The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-17
Government Doing All Pos sible to Remedy the
 Condition
MISTAKE NOT TO
 DEVELOP ZEPPELIN
Winston Churchill Is Criticized for FaiIure-Admit That Safety of Every Part of United Kingdom
 Will Never Be Possible

London,~February 16-Todays debate In Parliament on the air defense of Great Britain was chiefly remarkable for the frank admissions made by the cabinets spokesmen that the present conditions are far from satisfactory Andrew Bonar Law, secretary for the colonies; A. J. Ba1four, first lord of the admiralty, and H. J. Tennant, under secretary for war, all spoke in this vein. They declared. however, that the government was doing all that was hu- manly possible.
 Mr. Balfour disclosed the sensation of the day when he declared that one of England's great mistakes in the days prior to the war was her failure to develop a dirigible airship fleet along lines similar to that of Germany.
 A GERMAN ADVANTAGE
 With regard to zeppelins." he said, looking back on events, I am sorry that we did not develop that type of vessel, not so much for aggression and defense as for maritime and other scouting. Such airships might have played for us an important part. Ger tainly Germany has had an advantage in possessing them.
 We are doing what we can to rem edy this state of things, but I do not pretend that, when we began the race 10 years behind the enemy, there is ony reasonable probability of catching up. However, something must be done and what can is being done"
 The matter of zeppelins came up earlier in the day in the opening speech of William Joynson- Hicks, unionist, who recalled Winston Spen- Ger Churchilrs statement of March 1914, that England was to have a fleet of airships and that one of the Zep- pelin type had been laid down.
 "Mr Churchill" continued the speak CT, said we had built, or were build ing, 15 airships Where are they?,
 Towards the close of his speech, MT. Joynson- Hicks reverted to this same subject, remarking; T have left out the possibility of our defending our selves from an air raid by means of airships of the Zeppelin type, because we have not got any. Regarding this lack, heavy responsibility rests on the gentleman who was first lord Of the admiralty sometime ago."
 WITHDRAWS AMENDMENT
 The debate on air defense was intro duced by MT. Joynson- Hicks in nov ing an amendment to the address from the throne, that no proposal has been made therein for placing the air serv- ice of the country on a firmer and stronger basis."
 At the close of the days debate MT. Joynson-Hick consented to withdraw his amendment on the understanding that further opportunity would be of fered for discussion of the air problem later in the session.
 The government supporters tonight expressed the hope that the ministe- rial statements today would do much to clarify the atmosphere and reassure the country. MT. Bonar Laws sum- ming up of the cabinets position on air defense, in short speech, was as follows:
 T make no pretense that the govern ment is satisfied with this branch of the service. but I assure the House that we are trying to effect remedies for all defenses."
 MT. Tennant, in behalf of the war office, after outlining a new scheme for the co-ordination of army, navy and munitions departments in the work of air defense, closed with the state ment:
 "While we have made strides in pro- viding proper equipment and defense for the arsenals, and vulnerable points of the country, the safety of every part of the United Kingdom against at tack by long range air craft can never be complete.'