£8,000,000 FOR GERMAN AIRSHIPS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1303, 26 September 1914, Page 4

£8,000,000 FOR GERMAN AIRSHIPS.

Stead’s Review of Reviews (Sep-tember-October, 6d), contains a most startling article upon the German air fleet. It shows that the Germans might quite possibly have fifty Zeppelins waiting the psychological moment to issue forth on a shocked world ; considers that the airships which have been brought down by the Allies are Parsevals, not Zeppelins, and points out that the cost of such ships is only £50,000, far less than is generally supposed. The importance Germany puts upon the creation of a third arm is shown by the amounts devoted to aerial defence by her last year. Great Britain allotted £822,000 lor the purpose ; France voted £1,500,000, and the French also raised a national fund. Germany, however, voted no less tfyan £7,783,000 to be spent on an ambitious programme extending over four years. That is to say, about £2,000,000 a year if spent equally every twelve months, but allowing her to spend almost £8,000,000 as she chooses before 1918. If she were expecting war this year she may have used most of it already ! In addition to this the Germans raised £200,000 privately in 1912, which was all spent in the construction of aeroplanes. As the finest military ones cost only £2OOO, that means one hundred machines all built to oue type, and to judge by results in the war a very good type indeed. During 1913 an equally large sum was subscribed lor the same purpose.