No decision as to the usevof the: R100 will be reached until the report of the Court of Inquiry now Snweatigating the loss of the R-101 has been received and considered in all its bearings on future airship Doliey, said the Under-Secretary for "Air, Mr. Montague, in the House of Commons to-day.
"The cost of the upkeep of the R-100 Ju flying condition, including pay of personnel and' overhead charges, was, he said, about £600 yeek. The B-100 was at present, ing deflated and full inspection of hull was proceeding. He also Snformed questioners that the cost of airships constructed since the Armistice was, R-33 and R-36, £50 900 each: R-E0, £275,000 R-38, £500,-
London, Nov. 6.
At the resumption of the Court of Enquiry into the R-101 disaster today, Sir John Simon, the Chair man, questioning Air Marshal Sir John Higgins, the fact! "that the repairs to the gas bags in which holes had been made. through chafing, had not been re-experienced during the, ported to the Air Ministry. Neither [td the repairs made to the engine that broke down during trials been' reported to the Air Ministry.
Sir John Simon read a minute by Lord Thomson insisting on adhere fence to the programme "f the Indian flight.
Air Marshal Sir John Higgins said that as it was realized that. Lord Thomson was determined to have the airship ready for India at. the end of September, every effort was made to speed up the work, feutenant-Colonel Moore-Brabe-[zon asked if Lord Thomson had not wanted to go to India himself' would Air Marshal Sir John Hig-have ordered the R-101 to la. in view of the alterations lo in her?
Sir John Higgins replied that it was n hypothetical question which he did not think he could ~Rhswer-He added, however, that on what he fad heard from Wing-Commander Colmore and Major Scott about the results of the trial he would have been satisfied that the ship was safe to go to India, Vice-Marshal H.C.T. "Down. ing asserted that as the. airship had not done full power trials he told Lord Thomson he proposed to instruct Wing-Commander Colmore to carry out fall power trials as soon as possible after leaving for India, so that if there were anything unsatisfactory there would be time to turn back. After-rds Lord Thomson remarked:
settled then," showing 8 absolutely confident.
Sir John Simon, declaring that there vas no written report on the Inst trial flight and no written inspection sheet of what was. observed during and after the} fight, asked: "Ts it a fact that just at this moment the Air Ministry, granted a certificate of airworthines Air Vice-Marshal Downing re plied: "The certifiente was issued by the Secretary of State, having regard to the reports furnished to him," presumably by Wing-Commander Colmore-'At this stage of the proceeding the enquiry was adjourned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.