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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0775.PDF
Flight, August 2, 1917. i ' .-rS 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. 449. (No. 31, Vol. EK.) AUGUST 2, 1917. ["Weekly, Price 3d.L Post Free, 4d. •:. (. Editorial Office: 44, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C. 2. Telegrams: Truditur, Westrand, London. Telephone: Gerrard 1828. Annual Subscription Rates, Post Free. United Kingdom .. 15s. 2d. Abroad.. .. .. 20s. ad. CONTENTS. . Editorial Comment: + ' PAGE The Council of Nine .. ..775 Damage by Friendly Aircraft 776 Building Obsolete Machines 6 Civilian Recruiting Boards 8 Honours .. .. ,, _, .. ,, ., 775 The Aeromarine Training Biplanes (with scale drawings) .. .. .. 7S1 •'" X "^Aircraft Raids 785 Royal Aero Club. Official Notices 786 The Roll of Honour 6 • Answers to Correspondents ^—^. ... 787 Standardisation in the U.S.A. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 788 Airisms from the Four Winds 700 Personals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. jg 3 A Useful Stand for Engine Repairs ' .. .. .. .. .. .. 794 The British Air Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 795 Aviation in Parliament .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 707 Aircraft Work at the Front. Official Information 758 Correspondence.. .. .. .. .. ., ., .. .. ., 70Q Side-Winds 8oo Company Matters .. .. .. ., .. .. .. .. .. 8Oj EDITORIAL COMMENT. ' E cannot say we are deeply impressed by the latest scheme propounded by Mr. Pemberton- X?ilK«rt- i.LAi n£ 4.1 *< v"1— :i The Council of Nine. Billing, that of the "Council of Nine." The idea seems to be to form a new political Party, to be known as the " Vigilants," who are to police the House of Commons—whatever that may mean. As explained by Mr. Pemberton-Billing, before anyone can enrol himself in this corps d'elite he must make oath to :— 1. To do all in his power to promote the creation of an efficient Imperial air service worthy of the Empire. 2. To watch and maintain a public against the political interests. ~ 3. Never to place himself under any obligation' ten, the Government or any party. 4. Never to vote on or support any legislative measure to the advantage of any trade or commercial undertaking in which he had any interests, or from which he might derive any profits. 5. Never to accept from the Government any honour, office or title. Acting apparently on the principle that no contract is enforceable unless it contains a penalty clause, the parties to the " Vigilants' " oath are to bind them£ selves to pay the trifling sum of £5,000 in case of any breach of the articles of association, as we suppose we must call the document to which each member is required to set his hand. The ultimate scheme seems to be to form an association with a membership of 50,000, with a fighting fund of £25,000, to contest elections until such time as the whole of the intrepid nine have become fully fledged Members of Parlia- ment. The rank and file of the new Party are not to get off with the mere honour and glory of belonging to it—they are to be asked to pay is. on entry and a further is. per election to assist in keeping the good work going. Once the Council of Nine has been properly established and each of its members has succeeded in qualifying for a Parliamentary salary of £400 per annum, each of them is to devote himself to acquiring a thorough understanding of the working of one of the Departments of State and to make its lapses from the paths of political rectitude his own especial affair. And so that a harassed administration may not be allowed to sink into lassitude, the devoted Nine are to more or less engage themselves to ask never less than eight questions a day, move the adjournment, or talk out the business before the' House in order that matters in which they are inter- ested may be brought forward and properly con- sidered. Unquestionably, Mr. Pemberton-Billing has done a great deal of very excellent work since he entered Parliament, work the value of which would have been vastly enhanced had it not been for the irre- sponsibility of his methods and an unfortunate habit of " getting on the nerves " of the spokesmen of the Government. We know as well as most that it must be very difficult to sit down under the sort of evasion which was at the root of the regrettable fracas in which Mr. Pemberton-Billing figuredlast week. There is little doubt that there was somewhere an intent to deceive the House and the country in the answer given to the question as to whether the train that conveyed Princess Mary to Southend recently was escorted by aeroplanes or not. Bjit Mr. Pemberion- Billing was not justified in stating that the Under- secretary for War had been lied to by the officers from whom he had his information—he should have known the temper of Parliament well enough by this time to have kept clear of such a faitx pas. As a matter of fact, we had intended to have left the incident unnoticed, but it is too recent and withal so indicative of the reasons for Mr. Pemberton-Billing's E 2
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