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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0724.PDF
yry^^j action. And this is, perhaps, not so unnatural, as, after all, with unalloyed success, the excuse for the nation being able to so vociferously welcome back " from the dead " two of its fearless pioneers, will no longer hold. «•><•>• The past week may quite possibly mark The an epoch in the history of this country, Oil Find sjnce it jjas seen the announcement that Derbyshire a* ^as^ ou< nas ^een discovered in circum stances which make it more than prob able that there is sufficient petroleum beneath the strata of the United Kingdom to render us at least partially independent of imported oil fuel. It is too early yet to speak with certainty. All we know is that the indications are so far favourable and that the experts are more than satisfied with the prospects. Brieffy, the story of the discovery simply is that at Hardstoft, in Derbyshire, where Lord Cowdray's experts are sinking experimental bore-holes, oil has been found in sufficient quantity to cause it to rise 1,000 ft. in the well-casing when the oil-bearing sand had been barely scratched. In the meantime nothing can be known as to the value of the " strike " until the necessary measures have been taken to control the gush of oil which may be justifiably ex pected when the bore is sunk deeper through the oil- sand. What this may mean, if anticipations are justified, hardly needs elaboration. The effect of a real oil discovery in this country on the future of transport, and particularly of aviation, is almost incalculable. It is a truism that without oil fuel there can be no aviation—at least, so far as we are able to divine at present. There is apparently no immediate prospect of a world shortage of oil through the failure of natural supplies, but there is no doubt the future is full of anxiety to a country which is absolutely dependent upon imported-supplies of so essential a commodity as oil fuel. During the War it is a matter of common knowledge that we had to import every gallon of oil fuel for the Navy, and every gallon of petrol for the Air Forces, and for mechanical transport needs, from beyond the seas. Nor must we forget that the seas were.for most of the time infested by the enemy's submarines, and that had he pressed his campaign against our shipping with anything like the vigour we might have expected, or displayed conspicuous ability and enterprise, he might well have closed the ocean routes to our shipping. How nearly he came to doing so may be generally made known one day. It is perfectly clear that never again should he be placed in such a position, if by any human foresight it can be avoided. All our potential sources of fuel within these islands must be developed to the utmost, not only that we may never again be in such danger from an enemy, but in the interests of transport development in general. It is true that in the cannels and shales we have vast potentialities of fuel production, but their development must of necessity be slow. Again, we hope for much from the proper encouragement of alcohol as a motor fuel. But these are, so to say, but auxiliaries to the natural product, and if England does, in fact, possess an oilfield of even average rich ness, it is obvious that the whole of the fuel outlook will have materially changed for the better. It is scarcely probable that we shall ever become an oil- exporting country, whatever the character of the fields may be. We can find a use for every gallon of fuel that is likely to be produced here from every source imaginable, but at least we may look forward with hope to an easement of the situation as it exists at present, and to a time when the users of oil fuel will no longer be at the mercy of the importers' ring. But it will not do to go too deeply into speculation until we know exactly where we stand and precisely how much is to be hoped from the development of the new discovery. --. • • <* An agreed Bill for the restoration of pre- Reverting w^ trade practices was introduced by Pre-war t^le Minister of Labour in the House of Methods Commons last week. It appears that considerable difficulties have arisen be tween the Government, the employers and the trade unions in arriving at a common ground of agreement, since this is the third Bill of the kind to be published. There is no necessity for us to reprint the full text of the Bill, which seems to us to be one of the gravest importance. The whole gravamen of the measure is contained in the first two clauses, which read as follows :— " I.—(i) Where, in any establishment to which this Act applies, any rule, practice or custom obtain ing before the War in any industry or branch of an industry (hereinafter referred to as a trade practice) has, during and in consequence of the present War, been departed from, the owner of that establishment shall be under an obligation, at the expiration of two months from the termination of the present War, to restore or permit the restoration of the trade practice so previously obtaining, and for one year after such restoration is effected to maintain or permit the continuance of the trade practice. " (2) Where any industry or branch of industry, which before the War was not carried on in an estab lishment, commenced to be carried on in the establish ment during the War and continues to be carried on therein after the termination thereof, or where the establishment is one which commenced to be worked after the beginning of War, the owner of the establishment shall be under the obligation, at the expiration of two months from the termination of the present War, to introduce or permit the intro duction of, and for one year after such introduction is effected to maintain, or permit the continuance of, such trade practices as obtained before the War in other establishments where that industry or branch was carried on under circumstances most nearly analogous to those of the establishment in question." We agree that the Government was in honour bound to bring in such a measure and, if the trades unions insist upon it, Parliament is equally bound to pass it. The Government of the day gave a solemn pledge to the unions that in consideration of certain practices being suspended during the period of the War, in order that maximum output should be achieved, one of its first acts after the conclusion of hostilities should be to restore those practices. We, and with us all who foresee that the only way for this country to maintain its position is by accelerating production, had hoped that the lessons of war production would have impelled the trades unions to reconsider the position. But it appears that such a hope was as vain as most others which are based upon a broad, sensible view of things as they are being taken by organised labour. What this Bill means, if it means 724
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