The Detroit times., 1910-05-04
100000 WILL Be
SPENT ON A|RsH|PS
France Is Spurred To Action by
Germany's 20 Dirigible Balloons
French Army Has None.

PARIS, May 4.-The German army
twenty-five dirigible bal
looms ready for immediate service.
The French army possesses none.
That, according to the accepted
OF experts and critics. is
the relative position in aeronautical
OF the two great armies which
watch each other SO constantly and
jealousy across the frontier, and IT Is
a position which les beginning 70 cause
French politicians much concern.
The striking discourse OF Or. Rey-
mont in the senate few days ago
has raised the question to such an
acute form that il is hardly likely 10
drop back again into obscurity. Al
the end of the discussion opinion in
the senate could easily have over
thrown the government But a prom
ise that within four years. and al a
cost Of s4,000,000. the French aerial
feet will be as strong as Germany's
and that separate corps concerned
only with aeronautics shall be created
in the French army has left critics
more or less satisfed-for the pres
ent.
Comparison Of Forces.
The thing that irritates most is that
France. who by her own energy and
enterprise. and the courage OF her
pilots" had led the world for so long
in the conquest OF the air by aero
plane and dirigihle. has now allowed
Germany 80 10 out-distance her in
military aeronautics.
The German superiority applies not
only TO dirigibles, but TO hangers. IA
cilities for repair, the supply of hydro
gen. the training of aerial crews, and
all that will 60 10 make for success
In the possible war in the air" of
the future
The French army has at present
three dirigibles- the Willie de Paris,
the Colonel Renard, and La Liberte.
But none of them is in a condition TO
take the field, or the air, tomorrow.
Against this. Germany has her fifteen
dirigibles, ready at any time to cross
the frontier.
France has two military hangers,
one at Verdun, and the other at
Chalais Moudon, but they are too small
To take the latest type OF aerial Dread
noughts. and at present the balloon
must be built 10 it the hangar, or, as
Senaor Raymond said, The horse
must be measured to fit the stable. "
And on the other hand. Germany
has n line of 20 hangars disposed along
the frontier. ready to receive any one
OF the - dirieibles NOW in service.
which are i'm turn ready 10 act as
scouts for the army of 100000 men
which Germany would Immediately
rush up to the frontier should war
threaten.
Disaster Stopped Progress.
Moreover. France has no means OF
producing hydrogen cheaply, no rail
way wagons for its transport, no
scarchlights suitable for discovering
attacking dirigibles at night, and no
system of wireless telegraphy applied
to dirigibles All these things Ger
many has got
The state of the French army IN
aeronautics is described by sober
newspapers as "deplorablc' and start
ling, and this opinion for once is not
inspired by political differences.
France feels that she wants some
more tangible return for the money
and the lives she has spent i'm the ali.
Since the disaster 10 La Republique.
when the crew of four were instantly
killed, the progress of the dirigihle
seems 10 have stopped in the French
army.
The present agitation only shows
how far opinion has leaped forward in
the last twelve months or so. during
which time man has commenced TO fly
about over the earth France. ever
gazing across the frontier at the do.
ings Of her great armed rival feels
that some day before long her very
existence may be threatened by au
aerial invasion across the frontier act
ing I'm concert with Germanys legious
on the ground And II is significant
that in this latest comparison of mill
tary strength England is never even
mentioned.
MESsENCEH-TAN iCAn. MAIN 3su
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