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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0547.PDF
Flight, July 30, 1915. First Aero Weekly in the World. Founder and Editor : STANLEY SPOONER. A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE ROYAL AERO CLUB OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. No. 344. (No. 31, Vol. VII.)] JULY 30, 1915. ["Registered at the G.P.O.J ["Weekly, Price 3d. L as a Newspaper. J L Poet Free, Sid. Flight. Editorial Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. Telegrams: Tmditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom ... 151-. od. Abroad 20s. od. CONTENTS. Editorial Comment: The New Aircraft Insurance Act Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information The British Air Services The 90 h.p. Mayo Military Tractor Biplane (with scale drawings) Royal Aero Club. Official Notices From the British Flying Grounds Flying at Hendon Eddies. By "./Bolus" The Roll of Honour The Internal Work of the Wind The Wing Bone of an Albatross Aircraft and the War The Government's Air Raid Insurance Scheme Models PAGE ... 547 ... 55° ... 551 ... 553 ... 554 — 555 »• 557 - 558 ... 560 ... 5«r ... 562 ... 563 ... 564 ... 565 EDITORIAL COMMENT. By the time this week's Flight reaches the The public the new National Insurance Act New Aircraft providing against damage by hostile air- ^ct craft will have been in active operation for close upon a fortnight. Taken on the whole, the result may be pronounced eminently satis factory, and although there has not been an abnormal rush to take advantage of the terms offered by the Government, this is by no means discouraging, in fact it is probably a blessing in disguise, as it has enabled the insurance offices and their agents and the Government office to settle down into the routine of the new con ditions without the inconvenience which a big boom might well bring with it. It also demonstrates that alarm as to the damage which may result from Zeppelin visits is as mild in its character as it has always been counselled in Flight it should be. We must not be under stood to suggest from the foregoing that the operation of the Act is a fiasco. Quite the contrary. A very large amount of covering has been effected, and this is steadily increasing day by day, as property owners have had time to digest the scheme put forward for general protection. It needs but an air raid of the usual character for a huge rush to insure from all sections of the community, and by that time the insurance companies will be thoroughly prepared to cope with the work, how ever big it may prove to be. Some doubt has been expressed in regard to the Government still giving com pensation as hitherto to those who may fail to insure, but this has been finally disposed of by an announcement from the Board of Trade to the effect tnat "now a public scheme has been established no liability can be accepted by the Government, and no claim can be entertained, in respect to damage to property by aircraft or bombardment unless the property has been insured under the scheme." Up to the date of the new Act, as our readers are aware, all cases of damage were investigated by the special Government Committee over which Lord Parmoor pre sided, and payments in compensation were allotted out of the National Revenue. In this connection a very strong protest was made in the House of Lords last week by Lord Parmoor, who appeared to have a reasonable griev ance. He stated that in passing their bill, the Govern ment had entirely ignored the special Aircraft Insurance Committee and all their work. This Committee had accu mulated a vast amount of information and statistics, which was placed at the disposal of the Treasury in order that the national insurance scheme might be formulated on a business basis. But, Lord Parmoor declared, although the suggestion was courteously received, the Committee had not been consulted from beginning to end, nor had they heard from the Board of Trade, which department it appeared had " with the assistance of insurance ex perts " been thrashing out the scheme to be placed before Parliament. Rightly or wrongly, Lord Parmoor con tended that the result had been that the rates of premium were hopelessly wrong. In no case were the rates justi fied by facts as they had been ascertained by the Com mittee. His contention was that they were scheduled upon much too high a scale. He said upon this point:— " I now turn to the schedule of rates, because it is this schedule that appears to me to be an absolutely absurd burden, according to our experience, upon the householder, or the person in occupation of premises, or as regards stock. I know, ot course, that we are dealing with this on the flat-rate principle. I think myself that probably the flat-rate principle is right; I am not finding any fault with that. The first is buildings ; the rate is 2s. against aircraft only, and 3.1. against aircraft and bombardment. That is exactly cent, per cent, higher than according to our experience ; it ought t& have been is. and Is. 6d. instead of 2s. and y. I am at a loss to understand how any such figure has been arrived at. I should like to know what the Committee had before them to lead them to fix such an extravagant figure, having regard to the real nature of the risk. " Perhaps more extraordinary still is item No. 3, ' Farming Stocks (live and dead)' ; the rates here are p-. and 4s. i>d. respec tively. In our opinion id. or 2d. would be ample, and I will l:
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