§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That a sum, not exceeding £3,229,850, be granted to His Majesty, to defray the Expense of Technical and Warlike Stores, which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1920, in addition to a sum of £16,093,000 to be allocated for this purpose from the sum of £45,000,000 voted on account of Air Services generally.
Captain BENNI desire to ask a question about mechanical transport. It is perfectly obvious that a force like the Air Force must be very mobile, and have a very large amount of big wagons and lighter tenders, and also an amount of personal transport. At the same time one of the temptations of this large amount of transport is that it is too freely used; I am making no charge, but everybody knows that one of the great features in the Air Force was that you always got a motor car. I would suggest to the right hon. Gentleman, would it not be possible to have a mobilisation store where the amount of transport which would be needed in demobilisation would be kept available. That would form a check on the use of transport for other purposes. I notice an item in this Vote of £25,000 for awards for inventions. Could the right hon. Gentleman tell us how that is to be allocated? There is also this point. A great many people engaged in the working of the squadrons think of small improvements which might be made and which would tend to increased efficiency. It is sometimes very difficult for such people to get their inventions or suggestions properly considered. I suppose they have to be put forward through the commanding officer. I would like to ask whether some means could not be devised by which such ideas could be forwarded direct to some independent person who could see whether there was anything in them, and send for the person concerned and cross-examine him. I believe that in great business houses that is actually done, 149 and I suggest that if a similar system were adopted in the Air Force much good might result. I do not know whether I would be in order in asking on Vote 4 whether the right hon. Gentleman can tell us more about civil aviation, and particularly about accommodating stations on the aerial routes?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI do not think my hon. and gallant Friend would be well advised in maintaining that officers employed in whole-time service should be paid monetary rewards for any little gadget or improvement they may invent in the course of their work.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThere is much too much of that, and I do not think it should be encouraged. Anything of course in the nature of a great or novel invention must receive reward, and provision is made for that, but I very much discountenance the idea that an officer who is getting good pay from the State—and the rates of pay have been improved—should, whenever some new idea relating to the machine which he has to fly occurs to him, immediately apply for a reward. I think that was the tenour of the hon. and gallant Gentleman's remarks.
Captain BENNThe right Ion. Gentleman is absolutely mistaken. I. am not suggesting any monetary reward. During the War it was my experience that many officers and men who thought of improvements which would make for the greater efficiency of the Service found that the cumbrous methods of submitting those ideas to the squadron or unit commander produced no result. I was not asking for any monetary reward, but that there should be some assurance that those intelligent and useful efforts on behalf of the efficiency of the Service of which they are proud should eventuate in the way they desire.
§ 8.0 P.M.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI know of no disposition to snub officers and men who put forward useful ideas, and I cannot think of any officers I know who would not be delighted to seize upon any 8.0 P.M. happy idea put before them. I will, however, give any assurance that is desired that we will do anything that is in our power to encourage such ingenuity. With regard to mechanical transport, of course there has been no part of the Air and Army establishments 150 which has been more stringently and drastically overhauled than that concerned with motor cars, and I. am satisfied that the reduction of motor cars now has gone down to the very minimum compatible with the ordinary carrying on of the duties. Some people have the idea that one of the great ways of achieving economy is to reduce motor cars and to walk instead, or go by train, and others think that if you can get the use of the telephone reduced or shorthand-writers retrenched you will in that way succeed in effecting great economies. If people who are dealing with matters of great consequence write their letters in their own hands instead of dictating them, walk to their business instead of riding, and send a message instead of speaking through the telephone, some people think economies will result, but, as a matter of fact, very few suggestions are less helpful than these.
So far as the mechanical transport of the Air Force is concerned, I have not yet finally reached a conclusion as to what extent we can pool with the Army. I am certain we can pool reserves with the Army; so far as the ordinary pool of cars is concerned we can pool reserves. Of course, the mechanical transport Repair Department at Shrewsbury, which is under the control of the Royal Air Force, we hope will be wound up and handed over to Slough, which, although it has been very frequently abused in this House and out of it by ignorant persons, is increasingly establishing itself as a paying asset in the State and is vindicating in a most conclusive mariner the wisdom and foresight of those concerned in its initiation. As far as civil aviation is concerned, I have the figures here. I said the total was £329,000. and these are the principal items: Meteorology, £25,000; pay (salaries), £39,000; air routes, Cairo to the Cape, £50,000; Karachi to Australia, £40,000; purchase of land, etc., £50,000; minor new works £25,000.
§ Major-General Sir NEWTON MOOREIs there any provision for a route beyond Karachi? Is there any provision for acquiring land at either of the stations that would be required between there and Australia?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLOh, yes. This present flight to Australia has been done along a route which the Civil Aviation Department of the Air Ministry has been prospecting and developing. Of course, 151 it is far from perfect, and hon. Members can see what a perilous business it has been by the number of deaths that have occurred. Only one machine has so far got through, but the trail has been blazed, not only as far as Karachi, but right away through to Australia. Of course, I think the best part of the route will be the Cairo, Bagdad, Karachi route, and there anyhow you will have large air establishments for fighting or strategic purposes, and it ought to be possible on a first-class route, with aerodromes and so forth, for large commercial craft to make their way. The Cape to Cairo route, on which £50,000 has been spent, is now practically complete, and I could arrange for hon. Members who might be interested to see a roll or a chart as long as from here to the door, showing them all the stations throughout the whole of that route, where there are landing grounds, with dumps, etc. The present state of the scheme is this, that we want an incentive from South Africa as great as was offered by Australia to induce the civil aviation interests in this country to compete in the Cairo to the Cape flight, and I do think the great millionaires of the Rand might well make an offer of a prize equal to that which was given by the Government of Australia, and so offer an incentive to use this route. The route will be kept up by the different local Governments through which it passes. That is our policy, to negotiate with them to take over these landing grounds, keep them clear of the bush, and guard the stores of petrol and other commodities which are placed there, so that what has been done once will not fade away into the jungle altogether.
§ Sir N. MOOREWhere you pass over Dutch territory, for instance, have any arrangements been made with the Dutch Government? Hon. Members who read the particulars of Captain Ross Smith's flight will remember that the greatest difficulty was experienced in his getting away after he landed on Dutch territory, owing to the nature of the soil being such that it was almost impossible for him to get a start, and I should like to know whether any reciprocal arrangements are being entered into with the Dutch Government.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI can only say that it is for the Controller-General of Civil Aviation to do his best to smooth away the difficulties, and in pursuit of that we shall 152 use all the ordinary bargaining processes which remain at the disposal of the Government.
Question put, and agreed to.