London, Mar. 2.
British air rearmament will be substantially completed during the coming financial year, declares Lord Swinton, Secretary of State for Air, in a memorandum in connection with the 1938 Air Estimates, which were issued to-day.
The Estimates show an increase of £17,000,000 compared with last year rising from 56,500,000 to £73,500,000. The gross Estimate was £111,502,000, which was reduced to the net total by the deduction of £5,718,000 for the Fleet Air Arm; a grant of £2,284,000 for other appropriations-in-aid; and £30,000,000 for loan provi The grant for the Fleet Air Arm shows an increase of £1,518,000 in order to meet the increase in the strength and training of the personnel.
The strength of the Air Force is estimated at 83,000 men, which is an increase of 13,000 compared with 1937. The number of persons employed in the aircraft industry had increased from 30,000 in 1935 to, roughly, 90,000. In addition, large numbers are employed in the production of armament and equipment.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.