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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0282.PDF
in this country, and these show that the percentage of failures en route is quite negligible. Twenty years ago the number of successful non-stop journeys made by motor car was but a fraction of the whole. Then the motorist who succeeded in making a non-stop run of fifty miles talked about it for a week, and as for getting to Brighton and back without trouble, it was scarcely to be thought about let alone accom- plished. That is not the record of the aeroplane now. In certainty and reliability of engines and machines it has passed far out of the pioneer stage and has taken its place in line with other and older modes of transport. The British Association of Trade and ^th Technical Journals recently entertained Germany at luncheon the President of the Board of Trade, Sir Auckland Geddes. Among a great many other interesting things he said, one must be singled out for special treatment. A specific question was put him by the chairman, Mr. Percival Marshall: " Should the technical journals of this country accept advertisements from German firms ? " We have quoted the question textually, but it might just as well have been put on a broader basis : " Shall Britain trade with Germany ? " That is what it amounts to in the end. Replying, Sir Auckland said that Germany must be put on her feet again. We must restore her purchasing power to buy the things we manufacture. Many people would answer, " No " to the question, but he was not afraid to say " Yes." That would annoy a few people who could not see beyond their own noses, and those who never wished to^have anything to do with Germany. The latter looked at the matter purely from a sentimental point of view, but he regarded it from a purely business point of view. We are completely in agreement with the President of the Board of Trade, both in his views and in his manner of expressing them. We have no more love for the Hun than anyone, and were it within the bounds of practical business policy we would sub- scribe to the doctrine of no more dealing, socially or in business, with any of his breed. Unfortunately, how- ever, the community of nations—like any other com- munity—is made up of all sorts, and we have to take them as we find them. We ah1 have to do business with individuals we do not like and as a nation we have simply got to face the fact, an unpleasant one to many, that we have got to do business with Germany. If we destroy her economically by refus- ing to trade we shall so upset the commercial balance of the world that we cannot continue in commercial health ourselves. We hope to secure payment of compensation, for some of our war losses, but unless we give our defeated enemy a chance to retrieve a part of his commercial status it is obvious he will never be in a position to pay. That is not by any means the worst aspect of a steady refusal to do business. If such a policy were to be rigorouslv followed out by the rest of the world, the inevitable result must be the early bankruptcy of Germany, and there is no need to stress the point that this would be absolutely disastrous to the whole commercial and industrial world. The plain fact of the matter is that we have got to put sentiment behind us and to trade with Germany again and the sooner we make up our minds as a nation that this is so the sooner we shall achieve the industrial reconstruction of the world. MARCH H, 1920 The Air Estimates for the ensuing ^^ financial year were published as a Estimates White Paper on Monday last. They show in the total a reduction of more than half as compared with last year, the respective figures being £54,030,850 for last year, against £21,056,930 for this. The principal reductions are one of £13,000,000 for warlike stores and of over £16,000,000 in the pay of officers and men of the R.A.F. On the other hand, the estimated cost of the Air Ministry shows an increase of about £200,000. In the matter of the personnel of the R.A.F., this has been reduced in the present Estimates to about a fifth of the numbers provided for during the financial ?ear 1919-20. The appropriation for civil aviation amounts to £894,540, which is absorbed in various ways, of which the item " Works, lands and buildings" accounts for nearly half the amount. The sum of £2,575,540 is set aside for experimental and research services, but of this no less than £1,334,000 figures under the heading of " Liquidation of war liabili- ties." We miss altogether any specific mention of sums to be devoted to the direct encouragement of civilian aviation, though it is fair to acknowledge that £28,500 is to be spent on flashing lighthouses and a further sum of £172,000 on buildings on Imperial air routes. We should, however, have pre- ferred to have seen some visible evidence of the intentions of the Government to really extend the helping hand to the development of the active side of civilian aviation. As it is, there is none and the firms who have been watching and waiting for pro- mises to materialise into actions are still left with nothing but the hope that possibly the Civil Service Estimates may disclose that the Government, through the Post Office, will really redeem those promises by the subsidy in some shape or form of aerial mail services. At the best this is but a slender hope. Then, in the matter of the drastic reductions in the personnel of the R.A.F. we cannot view the policy of the Government with anything less than grave misgiving. Economy is undoubtedly necessary now, but not such economy as will leave us open to attack by any aggressive Power at its own chosen moment. Last year we were told that the strength of the R.A.F. was to be reduced by the 31st of this month to 35,000 officers and men, which seems to be small enough in all conscience. The present Esti- mates disclose, however, that a further drastic cut has been made and that the numbers are now to be reduced to an establishment of 29,730, including the staffs employed at the Air Ministry, for the services of civil aviation and for experimental and research work. This, too, at a time when it looks as though we might easily have to undertake further serious military operations in the Near East. With the lessons of Somaliland and the Indian frontier fresh in mind, this looks on the face of it a policy of penny wise and pound foolish. However, criticism in detail would be premature until the Estimates have been formally introduced and debated, but this we may say here and now : that if the Estimates disclose one thing with greater clearness than another it is that it is wholly wrong policy that one Minister, however able, should be at the head of two fighting Services. The Army Estimates for which Mr. Churchill was so recently responsible, showed a strong tendency up- wards. The Air Estimates, which are even more 282
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