FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0529.PDF
MAY 16, 191s. "• • fr.:-'•''•.;. .,::..- '..r >;" expert, he speaks of the Civil Service as he has found it during a close inside association, and we must take his views as confirmatory of the whole general charge of inefficiency. Certainly it is not to Government departments, the conduct of whose affairs is a by- word in its inefficiency, that we want to entrust the future of British commerce. The aircraft in- dustry is one that is threatened very seriously by the trend towards nationalisation, as we have pointed out on other occasions, and it seems to us that the Association should make a strong appeal to the aircraft manufacturer who is looking forward to peaceful development after the war, free from the trammels of Government control and interference. V The The recent Order of the Board of Trade,SeascmTicket sanctioning an increase in railway Ramp. season ticket rates is another example of the methods of thought of Govern- ment departments. The war has imposed an un- paralleled strain on the railways, and it is doubtless essential that the volume of passenger traffic should be reduced, but the manner of effecting the reduction is one that, while it has caused the most intense irritation to the bona fide travelling public, is not likely to reduce traffic by a tenth of one per cent. The Board of Trade explains that since the ordinary rates were increased by 50 per cent, sixteen months ago, passenger traffic has actually been greater than it was before, and the number of season ticket holders has materially increased. Therefore, it sapiently argues, if the rates for the latter are put up, traffic will decrease. Never was there a more fallacious argument. Being a Government department, the Board does not see that the increase of traffic has been brought about mainly as a result of the multi- plication in numbers of Government employees, who have ipso facto been compelled to take out season tickets in order to get to and from their work. Then, the increase in the number of ordinary passengers carried is very largely accounted for by the rapid growth of munition works of one sort and another, each of which connotes an increase in the numbers of people employed, all of whom have to travel between home and work. All this seems to argue that the only effect of the raising of rates will be that middle-class people who are already sufficiently burdened by taxation and the extra cost of living Naval Pigeon Service.THE birds of the Naval Pigeon Service, numbering several thousand, have long since taken a recognised place in the war,and have repeatedly been the means of saving lives at sea. An air patrol fell in with some German seaplanes, andmessages were received at a seaplane station in Flanders. The first was :—" Short shot down 10 miles N.N.E, Nieuport.One Hun down. My tanks shot. French t.b.d. on its way. Send fighters quick." Then followed another pigeon with :—" Am shot down. Hit in tank radiator. Observer dead. will be still further mulct, while the railways will have to carry no smaller a volume of traffic, and the well-paid munition worker will continue to travel with a " workman's ticket." There is another aspect of the Order which will bear looking into. Why is it that it is always the London area which is selected as the victim of these experiments ? London was the first to be rationed with coal; it was London on which the food ration- ing Orders were first imposed ; once again London was selected to be rationed with gas and electric light; and now it is still London that has to pay more for its " seasons." Is it, as an evening contemporary suggests, that the London members of Parliament haven't a kick in them, while the Government is afraid of the North of England trades unionism ? There must be a reason, we suppose, but it is certainly far to seek. •» • • We have received the April issue p *\ . of a little journal, the GeorgetownEffort Gazette, which is the " house organ " of the Scottish Filling Factory under the Ministry of Munitions. The journal itself is very well edited and produced, but it is not that to which we intend to refer at length. To us by far the most interesting announcement it contains is one relating to the collection of no less a sum than £2,707 in the course of a single week for the purpose of presenting a battle-plane to the Royal Air Force, the machine to be christened and known as " George- town." The Ministry accepted the offer; the money was raised ; and a cheque for £2,500 forwarded to the Secretary of State for Air all within the space of ten days—a magnificent effort indeed, when we remember that the sum in question was all sub- scribed by the workers in the factory. We con- gratulate the Georgetown workers on their patriotic effort, and commend it to others. We cannot have too many machines for the bitter fighting which is bound to ensue during the coming summer, and large as is the provision made by the Government to supply as many machines as can be turned out in order to repair inevitable wastage and to make the British Air Service overwhelmingly superior to that of the enemy, every additional machine that private effort can provide will form a welcome addition to the aerial strength of the Allies. Am unhurt. Please send small craft." A third messagewas :—" Machine turning over to port. Have jettisoned everything. Am on wing tip. Sea calm. Machine hasseemingly steadied. Nothing in sight. I think machine will float a long time. Send small craft at once. Land 'bushas just made one circuit, but I don't think he saw me. My love to my mother. Tell her I am not worrying. Ifmachine sinks I will swim to a buoy close by." Ninety-five per cent, of messages sent by pigeon have beendelivered. PAPER-RATION ING. WARNING TO READERS.—As has been foreshadowed for some time, greater official restrictions upon the sale of papers have become necessary, and after June 10th newspapers will not be permitted to be distributed under the scheme known as " Sale or Return." This means that those readers who wish to receive "FLIGHT" regularly, must place a definite order with their bookstall or newsagent for a copy to be reserved, or, as the only alternative, send an order to the Publishing Office, 36, Great Queen Street, Kings way, W.C. 2, for "FLIGHT" to be sent each week by post. The direct subscription, by P.O.O. or Cheque, is as follows :— 3 months.s. d< . 7 18 3United Kingdom ..Abroad 6 months.s, 1416 dT16 12months. 8. 2833 d.20 The above is imperative as from June 10th if you wish to get "FLIGHT " each week. 527
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
