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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0791.PDF
JULY 18, 1918. So far as the technical difficulties are concerned, we * now familiar, and there i^thus no need to^repeat should not like to say that they are actually already the facts which led up to the stoppage of work. We surmounted, but we not only think that the chances of are more concerned at the monent with what happened success are immeasurably greater than they were after the workers downed tools more than five years ago/when no fewer than eleven According to a statement issued by the employers, competitors had announced their intention of trying the position when the men ceased work was at once to win it, but that they all now point to it being done. reP°rted to the Ministry of Munitions which was Engines are far more powerful and reliable, and asked that the dispute might be dealt with^ under machines are more efficient than then. All that is the Munitions Acts. For some days no definite missing is the necessary time-and material-t6 be actlon was taken by the Ministry^ but: ultimately it spared from the work of war to prepare for the effort; in fact, there seems to be more than a probability that the Atlantic flight will be actually achieved before the end of the year. At least, it appears practically ^certain that it will be attempted under the auspices of the British and American Governments. Major-Gen. Brancker, who is on a special mission to America, is reported by the New York press to have sarid in an interview in Washington that:— " An enterprise which must be carried out as soon aspossible is the flight of the Atlantic. Once this has been established, America's output of large bombing machines was decided to arbitrate, and the arbitrator appointed attended at the works to hear the case. As, however, the men had riot returned to work he stated that he could not proceed. The sequence of events appears to have been that the Ministry was notified of the strike on June 27th, with a request for legal advice. The advice requested was given, and in pur- suance of it the firm posted notices announcing that admission to the factory would only be given to those prepared to resume work. After the notices had been posted, on June 28th, the men were still can proceed to Europe by air, and so save the shipping that on strike, and a full report of the circumstances « =~ ^,rai,,,w^ (~ ^* „_„„ leading up to the strike and of the situation as it then stood was ordered to be furnished to the Ministry's local officer. This report reached the Ministry late the same evening. It stated, among other things, that the Engineering Employers' Federation and the trade union official* were to meet the next morning, pro- vided that work was resumed first. On June 29th is so invaluable for other purposes.".There is no reason why a considerable number of great aeroplanes and seaplanes should not cross the Atlanticduring next summer, and the sooner a pioneer proves the flight not only to be possible but comparatively safe, thebetter." .-*.->* ,.. ,, . The Aero Club officials in New York have been enquiring as to probabilities, and find, apparently to their surprise, that aeroplane manufacturers regard the Atlantic flight as almost being a part of the day's work was not resumed, and the meeting was con- work. Indeed, Mr. Workman, the Handley-Page saquently not held. Obviously, there could be no representative, has definitely said, according to the negotiations during the week-end, but it was con- same report, that he will agree to the attempt for fidently assumed that work would be resumed on the a bonus of no more than £500 over and above the Monday, July 1st. On that day, however, the men contract price of the machine. What Lloyd's think were still out, and a conference was held at the of it may be gathered, it is stated, from the fact that Ministry to consider the situation. At this conference when the Aero Club approached them on the question it was concluded that the facts of the strike should be of insuring a prize of £30,000, the reply was that more extensively explored, and it was decided to hold Lloyd's would not entertain a bet against the flight a meeting of the firm and the Engineering Employers' being made. There is more than one Richmond in the field. Federation to do so. On July 2nd this meeting took place, and, immediately after, the Ministry tele- In addition to the above reported offer made by graphed to the secretary of the London Aircraft Mr. Workman, Lieut. Belloni is also said to be Committee to the effect that immediately on the arranging terms for the flight in a Caproni, while resumption of work the Department was prepared Gen. Brancker has said definitely that there are, at to hold an enquiry into the facts of the case, and the present moment, three aviators in Washington, whether the man Rock, whose dismissal brought about not counting himself, who are perfectly willing to the strike, should be reinstated. On July 3rd, themake a trial. On the whole, then, it begins to look as though the South American inventor of whom the •Daily Mail speaks, without he is embraced in the secretary of the Aircraft Committee agreed to re- commend his men to resume work, but on the following day he had been unable to induce them to return, already mentioned possibles, will have to hurry and arbitration could not, therefore, be proceeded up with his preparations if he really desires to annex the £10,000 offered by that journal for the first successful flight across the Atlantic. " _.. TheRecent Strike. Since we wrote last week on the subject of the strike in London aircraft factories, the affair has been settled by the taking over of the Alliance Works—in which the strike originated—by the Government. If the phrase means what it appears to mean, this is some- thing more than a declaration of the works to be a controlled establishment," and forms what we with. On July 5th the Ministry issued a notification to the Press to the effect that unless work was resumed it, the Ministry, contemplated taking action against those responsible for the stoppage. Thus, in rather more than a week, the Ministry had so far made up its mind that it could at any rate " contemplate " taking action ! On the 6th, information 'reached the Ministry that work would probably be resumed on the following Monday, the 8th, so action was deferred. On the latter date, however, the men were still on strike, while sympathetic strikes had occurredconceive to be a very dangerous precedent. This is in many other works in the London area, and it had particularly the case when the whole of the cir- become clear that the workers involved were not cumstances, as disclosed in the Press, are taken into amenable \>jto the authority of their unions. The consideration. With the genesis of the strike everyone 8th, 9th, and 10th were spent in almost continuous 789 G
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