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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0822.PDF
embargo is removed. Should the Club agree to re-^ open the matter well and good, although we think, under present war conditions it would be best to leave the competition where it is and reserve it for a bonne bouche for after the war. As to the Mail's suddenly re-opening of the offer without first arrang- ing with the one competent authority—that is the Royal Aero Club—which it expressly agreed should take charge of the arrangements, this is an attitude * difficult to appreciate. It is a pity the matter has been re-opened in this way, because if persisted in it is a clear blow at the authority of the Club as the body charged by general consent with the conduct and government of the sporting side of aviation. The Mail has in the past recognised this authority and has cheerfully submitted to it, and it is to be hoped that they will do nothing now in any way to call adversely into action that authority. Some weeks ago afquestion was asked of in Parliaraent with* regard to the pre- Precedence. cedence of the multitudinous Orders and decorations which have from time to time been created for the purpose of rewarding services to the State. In answer, it was stated that the whole matter was " under consideration " and that a new table of precedence would be issued shortly. The clear inference that was immediately drawn by most people who recognised the reasons which lay behind the question was that there was to be a re- shuffling of the table which would put matters on their proper basis. The new table has now been issued— and it is enough to make one laugh. As of old, we see that the honours which are gained at the risk of life and limb by our fighting men are still thought less of than those awarded to retired buttermen and those who have waxed fat in safe jobs at home. The Dis- tinguished Service Order, for instance, comes even below the Order of the British Empire, and is not in it with the Victorian Order, while such trifles as the D.S.C. and the Military Cross are among the " also rans." War medals, which are given to fighting men as a reward for having risked their lives against the country's enemies, are very small beer, indeed—they are placed well behind the medals given to policemen for keeping the streets at-Royal Coronations ! JULY 25, 1918. We must admit that we set very little store by Orders and decorations unless these have been won in the field, but at the same time it must be agreed that under our system of Government they are part of the general scheme of things and serve a distinctly useful purpose, so long as they are awarded for real service to the State. Further than that, there are certain Orders which it is a real honour to possess—the system being whafit is. On the other hand, there are Orders, particularly those of more recent date, which to say the least confer a great deal less distinction on the recipients. Those of the former class, which includes all the Imperial Orders down to that of the, Indian Empire, rightly come first in the table in the order of their respective dates of creation. We then come to the latter class, beginning with the Victorian Order and including all the later creations whose number we:-have forgotten and down to the last opera bouffe affair, the British Empire. In order to preserve the strict proportions, it is doubtless necessary that members of these Orders above the rank of Companion should take precedence of Companions of the D.S.O., but why a C.B.E. who has been given the " honour" simply by nomination and for no particular service should be placed in front of an officer who adds the initials of the D.S.O. to his name passes comprehension. The last is an honour. The other was well summed up by a high official of the late King Edward's household, who, being told by the King that he had given a well-known wholesale tradesman an M.V.O., is said to have replied : " And serves him damned well right, Sir." And so it is with all the rest of the military and naval decorations, with the one brilliant exception of the Victoria Cross, which is properly placed even before the Garter. Nothing is so unimportant, nothing is too easily gained, that it does not take pre- cedence of medals and decorations gained in the face of the enemy. We take it the real reason for the anomaly is that those who have the say in these matters are as a rule people who are much decorated and be-ribboned for civilian services and are looking after their own interests so far as these are concerned with the table. There can be no other explanation, so far as we can see. New British Bombers. " IT is stated," says the Daily Chronicle, " that theRoyal Air Force will soon have swarms of a new type of machine at the battle front, which is likely to add greatlyto the difficulties of the Germans. "This machine, a brilliant example of the constructor'sart, is capable of carrying with its pilot and observer a great weight of bombs, machine guns and other equipment, toover 20,000 ft., and in an extraordinarily short time. " Soaring, as the new machine will, above the averagerange of guns and German airmen, it can cross the fighting lines, drop its bombs, and return home swiftly for a new load.So fast is it, even at great altitudes, that long distances can be accomplished in the shortest periods, and bombing raidswhich with the older type of machine would, perhaps, need a whole day's preparation, will now be carried out within acouple of hours. Moreover, what is of the utmost import- ance, their engines are completely reliable, and the risk thatthey might fail when a hundred miles over the enemy lines— a risk too common with some earlier types—no longer exists. " It says much for their supreme value that, so far, notone of this type has been brought down, in spite of the Huns' utmost efforts. When the weather will not permithigh flying, as is often the case in the winter, these machines will fly low, and so great is their speed that all but the fastestof modern scouts will be left behind them, as if Standing still. " For these machines the utmost skill and nerve are needed. The observer must not only be able to ward off hostile air- craft by accurate machine-gun fire, but he must also have an expert knowledge of map-reading and aerial navigation, since when flying long distances at great heights it is ex- tremely difficult to find one's way by any landmark." ... \ New Timber Order. BY the Timber Order, 1918, which was recently issued,the Board of Trade have prepared for the introduction of a rationing scheme for imported soft wood timber, whichbegan last Monday. A schedule of maximum prices for imported timber will be issued, but will not apply to existingstocks, which will still be subject to the previous regulations as to price. Stocks which under previous regulations maynot be sold at prices above those ruling on January 31st, 1917, are to be notified to the Controller of Timber Suppliesfor his decision regarding the price at which they may be sold. The permit system is extended to home-grown con-verted timber on lines somewhat similar to those which have for over a year applied to imported soft wood. Other mattersdealt with include the position of timber on estates which are about to be sold ; also sales of timber by auction and bytender. Particulars of the new form of application for permits for home-grown or imported timber may be had onapplication to the Controller of Timber Supplies, Branch 2, at 80, Newman Street, Oxford Street, London, W. 1. 82O
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