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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1586.PDF
AMI DECEMBER II, 1919 IMPERIAL AIR ROUTES THE following report of the Advisory Committee on Civil Aviation to the Right Hon. Winston S. Churchill, M.P., Secretary of State for Air, on Imperial Air Routes, was issued as a White Paper on Wednesday. Although the report comes somewhat late in the day, it is an informative document, and if all Government Committees exhibited the same assiduity in seeking information and lucidity in reporting, we think there would be a decided change in public opinion as to the usefulness of such bodies :— The Committee have given very careful consideration to the question, " How best to organise Imperial Air Routes,' which was the question specifically referred to them for consideration and advice when they were appointed. The Committee understand the designation " Imperial Air Routes" to mean routes which will enable the new transport element, namely, the air, to be made use of in speeding up communica tion between the various portions of the British Empire. This Report throughout deals only with heavier-than-air machines. The Committee propose to submit a further report dealing with the subject of the possible use of lighter- than-air craft in the development of Imperial Air Routes. They have considered Canada, Newfoundland, South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand as the main outlying portions of the British Empire (and to these they would add Egypt) to which they should direct their attention, and have thought it best to confine themselves to the question of the establishment of main trunk lines connecting these portions of the Empire with the United Kingdom by air. Such trunk lines would no doubt in course of time be supplemented, if not preceded, by local lines connecting up the various Dominions and Colonies internally, and with other Dominions and Colonies, but this portion of the problem is one which the Committee do not conceive themselves to be called upon to deal except on specific reference by the Secretary of State. They offer the following observations on the problem of main trunk lines. At the outset they wish to make it very clear that they have in their investigation kept always in view the present financial position of the country. That position obviously dictates the restriction of proposals to what is necessary to meet the essential needs of the present situation. Under existing conditions it is not practicable at the moment to recommend any large appropriation of public funds by way of investment in what is now an entirely novel business. The Committee, however, are of opinion that, taking a long view, any investment such as they suggest will at least bring the necessary experience to help to establish flying ultimately on a paying basis. The Committee realise to the full the unique character of the problem, which is, whether any, and if so what, steps can and should be taken now to develop civil transport over these routes in an element wherein the controlling and limiting factors are as yet very imperfectly understood. There is little guidance to be found in experience, but as compensa tion there are no precedents or vested interests to hamper an attempt to solve the problem. The Committee have started from the basis that the pro blem is one which is c apable of solution, that there is a future for the development of the air as a new means of civil transport and communication, in spite of the present handicaps from a technical, operational and financial point of view. They feel it necessary to endeavour to strike a mean between the view of those who, in contemplating the development of air transport, lose sight of the difficulties and dangers whcih at present beset it, and advocate too ambitious schemes, and those others who, while freely admitting the progress of aviation on the service side during the War and the great influences which that progress exercised on the position, are yet very doubtful whether the War development went so far as to establish even the practicability in the immediate future of making use of the air element for everyday com mercial purposes. The Committee have been impressed by the unanimity of the opinion of those who have identified themselves with development in civil aviation as to the fact that the problems involved in each section of an Imperial Route vary greatly and thereby render the formulation of a general Government policy exceptionally difficult at present. The Committee accordingly find themselves without enough data or experience to justify them in recommending any rigid policy involving the immediate planning and initiation of any complete scheme of Imperial routes at present. They have come to the conclusion that in the meantime the correct policy is to initiate immediate action to obtain experience, and that such experience should be obtained on that part of the whole field of Imperial routes which offers the best chance of success, leaving the initiation of action elsewhere for further consideration when fuller experience has been obtained. They have no hesitation in deciding that the proper place for initial action is the route from this country to India, and ultimately thence to Australia. In the second place stands the route from this country to South Africa, which on the section from this country to Egypt would be the same as the first route. They consider it would be wise in the first instance to deal with the problem in reference to one section of the route from this country to India, viz., the section between Egypt and Karachi, leaving to the Indian Govern ment the initiation and encouragement of the internal air routes in India. They are convinced that this section is the sphere in which experience can be most readily and use fully obtained, as the conditions of aerial navigation on this section are judged to be more favourable than elsewhere. Assuming that an air route is to be established between these points, the first question which arises is the broad question of principle as to the agency by which that work can best be undertaken. The point has been made that at this moment the readiest way of testing the air possibilities of the route for civil pur poses would simply be to give to the Royal Air Force squadrons stationed on or near the route the task of carry ing mails, passengers, etc, in so far as their Service duties allow them to do so, or, in the alternative, to increase the formations for strictly Service purposes by additional forma tions to meet the civil requirements. The Committee have considered this method, and have decided against it. There are weighty Service objections against the use of the Royal Air Force for civil purposes, under either of the two alter natives above mentioned, and the Committee cannot avoid the conclusion that under neither alternative would the conditions be such as to enable any real judgment to be formed or experience gained as to the possibilities of civil aviation. They must also give weight to the consideration that private enterprise would be entitled to raise strong objection to State monopoly or direct State competition on what the Com mittee themselves find to be the best sphere for trying out the possibilities of the new form of transport. There is also the very important consideration that in the view of the Committee the development of aircraft for Civil and Service purposes must before long result in their differentiation into distinct types, and that consequently assistance in the de velopment of commercial aviation cannot be permanently expected from the Service side otherwise than in the spheres referred to below, such as common use of aerodromes, wireless, and meteorological facilities, etc. Assuming, then, that direct action by the Royal Air Force is set aside, the Committee have had to consider what other arrangements are feasible. They are met at the outset by the difficulty that without State aid in one form or another, they see no prospect, more especially in present financial conditions, of any private enterprise embarking capital in a venture of this description, where, as they have already observed, experience is lacking and many unknown factors will come in. The Committee have accordingly come to the conclusion that State aid in one form or another will be essential. They consider that there is a case for such State aid, holding that the moderate expenditure which in present financial conditions is all that should be contemplated is justified as an investment in an undertaking with very great ultimate possibilities. The Committee have considered three possible methods of organising the undertaking :— 1. Operation by the State itself. 2. The constitution of a Chartered Company combining State and private capital. 3. Private enterprise, State aided. The Committee are against 1, operation by the State itself. They consider that in a new enterprise of this description, the work of initiation and development is work which the State cannot perform in such a way as to enable the possi bilities to be properly tried out. The Committee have had before them various suggestions for 2, the formation of a chartered company combining State and private enterprise. This proposal presents certain attractive features. It is argued that it would enable the organisation to be so formed as to contain representatives of different interests concerned, such as aircraft construc tors, shipping companies, and the various departments of State, including the Post Office. It is argued that it would secure a single and uniform development of policy, the co- I588
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