BRITISH FLYING

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1933, Page 6

BRITISH FLYING

RECENT GROWTH OF TRAFFIC DECREASING NEED FOlt SUBSIDIES. Officially compiled tables of the working of Imperial Airways during; the last five years provide interesting evidence of the .steady, advance of British air transport towards the point where it will fly itself without any artificial support in the shape of Government . subsidy. Comparisons are given, with the results obtained by French air transport concerns over the same period. ■

Statistics comprising the results' achieved by the British company and by Air Union, in direct competition over the London-Paris route are particularly important; They show that the lead, lield. by Imperial Airways in 1928 in the carriage of passengers and mails had -been considerably ■ reduced by 1931, and by- that time Air Union had definitely gained the ascendancy in the carriage of goods. , ■ But in 1932 the intensive working of new-type aeroplanes on the British services—notably ■ the Handley Page Type 42 biplanes—radically, altered the situation. Between London, and Paris the -British company carried in 1932 no less than 98 per cent, more passengers than in 1931. Air Union passenger.". traffic increased by 15 percent., and in- the upshot the British concern, more ’ than regained the favourable position of 1925. Both companies suffered a decline in the< amounts of mails and' goods'air-borne —doubtless a reflection of the prevailing economic crisis—but the de»crease was much less on the British side than on the French. Finally, in 1932, the Imperial Airways machines carried more passengers than did'the aircraft of all of the French air transport concerns put together.

Reflecting directly the V“economic” value of the.craft employed is the fact that in 1932 the British fleet required little more than one-third the amount of government subsidy absorbed by the . French companies—£516,650 against £1,582.480. Reckoned oil the convenient.,.basis of payment a tonmile, the 1 subsidy paid. was. 5s 6d to the British company arid ,15s 6d to the French firms,. . These figures , were calculated on par rate 0 f exchange* (£1 •. to 124' francs); if the average value of the pound 'Sterling during 1932 were. substituted (about 85 frants), ’• theh comparative . position would appear 6till • more favourable to Imperial Airways. Finally, and this is: perhaps the most vital point of ail, in proportion gave further .details of the work done payments', the British/ company out-, shone its French, contemporaries to the extent of 140; p.er cent., in spite of the heavy initial:'expenses; involved ip .tli.e opening of hew airways Q.ufK side Europe. •In bis speech - to-Handley f --Page shareholders, Mr 1?Y Handley Page gave further -details of the wark-done by the fleet -of > eight- - Type 42 rbfc planes ijj. the service of Imperial Air-, wavs.- He -stated • that the number of passengers - air-borne by the: company between London and Paris increased from 18,392 in 1931 tp 36,308 in 1932. o,n one day last year—July 9—three Type 42-- aircraft carried 42 passengers, making six separate flights between London and Paris and two separate ;flights between London and" Basle, - - ~

He continued with encouragement for the 1 future. ‘Such is the rapid progress -pf aviation,” he sard.' “that we can to-dav offer, aircraft' with veryconsiderably dmpro.ved" performances oxen, over -f-this -type, •and such" improvements. make i;t worth - while forany transport company investigating the running costs of these new types to see the great decrease 'in operational cost t.ha,t cait now be effected. In fact; it may be definitely, stated. that,-with our latest type of aircraft, it is a perfectly feasible commercial .proposition. to! run services similar to. the Loiidon-Pans. line without government subsidy or aid. ”