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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0710.PDF
although the primary responsibility of the Air Ministry is the defence of the Realm. He also indicated that it was the view of the Government that we must measure our air policy by that of the most progressive, rather than the most backward of the nations which aspire to aerial power. Now, all this would be comforting indeed if practice accorded with professions. As a statement of faith, Lord Gorell's speech left nothing to be desired, but when we come to compare the official protestations with the official acts, we are left wondering whether con- viction is really as deep as the Under-Secretary would have us believe. It is perfectly clear that the Govern- ment ideals as outlined to the House of Lords by Lord Gorell are not in agreement with the scope of the means adopted to give effect to them. In a word, the professions do not accord with the actualities of the case. To use his lordship's own words, it is specially beholden to us to develop in every way the power ot the air, and to see that we maintain our lead. For the purpose of warfare we are becoming less and less of an island, and ii there is no outbreak of war for a very long time, it is certain that, when the outbreak occurs, the greatest part and the earliest part of it will be in the air. These are potent words, falling, as they did, from the Air Ministry's own representative in the Upper House. We should value them much more if, as we have said, the acts of the Government marched more closely with the protestations. But, unfortunately, they do not, and no one can have a clearer knowledge of this than the Government itself. It is all very well for the Government and to tel1 tlie countrv tliat *<• acknowledges Others the necessity of keeping pace with the most progressive of our possible rivals, but unless this admission is accompanied by a policy— a live policy—directed to that end, such statements only amount to so much " eye-wash," and can convince no-one who has knowledge of the facts and the power to think. Let us see how far we are travelling along the road to the maintenance of the " lead" to which Lord Gorell refers. We have already seen that Government assistance to British civil aviation is, during the next three years, to be limited to subsidy payments amounting to a gross total of £200,000. He hopes that by the beginning of March next there will be three services running between London and Paris and one between London and Brussels. Now, what is France, doing ? We are sorry that once more we have to return to the subject NOVEMBER 3, 1921 of French progress, but in the circumstances there is simply no help for it. In round figures, France proposes to allot 157,000,000 francs to the encourage- ment of civil aviation during the financial year 1921-2. We note that General Brancker, in a letter to The Times, takes the Budget exchange value as 35 francs to the £ sterling, which gives roughly 4| millions to be spent by France on the development of her civil air policy. But suppose we take a figure which seems to be fairer and assume the present rate of exchange of about 50, even then we get a total of over three millions, against which our own allocation of £200,000 seems meagre to a degree—even beggarly. Of this comparatively huge sum, over a million sterling—or, quoting General Brancker's exchange assumption, over a million and a quarter— is to be paid in direct subsidies to the various French lines operating in Europe and Africa, while two millions are to be expended in " indirect " assistance in the way of aerodromes, sheds, lighthouses, wireless organisation and meteorological services. France has air lines in operation representing, roughly, 6,100 miles flown over regularly, against the existing 420 miles of British routes actually being operated. Where does the " lead " of which Lord Gorell speaks come in ? And, in face of these un- pleasantly convincing facts, is it possible—bearing in mind the official admission that the next war will descend upon us from the air—for the Government to maintain that it is carrying out its plain duty to the country and preparing in the only possible way for eventualities ? The answer is all too clear—too clear to need stating. It is all very well for Government speakers to point to the fact'that in Egypt and Mesopotamia Service aeroplanes are being used to assist in mail-carrying. That gets us nowhere in particular. It is not the business of Service machines to assist in the purely commercial enterprise of mail conveyance. Their job is to prepare for war, and every hour that is spent otherwise is wasted in so far as concerns the primary purpose for which a military Air Service exists. Besides, even if Service machines are so employed, how far do they assist us in overtaking the enormous lead that France has already obtained in civil avia- tion ? Not at all so far as we are able to see, and it would seem to the plain person that the argument is only introduced as a red herring drawn across the trail. Taking everything into consideration, we are not at all convinced by Lord Gorell's long and by no means uninteresting explanation of the Govern- ment attitude. Like the curate's egg, it is quite good in parts, but the whole as a whole is quite uneatable. .-«•_; ^. -.- ....-• •-.•.?,.-.•..- No. 6 Wing, R.N.A.S. Annual Dinner THE third of the annual dinners of No. 6 Wing, R.N.A.S., Otranto, Italy, will be held at the Connaught Rooms, on Saturday, December 10, at 7.30 p.m. Any officers who were members of the Wing, and who have not received invitations themselves, or who know of others who have not, are requested to write to the Secretary, A. Lloyd-Taylor, Compton, Highfield Road, Purley, Surrey. Neutralisation of the Aaland Islands IN the text of the Aaland Islands Convention, drawn up, in accordance with the recommendations of the League of Nations, to guarantee the non-fortification and the neutralisation of these islands, which was signed at Geneva on October 20 by representatives of Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Esthonia, Lithuania and Poland, certain passages relating to aircraft and air forces are of interest. No air base, nor any other establishment used for war purposes may be maintained or set up in the area defined as " the portion of the Finnish archipelago known as the Aaland Islands." With certain exceptions no air force of any Power may enter or remain in the area, and the manufacture, import, transit and re-export of arms and war material are formally prohibited. Finnish Military or Naval aircraft may fly over the islands, but must not land except in the case of force majeure. Some Records Homologated THE following records recently established have now been homologated : Greatest speed over one kilometre, Sadi Lecointe on Nieuport-Delage " Sesquiplan," September 26, at Villesauvage. Speed 330.275 kilometres (206 miles) per hour. Speed over a given distance of 100 kilometres, Brack-Papa on Fiat, October 1, at Villesanvage. Time, 22 minutes 5§ seconds, equal to a speed of 170 m.p.h. Speed over a given' distance of 200 kilometres : Georges Kirsch on Nieuport-Delage at Villesauvage on October 1. Time 42 minutes 394 seconds, equal to a speed of 175 m.p.h. 710
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