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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0513.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded 1909 No. 2249 Vol. LXI. FRIDAY, 29 FEBRUARY 1952 ED/TOR MAURICE A. SMITH, D.F.C. ASSISTANT EDITOR H. F. KING, M.B.E. TECHNICAL EDITOR C. B. BAILEY-WATSON, B.A. ART ED/TOR JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1. Telegrams, Flightpres, Sedist, London. Telephone, Waterloo 3333 (60 lines). Branch Offices: COVENTRY 8-10, Corporation Street. Telegrams, Autocar, Coventry. Telephone, Coventry 5210. BIRMINGHAM, 2 King Edward House, New Street, Telegrams, Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone, Midland 7191 (7 lines) MANCHESTER, 3 260, Deansgate. Telegrams, lliffe, Manchester. Telephone, Blackfriars 4412 (3 lines). Deansgate 3595 (2 lines). GLASGOW, C.2. 26b, Renfield Street. Telegrams, lliffe, Glasgow. Telephone, Central 1265 (2 lines). SUBSCRIPTION RATES Home and Overseas: Twelve months £3 3s. Od. U.S.A. and Canada, $10.00 BY AIR: To Canada and U.S.A., six months, $16. IN THIS ISSUE: Defence in Darkness - 228 Britannia Potential - - 236 Flying Fish 239 Fighting for the Fleet - 240 Quieter Argonaut - - 242 Administering Airworthiness 244 Search Radar for Civil Aircraft 245 Navigation in War - - 246 B A Crown for Each Head F IVE shillings, or even seven shillings and sixpence, is not a very large sum of money, but even small amounts can cause quite a furore when a matter of principle is concerned—the shilling on prescriptions, for example. So, from May ist, air travellers arriving in this country will have to pay the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation for the privilege. The 5s (or 7s 6d for those from farther afield) is described as a standard charge for services, and does not take into consideration the quality of the facilities offered. If, coming from abroad, you descend from an airliner at a remote airfield, splash through mud to the gate, and thumb a ride to the nearest village, you, or the owners of the aircraft which delivered you, must still pay the fixed price for the privilege. Few will quarrel with the intention, which is to help balance the State airfield budget; practically everyone will object to the method—namely, a head tax on arrival, levied through the operating companies so that the Ministry can forget all about the administra tive problems involved. The idea, we are informed, was sprung on the operators one evening without notice or consultation in a manner more fitted to masters than to servants of the public, and at a time when the Corporations are doing everything possible to re duce deficits and fares, and the independent operators to improve their services and keep solvent. The Ministry refer to this head tax as a service charge for provision of a passenger lounge, Customs hall, cloakrooms, and porters—not to mention first aid if needed. They are responsible for passengers, they say, from apron to coach, or the reverse. Prior con sultation with the operators would have brought to light several points. For example, the advantages of imposing a departure tax rather than one on arrival. Will a man be interned or sent back home if he is unwilling to pay, or has no money? Again, if he has come to Britain by stages, has he come from the last port of call or from his original point of take off? This is a half-dollar question, and neither ticket nor passenger list necessarily gives the information. The administrative problems may be considerable, and they should have been discussed in advance. Tax cannot be added to fares without I.A.T.A. approval (in May) for intro duction in October. Are children to be charged in proportion to their fares, i.e. 50 per cent, or 10 per cent for babies in arms? What of airline staff flying on leave or duty? If a departure tax had been preferred, matters might have been simplified; the 5s could be collected when the fare was paid and, say, a stamp affixed to the ticket (the Stamp Act permitting). Unfortunately such administrative matters must bear heavily upon the Corporations, not only in connection with their own passengers but in regard to those of foreign operators for whom they must now act as agents and tax collectors. Unfortu nately the Corporations are not in a position to express their real feelings about this tax. Probably, though, something will be heard at Westminster from the Opposition— who thought of a head tax of this sort too, but failed to get it past Lord Pakenham. The day the tax is due to come into operation is also the day on which cheap-fare "air- coach" services are due to start. What of these passengers ? In theory at least, they carry their own bags and provide their own transport to and from the aircraft. All they must do is satisfy the Customs and immigration authorities. These are not services to be paid for, and no other buildings need be entered. It is, of course, the short-haul operators who have most reason to complain of the tax —B.E.A. with their high-frequency services to Paris, and Silver City with their Channel ferry for example. Already they, like others, pay rent for all exclusive facilities at State airports and unusually big landing fees for their aircraft—not to mention high fuel-taxes. Although landing taxes are levied under one guise or another in certain other countries —e.g. America, Bermuda, Jamaica, Portugal, French Equatorial Africa, and, until recently, Egypt—it seems a pity that we had to start this sort of thing here. It is true that surface transport has been paying some form of head tax, together with other dues, for years past, but over a period of time the detail sums have been absorbed. The picture so far as the aviation landing tax is concerned is as yet incomplete, but we are not very impressed by the introduction or implications to date.
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