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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1587.PDF
DECEMBER II, 1919 ordination of all effort, the standardisation of material, the avoidance 01 any objection on the ground of monopoly, and more or less definite support to the existing aircraft contractors by preferential treatment in the supply of material. The Committee appreciate these arguments, but have come to the conclusion that they cannot recommend this form of organisation for the following reasons :—The enterprise under consideration is of all enterprises one in which it is essential that the direction should be free from stereotyped methods and open to new ideas and suggestions, even those which would normally be regarded as imaginative. The concentra tion of all British aerial effort into a single organisation would have a narrowing tendency likely to jeopardise success. There is serious risk that a chartered company would tend to develop a system of bureaucratic control, open to the same objections as direct control by the State. The Committee consider that too much weight can easily be attached at the present to the arguments for standard isation. They have, therefore, come to the conclusion that the third method is the sound one—i.e., the use of private enter prise with some measure of State aid behind it. They would point out that it is in this way that the development of British trade and industry has been attained in the past, and that it best secures the initiative and drive which are vital in the undertaking now under review. At a later stage of the general development it may well be that other methods may be usefully employed, but at this stage the Committee hold that the case is one for the application of the traditional British method of private initiative and private enterprise, with just such assistance from the State as is requisite for the securing of success. They have considered closely the problem of the form which this State assistance should take. There are certain facilities required ioi air navigation which are clearly best provided by the State, such as meteorological and wireless information and the like. These the State should in any case provide, but the Committee think that it must go further and under take the provision of what may be called Air Ports—i.e., the terminal and intermediate aerodromes and emergency land ing grounds. The provision of these by private capital would lay an initial burden on the enterprise, which would be likely to be fatal to its inception. Further, if, as the Com mittee anticipate, the enterprise develops and establishes itself, it is on expenditure on Air Ports that the State might expect to obtain a return in the shape of charges for use. Moreover, the Committee are of opinion that, when aerial transport over Imperial Air Routes is an assured success, it will be of the greatest importance that the Air Ports should be owned and controlled by the State. The Committee regard this as an important factor in preventing operating firms from building up " good-will " of a serious character against the Government. State ownership will give a very full degree of control by the State over commercial flying and will prevent the very dangerous possibility of mono polistic control if the aerodromes were privately owned and merged into a trust. The Committee generally attach the utmost importance to the principle of State ownership and control of Air Ports, and they think the matter of sufficient importance to justify it being brought to the notice of all Governments of the Empire. In the case of the Egypt-India Air Route, the Committee understand that it has been decided for purely Service purposes to establish and maintain aerodromes and landing grounds for the transit of machines to India, and that pro posals to this end have been approved by the War Cabinet. Consequent upon this decision, it appears to them that the approval and execution of this scheme, while meeting Service needs, will also be a starting point for the civil development of the air route from Egypt to India ; they are advised that the civil air route, at all events at the outset, will best follow the route laid down for Service machines. They strongly urge, therefore, that the Service proposals for joining India and Egypt by air should be put into effect as soon as possible. They are advised that when this is done it will be possible to pass one civil machine per week each way between Egypt and India. It may well be that, as civil aviation develops, further facilities will be required, which facilities would naturally mean further expenditure on the routes for purely civil purposes. The Committee, while recognising that addi tional expenditure beyond that incurred on the establishment of this route for Service purposes is inevitable, as the facilities are increased, to meet civil requirements, find it difficult to estimate closely at the moment either the total amount so required or the periods when the additional expenditure will be necessary. But clearly the need for additional expendi ture must be taken into account now. It is then necessary to consider what concrete action should be taken to give private enterprise its opportunity of getting on to the route. The element in which the air has the advantage over other means of transport is speed. The Committee are advised, for example, that the time occupied in transit from Egypt to India by sea, namely, nine days at a moderate computation, could be reduced by not less than three-and-a-half days if the transit were made by air, and in the future might be still further reduced. Accordingly, it would seem that the first step is to ascertain on what terms arrangements can be made for the carriage of mails by air—the carriage of express goods and of passengers being relied on as ancillary to the carriage of mails. The Committee recommend that the Post Office, in consultation with the Air Ministry, should forthwith draw up a form of tender for an air mail contract between Egypt and Karachi and/or Bombay. It would be put up to limited competition between firms of such standing as to make it reasonably certain that they could perform the services tendered for. This contract should provide for alternative tenders for services of varying frequency per week, and would be fitted in with the standing ocean mail contract. In calling for tenders it would be made clear what facilities the State would provide in the way of meteorological, wireless, and other information, and in the way of aerodromes and landing grounds. At the outset these facilities may have to be restricted to those provided under the purely Service scheme above mentioned, particulars of which, if approved, would be made known to tenderers, and which would cover the transit of one machine per week each way. Tenderers would be requested to quote for more frequent services on the basis that the State would, in presence of the tenders, consider that further facilities as above could pro perly be provided. It appears to the Committee that the above method of procedure is the only way of arriving at a judgment on experi ence of what the cost and income of an air route on this section is likely to be. In the light of this experience, - the whole problem would be further considered, and a more general policy for further development prepared. The Controller-General of Civil Aviation has, during the course of the meetings, informed the Committee as to what is being done for civil aviation in other countries, and the Committee understand that he is forwarding to the Secretary of State a statement of this information, from which it will be seen that in certain cases subsidies and other forms of assistance are given which are not included in the recom mendations of this report. The Committee suggest as a possible addi.ional form of assistance that a certain quantity of the aircraft engines and material which have been declared surplus by the Royal Air Force could be placed at the disposal of the Civil Aviation Department for distribution free in this country and the Colonies. The Committee understand that in India and Egypt local regulations prevent any pioneer work whatever in civil avia tion being carried out. The policy underlying these regula tions is not a matter for the Committee. From the point of view of civil aviation, which is their concern, they consider it very desirable that all prohibitory bans on civil aviation, so far as those parts of the British Empire which are under the direct control of the Imperial Government are concerned, should be removed at once, and that representations be made to the Dominions and India in favour of the imme diate acceptance of a similar policy. The conclusions of the Committee may be summed up as follows :— (1) That the air route from Egypt to India should be developed. (2) That the development should be by private enterprise backed by State assistance, and that the State assistance should take the form of providing meteorological and wireless services and of air ports, including the provision of the sheds required for running purposes. (3) That the Service proposals for these air ports should be carried through as soon as possible. (4) That the necessity for additional expenditure on the development of these ports for purely civil purposes in order to meet the increase in frequency of the services should not be overlooked, though only experience can show what such expenditure may be. (5) That the G.P.O., in consultation with f the' "Air Ministry, should draw up a form of tender for an air mail contract between Egypt and India to be put up for competition. (6) That a certain quantity of the aircraft engines and material which have been declared surplus by the Royal Air Force could be placed at the disposal of the Civil Aviation 1589
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