Evening star., 1921-07-22
BRITISH PLAN AIR
LINES TO EGYPT
Five Great DirigibIes May Be
Given to Commercial
Company.
BY HIRAM X. MoDERwELL.

By Cable to The STAR and Chicago Daily New.
Copyright. 1921.
LONDON. July 22.-The approach
ing abandonment, on August 1, Of air.
ships as part of the British military
equipment has caused a stimulus TO
civilian aviation. While some bitterly
oppose such abandonment, asserting
that the airsEip is an indispensable
military arm, ...rrs show q keen ia
terest in the governments offer 90
give its five a.rships and all the ex-
listing equipment, worth $25 ,O00, 600,
free to iona fide British commercial
company undertaking to operate then.
Plans already are wei. advanced fo /
establishing regular airship servie{
between England, Egypt, South Africa.
India and Australia. This would bring
day journey from London and Aus
tralfa within ten-day trip.
In a recent speech, the Prince of
Wales pointed out the necessity OF
quick communication as an empire
bond, and suggested that as the
Roman empire disintegrated when its
territory outran its roads, so the Brit
tsh empire would be weakened II 1t
failed to maintain the best communi-
cations. According to one scheme, a
corporation would be formed with Z
capital of fl.500,000. England and the
dominions contributing half of the
capital stock in consideration of the
Service rendered. This would practI-
cally be subsidy. 1t is agreed that
in the experimental stage the airships
some experts insist that eventually
they could be operated at a CONNER
cial profit on flights of 1000 miles or
more, meeting the competitive steam
ship rates.
Lines Operate to Paris.
Contemporaneously with the gov
ernment's offer of the airships comes
| q government offer of a subsidy for
commercial airplane lines to the con-
| tinent. Two British lines are now
! operating daily between London and
Paris under a temporary subsidy ar
rangement, but the government,
| eager to enlarge the service, has Of
fered all genuine British commercial
lines maintaining a daily service q
| subsidy Of 25 per cent OF the gross
| earnings for three years UP to "a total
| OF 100000 pounds NORMALLY. $1,000
| 000,) annually. SThis is for routes be-
| tween London and Paris. London and
Brussels and London and Amsterdam.
| but it is expected that ne wroutes
! will be added. The government will
| also build machines for commercial
| companies. renting them at 2e per
| cent monthly of the cost, the ma
chimes becoming the property Of the
| companies after thirty payments.
| This offer Is a belated effort to meet
| the competition of the heavily subsi-
died French lines. In the summer
| of 1920 the British aircraft traffic to
! as that of the other nations, but this
, year 1t has been only one quarter 40
1 large. This is because meanwhile the
\ French government instituted sub
sidy system enabling the lines 70
| operate roughly at half cost. THIS
| business, but an emergency SUBSIDY
| enabled them to resume temporarily.
Many Lines ON Continent.
perhaps 1t Is not generally known
how extensive regular commercial
| aviation has become in Europe In the
1 last wear. There are now two French
lines between Paris and London, one
running three e,hs4 asy lines
| paris and Brussels, Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, Paris and Strassburg.
and between Bayonne, France. and
Santander, Spain. There are falso
Dutch lines between Amsterddsm std ana ana
Copenhagen, by way Of Bremen ana
HsmburE: also Belgian lines hetween
Rrmssels and London. Brussels and
Paris and Brussels and Amsterdam. A
French line makes four regular week
and Casablanca, Morocco via Bar.
ceIons and other Spanish ports. Other
FRENCH lines make three trips per
week to Prague. two trips to war
| saw and also from Two 70 Iogr ,,nn. .ies
neiier, Montpelier and Marseilles and
L MontpeltNr -aDA ma a. = . o. = - -