§ Sir F. SYKESasked the Secretary of State for Air whether the silk employed 1382W in the manufacture of parachutes abroad for the Royal Air Force is of British production?
§ Sir S. HOAREThese parachutes are being made from silk woven in Japan. I may add that the manufacturer is understood to have satisfied the United States Government, who are large users of this parachute, that silk of satisfactory quality for this particular purpose is not at present obtainable in America, but that I propose to reconsider this question with a view to the use of British silk, if possible, so soon as I can arrange for the manufacture of these parachutes to commence in this country.
§ Sir F. SYKESasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that the American Irving-type parachute under order by the Air Ministry omits certain safety devices, but is claimed in other respects to infringe British patents covering a type at one time experimented with in this country; whether he has received information that this last-mentioned type is now regarded by the inventor as obsolete and as less efficient than subsequent British designs; whether the Air Ministry have received and considered any comparative statements by British designers of the merits of the Irving and British types; whether they are completely satisfied that no type of parachute exists affording greater safety than that of the Irving type in design, workmanship, and/or operation; and whether he is prepared to make a statement in regard to the technical aspects of this order?
§ Sir S. HOAREAs regards the first part of the question, the contention of a British inventor that the Irving parachute infringes his patent is at present under investigation. As regards the second part, I am aware that this inventor has designed a parachute which he considers to be an improvement upon the type submitted by him some years ago, but as he has not yet afforded the Air Ministry a reasonable opportunity of testing his latest type, I am unable to institute any comparison between its merits and those of the Irving. As regards the third and fourth parts, I am not prepared to assert that further research and experiment will not result in parachutes giving even greater immunity from risk than does the 1383W Irving; but in view of the urgent necessity of equipping the Royal Air Force with a reliable parachute I decided, for the reasons stated by me in the House on the 26th February and 24th June last, not to await the progress of experiments, but to adopt a device which had already reached the stage of successful production and whose serviceability had been demonstrated beyond question over a long period of practical air experience. I do not think it practicable to make a technical statement within the limits of a reply to a question.