BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 May 1938, Page 7

BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

NEW AIR PROGRAMME HOUSE OF LORD’S DEBATE. INCREASE IN FIRST-LINE STRENGTH. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 12. Simultaneous with the debate in the House of Commons, the House of Lords discussed air defence, and the Air Minister, Lord Swinton, made a speech in which he announced the development of the programme reported by Lord Winterton to the House of Commons. On the increase of the first-line strength, Lord Swinton made the additional point that the figures naturally excluded training machines, for which the necessary orders had been placed. On the personnel, he mentioned that the intake of airmen, which a few years ago was at the rate of 1000 ayear, • was now more than 11,000 a year.

Speaking of the purposes of the experts’ visit to the American Continent to investigate the possibilities in Canada for building up a war potential. Lord Swinton foreshadowed aircraft manufactured there being flown across the Atlantic for service in war. The Air Minister said a new technique in manufacture had been necessitated by the order for the large all; metal, stressed-skin types which had been found to make the most efficient bombers and fighters, and he ridiculed the suggestion that the aircraft now on order and in production for the Royal Air Force were in any way less than the best. They were highly satisfactory in quality and the best evidence of it was the desire of foreign countries in every part of the world

to purchase those very machines, although they had to wait because of the priority of the Air Ministry’s requirements. As an instance of the efficient manner in which the Air Ministry was organising and placing vast orders, Lord Swinton said they were steadily reducing the multiplicity of types. Of one type there were 1500 on order with two firms and of another 900 were on order with a single firm. He had. noticed the other day that the general of the Air Corps of the. United States had written explaining the great achievement there of placing an order for 200 planes of one type with one firm. Lord Swinton ended with an impassioned appeal for peace. AUTHORITATIVE SPEECH.

The House of Lords debate was notable for the intervention of Lord Weir, who, in an informed and authoritative speech, brough a powerful

reinforcement of the Air Minister’s - defence of his department’s handling of supply questions. Lord Weir asked their lordships to

consider the various criticisms of the " Government’s programme against the background of the two major political decisions which affected it. Three years ago the Government decided to increase the Air Force as rapidily as

possible. The Government had reached a second decision, not only to accelerate and expand the existing programme but to secure acceleration and expansion under the conditions of first priority 'in labour, fhaterial and’ facilities. Nothing was now to be allowed to stand in the way of achieving the maximum rate of progress. This did not imply the equivalent of war conditions, which presumably would mean compulsory control of man-power and facilities, but it meant a general- tempo of action as rapid as could be secured in times of peace. He believed the effects of the new decision would lead to an output fully justifying the claims by Lord Swinton in the House of Lords and Lord Winterton in the House of Commons. Lord Weir also drew attention to the early difficulties —now overcome — due to the fact that the British aircraft industry, which through the postwar years had been supreme in the field of .scientific and technical design, was weakened and inexperienced in production owing to the small demand. Regarding the question of mass production, Lord Weir expressed the opinion that aircraft had not reached the stage of technical development of design which would justify the largescale adoption of these methods. He also defined the standards and requirements of the aeronautical inspection department and said they would regard as retrograde any relaxation of the existing standards which might impair the confidence of the pilots in their machines.

FURTHER MOTIONS DEMAND FOR INQUIRY (British Official Wireless.) (Recd This Day, 10.8 a.m.) RUGBY, May 13. Concern regarding the progress with the Air Force expansion programme was persisted in after last night’s debate in both Houses of Parliament, and the tabling of the Labour motion calling for an inquiry. This was followed by an announcement that two further motions had been handed in. One, standing in the name of the opposition Liberals, calls for the appointment of a select committee to investigate aircraft supply, anti-aircraft defence and air raid precautions and the other, which is backed by sixteen Government supporters, Including Mr Winston Churchill, welcomes the appointment of an independent committee of inquiry.