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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1330.PDF
and on the commons are often so nearly verging on absolute sedition as to be indistinguishable from the real thing, and while such freedom is allowed it is surely illogical to endeavour to prevent the other side from being heard. However, there is no need to argue the point further. No attempt on the part of King, Government or proletariat can succeed in muzzling the Press, and for that the nation, including even those who made the ill-advised attempt to dictate to the papers what their strike policy should be, should be profoundly thankful. In another part of this issue of FLIGHT II - f 1 L d we Pubusn a communication from Messrs. Beardmore, outlining their policy in the matter of aero engines of their manu facture. Briefly, they seem to have recognised that the shortest way to assist in the development of aerial enterprise is for them, as an individual firm, to prevent the very large number of aero-motors of their manufacture existing at the end of the War from being distributed broadcast and without respon sibility. Therefore, they arranged with the Govern ment to re-purchase every one of their engines and all the spare parts the Government were prepared to sell. As Messrs. Beatdmore say, this transaction was concluded after a careful review of the trend of aero plane engine design, the present high productive cost of manufacture, and the impossibility of continuing to manufacture any type in sufficiently large series to enable their being sold at a reasonable price for some considerable time. They contend with perfect justice that the enormous number of aero engines and parts on hand at the end of the War cannot adequately be made use of unless collected and dealt with in a manner which will ensure to the aeroplane manufacturers a power unit of proved merit, and equally important that standing behind it is an organisation of experience, possessed of ample re sources, both material emd financial, upon whom he can rely to render the necessary assistance as and when required. We like the idea very much indeed, and congratulate Messrs. Beardmore on their foresight and readiness to adopt a policy which we are convinced is the right one. It is one that we should like to see adopted by every one of the great aero engine-building concerns in the country. Messrs. Beardmore are perfectly right in their premise thnt it is impossible at the present stage of development to lay down engines for manufacture in large enough series to arrive at cheap production. Nor is there a great deal of necessity for starting engine manufacture on the grand scale, inasmuch as Disbandment of the W.R.A.F. THE Air Ministry announ es : An Order has been issued for the final disbandment of the Women's Royal Air Force, which has already been reduced to small proportions through rapid demobilisation during the past few months. The new Order, that demobilisation of the large majority of officers and other ranks, will be completed by November 8. A small number will be temporarily retained for the purpose of closing records, and winding up the affairs of the Force, and other special duties. The Air Council has also issued the following special Order :— " The Air Council desire to express their appreciation of the good work done by the Force both during and after the period of hostilities. In spite of much difficulty, and in face there are many thousands of engines, completed or nearly completed, awaiting disposal. Probably there are enough engines in the country to fill all our aerial needs for the next two years, or possibly even more. But, as again pointed out by Messrs. Beardmore, there is only the one way in which these almost numberless engines can be made of adequate service, and that is by their manufacturers standing behind them, as the Clydeside firm intends to do in the case of its own products. The example is one which we hope to see very widely followed. True, it entails the locking up of a considerable amount of money and the acceptance of a good deal of responsibility. That, however, only requires a little imagination and the same belief in the future of aviation as that shown by Messrs. Beardmore. Not only will such a policy prove to be for the general good of aviation, but it utilises resources which might otherwise be almost entirely wasted— and there is ultimately a substantial profit to be made. We commend the idea to other manufacturers. We greatly like the idea of the formation c^i °^ t^ie Citizen Guard, the purpose of Guard which is to assist in the maintenance of order in times of emergency and to relieve troops and police of routine duty and free them for more important work. It is not only that it is the manifest duty of the good citizen to assist the forces of law and order, but it seems to us that in the Citizen Guard we have something more nearly ap proaching a real Middle Classes Union than anything we have had hitherto. Needless to say, the Guard will be recruited mainly from the middle classes, which are ever to the fore when there is work to be done or taxation to be paid. We can foresee that a spirit of comradeship and union will be fostered by the Guard, if only the authorities concerned will carry on strenuously with the idea, which will be of infinite use to the middle classes later on. There can be no blinking the fact that there is a real fight for bare existence before the middle clasess. They are being ground between the upper millstone of the profiteer and the taxgatherer and the nether stone of inordinate wages demands by Labour, which have the effect of increasing the cost of living to an intolerable extent where the unfortunate person with a fixed pre-War income is concerned. Man / attempts have been made to band the middle classes together for their own protection, but for some reason or other they have not met with conspicuous success. It is quite possible that an organisation like the Citizen Guard, which aims at the protection of the State and the Constitution, may achieve what others have failed in. of hostile and unjust criticism, the W.R.A.F. has left a record of which they can feel well proud. During hostilities the good work they accomplished went far towards enabling the R.A.F. to reach the dominating position in the air, which had such a direct influence in the achievement of the final victory. " Subsequent to the Armistice, when it was necessary to disperse a large portion of the airmen to civil life, it was the W.R.A.F. who made it possible for the R.A.F. to meet tin demands made upon it, and maintained the service at the aerodromes until new male personnel could be enrolled. "The necessity for the demobilisation of the W.R.A.l is now imperative, but in returning to civil life. Commandant Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, D.B.E., officers and member may feel assured that they cany with them the good wishes of the Air Council and a debt of gratitude from the nation." H H H H 1332
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