TRAVEL BY AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1922, Page 5

TRAVEL BY AIR.

LINKING THE EMPIRE.

THE USE OF AIRSHIPS.

AUSTRALIA TO LONDON.

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

Received Feb. 7, 6.5 p.m.

London, Feb. fl. Major G. H. Scott, of the British Air Force, in a paper read before the Air Ministry’s conference, expressed the opinion that without awaiting further improvements airships were now technically capable of use for commercial and defence purposes. Given the provision of bases and mooring masts the airship, he said, is the most promising means of solving the vital problem of speeding up Imperial communications. A regular service to India, via Egypt, can be immediately operated when bases are provided. The available meteorological data did not justify a definite opinion whether the equal regularity maintained could be maintained with Australia, though the general weather conditions between India and Australia offered no special difficulties.

The establishment of an Imperial chain of airship bases and masts would become the most vital factor in national defence, particularly in connection with naval operations and the protection of trade routes, and possibly as fighting machines superior to aeroplanes, and as aircraft carriers. The cessation of airship research would be false economy, because the progress which other countries were certain to make in the next two years would necessarily entail the revival of British experiments at much greater cost than they could be carried out now. The position demanded that every effort should be made to finance an Imperial chain of bases. If Australia was unable to finance the last stage we ought to concentrate on the link between England and India. Major Scott advocated airships of a capacity of 2,500,000 cubic feet, giving a gross lift of seventy-five tons, and capable of carrying thirty-five passengers, besides seven tons of mail. The journey should be a non-stop one of two thousand miles at fifty miles an hour. He pointed out that the R3B,was constructed in 1918 when the military needs demanded high ceiling in order to outfly the Germans, and this reduced the margin of safety. Commercial machines were not subject to this condition, and therefore they were safer.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.