CIVIL AVIATION.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17122, 18 April 1921, Page 9

CIVIL AVIATION.

WHAT FRANCE IS DOING, (r ß Oli OUR OWK COBBISrOUDBXt.) ' LONDON, March 3. Subsidies, by tho French Government imd lack of subsidies-by tho British Government have achieved 1 two tlyngs respectively; they have reduced the cost of air transit to £6 Cs, and have tnkeji the' service on£ of British and placed it in French hands. The Handley-Page Transport, Ltd., service; the last, to survive of several British enterprises of tho kind, now no longer is carrying on its aeroplane scrvico between London and''Paris. The Airco and Instone Companies ceased to compete some time >go. '■l fcannot possibly compete with the French services, as I receive a 1 subsidy of 25 per cent, only," said Mr Handlcy Pago, in an interview. "I have to charge £lO 10s single fare, and. tho French , can do it for £0 6s. No ono will tuavel by an English line when tlfey can obtain a return, ticket op a ■ French' ono for little more . than our gbgle. There could bo no object ox- ■ cept in losing, money; in - competing with the' F!rcneh under such oircumstances. The outlook for British aviation is now distinctly bad, aid before, long thero won't b'O any." . Thcro will b© two French companies ' with air services to London this summer. A Belgian company is to revive thb Brussels-London eervico, •and a Dutch company is contemplating a servioe to and froni Amsterdam. "It is heartbreaking to think that British civil aviation has been absolutely knocked on the head. Whethertho country is going to bo to see our aerodromes used by foreign countries only remains to be seen, said. Mr Lawton, of Messrs Handiey Page, who quoted some' remarkable figures illustrative of the aid--the French Government is giving to French ,civil aviation concerns. Each company ia receiving by way of subsidy: Eight francs per kilometre . flown by single-engined machines; twelve francs por kilometre flown by twin-engined machines. In addition, the Government guarantees 50 per cent, of the money required for aircraft construction. It is insisted that each company must have a minimum of 14 twinengined machines and 28'single-engin6d machines.' .

Tlie Trench Government ja also doing everything possible to ensure a supply of pilots. Men who have served in tho French air service are to use the Government! aerodromes, • "and machines and petrol" are placed,, their disposal on Sundays for training flights. Tlie life of tho trainee is insured by the Government for 50,000 francs for each flight, and the Government indemnifies owners against damage to their machines. In all a flftm of 33 million, francs is devoted to this work, " In tliis country one' tnillidh pounds is being spetit on civil aviation, and of that. £940,000 goes' in. metcorolo- , gical research and administrative charges. Threo aerodromes are maintained, tho upkeep of, Croydon casting £20,000—-and now there is not a single English ra'mpany using it. The £60,000 reserved for direct subsidy is governed-by what tho companies assert are quite impracticable terms, being allotted on a percentage .on tho gross receipts • for passengers 'and freights.. And. if a conscientious pilot in bad weather declines to risk tlio safety of lib passengers and_ does not complete liis journey, that flight earns no subsidy. Moreover, it. is pointed out that the French Government is conducting a publicity campaign to popularise flying, whereat. all publicity charges—and they liavo been , heavy —in this country have been born© by the companies themselves. I The necessity for adequate subsidies for the,' development of British civil aviation was emphasised by Major-Gen--1 oral Sir P. Bykes, Controller-General of Civil Aviation, and Air Services, and by Mr H. W. Smith; chairman of the Society. of British Aircraft Construction} in replies to discussions raised ttpon papers read by them at tbe Air Conference held in London in October last. . The proceedings of-the'confer-ence and the replies nave tfeen brought out as a White Papdr. •Major-Genera! feykes says:—"All mails should be surrendered to aircraft operating on Continental air routes, but it is doubtful if the Post Office can organise this - quietly enough, and to meet the difficulties of the nest two or three years, it is necessary that .direct subsidies should, be .granted." Mr White Smith declares that: "While development of new types of civil aircraft is proceeding, "we cannot claim to have reached yet the point of commercial success, arid I consider that subsidies are highly necessary in order to carry on until such time as aircraft becom© developed." It was on September 2nd, 1919, that the Handley Pago cross-Channel' flights began on a regular .• time-table. More than 4000 passengers and upwards of -l&O.OOOlb weight in goods have been carried, and the total distance, flown exceeds 390,000 miles,. The original

lino to lViris was followed by otbenio Brussels and Antwerp, but tho ronUi was abandoned nwingto tho frequency of fogs of! tho DutcTi co«t, and tho Hrussels service was closed do*n soon aftorwards.

Seven Airships to ho Given AW> "If any company will and give a roasonablo to operato tho vessels, they shall Jnweau our airships frco of charge, together witli all the spare parts m our poMHlou, and tho necessary ground establishments." Thus Mr Churchill in tho. Commons on Tureday night* . ' The question is aswd: Will a. cste.tak« over all tho Britujß airships and establishments on Mr Cjmrelulvß conditions? Tho gravity Of the effWw hardly realised outside of flyingctrciw. It is tho result of a decision on tW pan of tho Air. Council. + p ractwdly »t would be a gift of about £5,000,000 lo any enterprising syndicate, because each airship cost about a quarter of * million, and 1130 cost £300,000. In this country tho following airships arc inTwo German airships, L 64 and L7l, recently handod over. ht I Is tho big* gest ship in tho world. « R36 just completed, and now itig hor final trials at Glasgow. This ship has been fitted up de luxe for-cora-morcial traffic. It has luxurious boas, -liyvatoriesj and' cooking airangwnenU on board, and wouldmakea magainctat cruising ship for millionaires. 1137, sister ship to H 36, now. Mtttlg built at Cardinaton, tocar Bedford, at the National Airship Factory. _ R33, now at Pulham, is temg u«kl for mooring experiment?, and is wswr tihip to R34, which met with an ««- dent .on bear last cruiso and was wrecked. . , . „ R32, au older type, and or smaller size* i " RBO, also a smaller typo, and ratally underwent her final trials. • Then there are tho airship stations t.> bo reckoned with. Tho ono at M ham is worth more thiui £2,OOCMXW* Only last year the National Aitwip Factory- at Bedford was bought far ft f considerable sum of money. Whilst this slump has taken plaoo m ttoEnßlish industty, the French are going for- • ward with aircraft dovelopnufit.. by heavy Government subsidies uk twir manufacturing firms, but tho only fcn* - ships they at -present are those received frotrt the Germans.