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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0226.PDF
the wish not to multiply unduly the offices of the Government. Although the Air Service was an arm which would acquire increasing importance as the years went on, there was no doubt that after demobilisation had been completed the size of the Air Service compared to either Army or Kavy would be very much smaller. It was not considered by the Prime Minister that at the present period in aviation development a separate Secretaryship of State was required for the administration of the Air Service. In the second place we were confronted with the great problem of demobilisation, which affected the Army and the Air Service in similar ways—ways different from those by which the Navy was affected. The Navy had only been ex panded z\ times. The Air Service had sprung into existence during the War, and the Army had been multiplied by tens. The immense shrinkages in the Air Service and the Army involved decisions in regard to pay, conditions and regulations governing the transition of men from military to civil life which could be far better taken in regard to these two kindred Services if they were taken from a common point of view, and if the two departments could be made to march in step, so that the policy of the one should not be overthrown by separate or in dependent action on the part of the other. When demobilisation was completed, they would have to redistribute the garrisons of the British Army in the light of lessons which had been learnt during the War. That redistribution could be better carried out by harmonious interweaving of the Air and Military Forces by linking them together in step than as though they were rivals. There was not the slightest intention of merging the Air Force in the Army. On the contrary, its integrity, unity and independence would be assiduously maintained. While we fully appreciate the cogency of the arguments concerning demobilisation, we are still not completely satisfied as to the outlook for the future. Undoubtedly, there is wisdom, as Mr. Churchill indicates, in viewing the problems of demobilisation from a common point of view, with the object of avoiding complications arising from the adoption of two different standpoints. But we confess we are disquieted by the statement that in the opinion of the Prime Minister—in which we take it for granted the War Cabinet concurs—" at the present period in aviation development a separate Secretaryship of State is not required for the ad ministration of the Air Service." In the expression of this opinion Mr. Lloyd George sets himself above the collective wisdom of Parliament, "which has, by the Air Force Act, expressly said that a separate Secretaryship of State is essential and has accordingly constituted it. It seems to us that by presuming thus to reverse the opinion of Parliament and to wipe out the office referred to, the Prime Minister has set himself above the law and assumed the powers of dictatorship. Surely, the proper procedure— certainly the most courteous—was to have taken the opinion of Parliament itself in the debate on the next Air Forces Estimates. Apart from any question of the sort, it would be interesting to know how his opinion was arrived at. To our way of thinking, the argument is very closely akin to the sort of thing with which we became all too familiar during the time Lord Haldane was at the War Office, when aviation was made the butt of official ridicule, and, later, we found ourselves plunged into war without more than the barest nucleus of a flying service. One would have thought that one of the principafclessons taught by the War was that want of prescience and preparation had been one of our besetting official sins. Yet we find no less a person than the' Prime Minister himseli proclaiming, • as with a smirk, that in its "present period of development " aviation does not, appar ently, amount to the proverbial row of beans ! At any rate, it is so insignificant that it can be lumped together with another department of State and be looked after by an Under-Secretary. Truly, as a nation we are inclined to learn nothing and forget nothing ! • * • As we have recorded in a previous The paragraph, General Sykes has been Control appointed to the Air Ministry to takt Civil charge of the control of civil aviation, Aviation and is to rank as a civilian official, Mr. Churchill referred at some length to this appointment. While, he said, he recognised, the services that aircraft manufacturers had ren dered, there could be no doubt that a Service man of distinction was to be preferred for this position, and General Sykes would devote his great abilities to developing to the utmost, so far as lay within the province of the Government, the progress of civil and commercial aviation. We have no fault whatever to find with General Sykes' appointment. On the contrary, we believe it is an altogether good one, and will result in benefit to the future of civil and commercial aviation, but it was surely a little ungracious to have doubted the capacity of anyone outside the Service to successfully fill the post. Doubtless, Mr. Churchill had not it in his mind for the moment that the greatest Air Minister we have had—Lord Weir—was one of the very manufacturers who have rendered great service to the State, but are nevertheless not to be trusted to run straight in a permanent official position in control of civil aviation. It is perhaps of no great moment, but it certainly is an excellent indication of the way the official mind regards the mere civilian. It was, Mr. Churchill continued, proposed to introduce immediately a Bill to enable the Govern ment to get private flying started, at first under regulations which at a later date could be greatly relaxed. As a matter of fact, the text of this Bill has since been issued. It provides for the granting, suspension and revocation of pilots' licences ; regis tration, identification, inspection and certification of aircraft and aerodromes ; the control of conditions under which aircraft may be used for carrying good- mails and passengers, both for inland flying and for crossing to and from a foreign country ; and the provision of penalties for contravention of regula tions made under the Act. The latter is to remain in force until January i, 1920. It is too early yet to pass judgment on the Bill, which is really more a measure designed to vest in the Air Ministry powers to deal with the matters mentioned in the text rather than a " governing" Act. Moreover, there is nothing so far as can be seen to which serious objec tion can be taken at the moment. Everything depends upon the many ways in which the resultant act is interpreted, and the regulations administered It is clearly necessary that, before civilian flying can be resumed, an Act of some sort will have to be passed, since the stop-gap Aerial Navigation Act is-
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