The Government has reversed the policy of its prede- cessor
and is going in for airships. In the House of Commons on Thursday, July 26th, Sir Samuel Hoare made the important announcement that the Government had accepted in substance a scheme drawn up by Com- mander Burney. The general principle is the wise and practical one that the State should not build nor maintain its own airships but should depend upon commercial enterprise. This principle, of course, had already been adopted by the Government for the main development of military aeroplanes. Sir Samuel Hoare said that the Committee of Imperial Defence attached considerable strategic value to airships and that the Imperial Shipping Committee believed that the mails to the Far East and Australia could be most cheaply carried by airships. It vas hoped to establish a bi=weekly service of six large airships to India. The Dominions were being invited to, discuss the matter at the Imperial Conference. The scheme will be managed by the Air Ministry. * * *
