London, Jan. 19.
Singapore's Air force, it is learned in London. to-day. has ihe, present strength amounting to four squadrons. Two of these, totalling twelve, machines each, re torpedo and bombo: squadrons,. The other two are fyingboat squadrons of four mad each, The total to which Singapore's air strength will eventually be. increased is not known, Since the beginning of Great Britain's. air expansion, however, the strengthening of Singapore': air forces has been envisaged.
The Singapore flying-boats have a range of 1,000 miles without refuelling. In an emergency, they could, by using the existing facilities at Kuching, Kudat and. elsewhere on the Borneo coast, throw a reconnaissance patrol practically across the South China Sea.
Thus, they could give ample warning of any impending attack against Singapore, whether by naval units or whether by an attempt to land troops on the long eastern coastline of the mainland. Air reinforcements could also be speedily sent to Singapore from India and Iraq.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.