London, July 24.
Stressing the importance of aerial expansion in Great Britain, the "Sunday Times" writes today, "Judging by the present state of affairs, it can be deduced that the potential output capacity of the aircraft industry within two years will amount to approximately 25000 machines an-unally,"
An Air Ministi plan foreseeing 1,750 first-line aire: ft by March, 1939, is even now being executed, the newspaper continues, By 1940, there will be 2,750 first-line "planes. At a later stage, too, more accelerated expansion is provided for.
Expert aireraftsmen admit that lo: in time of war can reach figure of 100 per cent. in five or six weeks, It is for this reason that the Air Ministry is prepared to have the air industry put out 25,000 craft an-unally, In peace times, the rate of production may be held down.
The "Sunday Times" adds that there are now six "shadow factories" either in construction or planned. The: are already five plants constructing engines, however, while two are building fuselages, two manufacture carburretors, one makes propellers, five construct various spare parts and two plants are used solely for purposes of assembling the various pieces into whole craft.
In addition, the newspaper points out, the new factory worked by Lord Nuffield will build in the next 18 months, fighting planes of the "Spitüre" type in large numbers, The new Rolls-Royce aviation plant will, in the meantime, construct "Merlin" aeroplane engines The "Sunday Times" concludes in noting that while to date the Air Ministry has concentrated chiefly on the assemblage of its bombing squadrons. it is now adopting a new policy, having ordered 1,000 "Spitfire" pursuit craft, and will develop the lighter fighting classes of its air arm, —Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.