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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0442.PDF
Success had come earlier than he had hoped for, and the output of our new aeroplanes and engines was improving, and he hoped would soon be much better if the labour troubles which were again threatening could be avoided. The success in the air might only be temporary, and efforts to improve and extend it must go on incessantly. It is noteworthy that again Gen. Smuts referred to " aerial supremacy," a condition that Gen. Henderson has told us never has and never can exist. However, we shall not presume to split hairs over the exact meaning of the words. The main thing is that he was able to say that we are once more on top of the enemy, and that Gen. Brancker was able to back the assurance. The one disquieting note was the latter's passing reference to possible labour troubles, which might have the effect of seriously putting back the clock in the matter of our new machines. It is agreed that it is vital to the success of our arms that we should retain the mastery of the air. It is also quite clear that the enemy will leave no stone unturned to wrest it from us again, and that, as Gen. Brancker remarked, we must make continuous and unremitting efforts to keep it in our own hands. That we should tolerate labour troubles which would have the effect of jeopardising our command of the air is unthinkable. Unfor- tunately, we have as an object-lesson the recent troubles in the engineering trade, so that we have only too much reason to know that it is useless to appeal to the good sense and patriotism of a certain class of worker. He would sacrifice the British Army for the sake of his miserable five shillings a week "war bonus," or whatever it might be called, and it requires the strong hand to prevent him from carrying his selfishness into practice. We are all for fair dealing as between the State, the employer, and the workman, but in such a crisis as we are passing through now only one of the three parties really matters for the time being. That being so, we sincerely trust that any such troubles as are foreshadowed by Gen. Brancker will be dealt with in the orny possible way. We know perfectly well that the Germans will not allow their output of new machines to be held up by any real or fancied grievances of labour, and their method of dealing with them might with advantage be studied by our own authorities. We are not in love with Prussian methods, but theyNare sometimes the only ones that fit the case. -• •» * Among the matters that have fallen to The be considered by the Imperial War Imperial Conference, which is now meeting in Conference. London, is the provision of adequate capacity for the production of war munitions. This has been made the subject of a resolution, and, we understand, this latter includes reference to the future supply of aircraft. We may take it that the matter is not dealt with in anything like close detail, since that would hardly fall within the province of such a Conference as that which is now discussing the future domestic relations of the MAY IO, 1917- our unquestioned mastery of the seas. To that aerial supremacy, which will in the time to come be so absolutely necessary, the Dominions beyond the seas will be able to help in a tremendous degree, if only we begin after the war with a coherent plan for all to work to. We cannot, in the face of the dangers with which we shall be faced as soon as our present enemies shall have again arrived at a sufficient degree of reorganisation to once more begin to plan mischief, rely only upon the productive capacity of the homeland itself. In all the Colonies there are facilities for the building of aircraft, both aeroplanes and airships, quite equal in a smaller way to our own. These facilities, if they are properly co- ordinated now, will form a very valuable adjunct to our own industry, and it is one of the duties with which the Imperial War Conference is concerned to see that that co-ordination is brought to pass. Never again must we find ourselves on the threshold of a great war while we are in the position of having to create the whole of the organisation for carrying it on. We have had our lesson, and its precepts must remain with us to our advantage for all time. • • • Some idea of the bitter intensity of the CasuaUi s strugg^e f°r the domination of the air in France. ^ France is to be gained from a study of the casualties on both sides as disclosed by the communiques from the several headquarters. During April the claims made by ourselves and the enemy show that, supposing they are at all correct, more than 700 machines were destroyed or otherwise put out of action. The exact number dealt with is 717. This total is made up of 369 German machines, 147 British and 201 French and Belgian aeroplanes, assuming that in the case of the last-named the enemy claims are justified. Of the 369 German machines brought down, British pilots accounted for 263 and anti-aircraft guns for six ; the French claimed a total of 98 enemy machines destroyed; and the Belgians two. Whether the records are incomplete or not it is impossible to say, but the proportions do not seem to work out rightly. From all we know of the French air service it is impossible to believe that the efficiency ratio as between the French and ourselves is, roughly, as one to four, as the figures would indicate. We have destroyed, according to the statistics, 269 machines at a cost of 147. The French, on the other hand, have accounted for 98 for an expenditure of 201. It is not credible, and the explanation probably is that the French are not as careful in the issue of their figures as our own command, and there is strong reason to think that the enemy's air losses are even heavier than the statistics would lead us to believe. Dilutionof Labour. We hear with some surprise that only now is the Government seeking powers to compel the dilution of labour in private workshops. We were certainly under the impression that the scheme of " dilution " _____ __ ___. which has worked so admirably during the war went 'Empke7but"it does Include the whole of the main deeper than works that are directly or indirectly under issues. It is highly important that this matter of Government control. In introducing the Bill for. our future supply of aircraft for the purposes of war, investing the Government with thenecessary powers equally with development for commercial use, should Mr. Kellaway said that in engineering the number of be made the subject of concrete plans. The safety, women employed has risen from 2'8 per cent, to even the very existence, of the Empire must depend 21*5 per cent., while their activities now range irom upon the supremacy of the air just as much as in shell-filling to important processes in battleship this war it has depended—and still depends—upon construction. One of the results of the successful 442
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