote the successful issue- of the Disarmament Conference. Pending the outcome of the Conference, the Government was once again prepared to accept a continuance of the serious existing disparity between the strength of the Royal Air Force arid that of the air services of other great nations. In terms of first-line strength, the Royal Air Force stood to-day only fifth on the list of air powers, although at the end of the Great War Britain had a larger number of trained flying personnel and a larger total number of •aircraft than any other ntaion. While the air expenditure in Britain had shown a substantial decline since 1925, other nations, had very large increased their outlay on air services over the same period. The decision, therefore, again to postpone overtaking arrears on the modest programme deemed to be the minimum necessary in 1923, when tlie strength of other air Powers was considerably less than it is to-day, was a gesture the importance of which would not, hei hoped, be overlooked. The air policy of Britain was and had always been conspicuously moderate and unprovocative. Nevertheless, whilst air forces existed, air power was as vital to the British Empire as sea power, and could not be neglected. Mr X. Mac-Lean (Labour) said be believed that all air forces represented terrorism, which Mr Baldwin had expressed the fear would one day be letloese on civilisation. Mr Winston Churchill agreed with Mr Baldwin's declaration in the House of Commons on 10th November that air power might either end war or civilisation, but that speech aroused alarm without offering guidance or a solution. In the present condition of Europe, France could not be expected to reduce her air force while Germany’s remained as it was now. While not abandoning hope of international agreement, we should not base the life of" Britain thereon. We would be. well advised to concentrate upon air defence with great vigour. A motion to go into committee on the air estimates was carried by 249 votes to 35.