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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0341.PDF
MARCH 25, 1920 THE RESIGNATION OF MR. HOLT THOMAS ELSEWHERE in this issue we have commented upon theresignation of Mr. G. Holt Thomas from the Chairmanship of the Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Mr. Thomas, who is,as our readers are fully aware, one of the pioneers of British aviation, has given the following explanation of hisresignation:— " By the amalgamation recently announced, the BirminghamSmall Arms, Ltd., acquired control of my companies. Their interest naturally lies in the large factories, which althoughcreated for aircraft, are adapted for other productions, such as motor bodies and engineering works ; and equally naturallythe first step is to foster these productions, and cut down all expense which is not likely to prove remunerative in the nearfuture. " Could I honestly advise my~eo-directors, in view of thepresent apathetic attitude of the Government, to continue an expensive technical department devoted to the design of air-craft ? I was, therefore, in the position of not being, as a business man, able to advise them to continue, while I couldnot, from the national point of view, regard the disintegration of a staff which has proved itself second to none in the worldwithout considerable misgivings. I therefore came to the conclusion that the only step, and the right one, was to leavethem free to decide, without any views, for or against, ex- pressed by me. " The Airco and De Havilland design was adopted by the Government for a very large proportion of the machines used during the War. They were adopted almost entirely by the United States Flying Corps, and are responsible for the successful mail services now being run in America, which carried over 230,000 lbs. of mails in the twelve months ending June last, and are conveying much more to-day. The form of design and factory equipment were described, and, I believe, rightly described, by Lord Cowdray in the capacity of our first Air Minister, as a ' national asset.' " For-eighteen months no encouragement whatever has been given, and so far as I am aware there is no prospect or guarantee that the Airco will have orders for experimental machines, say, for ^100,000, a sum sufficient to keep the staff together in the next twelve months. " Fundamentally, the utter failure of the authorities to view in the poper proportion the importance of the air as compared with the Navy and Army, is at the root of the matter. Minister after Minister has publicly stated that ' we must retain our lead.' We are far from doing so. It must be remembered that this is a new science. It is still in its infancy. It must be kept going, and we must maintain our position. The designers' firms are not many, and quite apart from ordinary aeroplanes in quantity, which could not be expected, ^1,000,000 a year, spent on experimental machines, with orders distributed among such firms, would be a national insurance, and would maintain the technical staffs. " Every man in the street knows that if we are to be attacked again it will be by aerial invasion. Neither Fleet nor Army can raise a finger to prevent it. Other countries are, from a national security point of view, supporting construction, design, pilots, mechanics and aviation generally by direct encouragement of civil aviation. " I am immensely proud of the success of the air service. I have been congratulated by every one. I am told that it has done more to encourage civil aviation in every country in the world except Great Britain than anything else. It has proved, firstly, that under the most difficult conditions that exist it can be done with sufficient efficiency to be practical; secondly, that the charge for the services rendered is essentially commercial. " The French Government pays a subsidy almost amounting to the cost to a French machine flying to London and back. The American Government is establishing air mails every- where. The British Government pays nothing, and the Air Minister^states that civil aviation must fly by itself. I cannot imagineithe London-Paris Air Mail ceasing to exist. It is unthinkable that this and the Airco design should disappear-, but I resigned because I could not, as a business man, see my way to advise my co-directors to continue under existingconditi ons." Following Mr. Holt Thomas's resignation, Maj.-Gen. SirS. Brancker, a director of the Aircraft Manufacturing Co., - Ltd., in an interview upon the subject has stated that theGovernment realised the seriousness of the position, but took a considerable time to act. With Government assistancein quite a modest form the concern could be kept going this year, and might see a profit next year. " So far as the transport side goes," Sir S. Brancker said,'' it has been perfectly obvious that some form of direct assist- ance is necessary in order that aerial transport may pay itsway. It would only be necessary for a matter of two years, after which we shall not want anything at all. Apart fromthe provision of aerodromes some direct assistance in the shape of a guaranteed minimum loan is required, and theGovernment would be welcome to use the services for mails or anything they care to. The trouble is that there doesnot seem to be any central Governmental control. The Treasury, the Disposal Board, the Post Office, and the AirMinistry are all sympathetic, but there is nobody in the middle to see that something is done. Aviation cannot be treatedlike that; it has to be treated as a whole. "If we had been French pilots we should have made avery handsome profit. In fact, I think the French Govern- ment err on the side of liberality. With a profit we shouldbe able to develop the industry in such a way as to make it a national asset." Referring to the mass sale of aeroplanes arid engines bythe Disposal Board, Sir Sefton Brancker remarked that while it would be quite possible to use a proportion of such machinesfor commercial services, it was impossible indefinitely to continue living on scrap. Germane to the same subject, and affording a possibleray of hope that the real position is at last dawning upon officialdom, was the discussion in the House of Commonson Tuesday, on the report of the Vote for the pay of the Air Force. Lieut.-Col. Malone referred to the position of the AircoCo., the chairman of which, he said, had resigned as the com- pany had been forced to dispose of the undertaking to theBirmingham Small Arms Co., in order that the workshops and machinery might be utilised for other purposes. Thischange would have a serious effect on the aircraft industry of this country. He was sure the Government recognisedhow much aviation in general was indebted to Mr. Holt Thomas. It was largely due to the initiative of that gentle-man that aviation was started in this country. He hoped action would be taken by the Government to prevent theclosing of one of the greatest of aircraft manufacturing firms. Maj. Tryon, in reply, said the Air Ministry fully recognisedthe importance of the matter. A strong Advisory Committee was inquiring into the question of civil aviation. They satthat day, would sit again on Friday, and it was hoped that in a very few days they would be in a position to report.Their recommendations would be immediately considered by the Government; and it was intended to lay before theHouse, within a month, a full statement of the action which the Government intended to take. As the Advisory Committeewas engaged on very important work, and was composed of distinguished men associated with aviation, he desired tosay that when the Secretary of State for Air stated recently that civil aviation must fly by itself he referred to the ultimateway in which it should be sustained. His right hon. friend did not mean to debar any Government action that mightbe necessary, after the Committee had reported, to keep civil aviation going during the present difficult year followingon the War, until It could be built up again. Aerial Postman in the Channel. . WHILE flying from Paris to London on March 18, infoggy weather, Lieut. Harold Game, A.F.C, had trouble with his compass. He decided to come down off BeachyHead, and sighting the ss. " Selarus," ciicled round it to attract attention. His machine was equipped with flotationbags, and they kept it afloat till he was rescued by a small boat sent out by the "Selarus." Lieut. Game has crossedthe Channel 130 times and this was his first mishap. Saved from the Air MILITARY pilots on De Havilland and Martin bombersrecently put in good wcrk at Fort Deposit, Mar land, breaking up the ice gorges of the Susquehanna River andpreventing extensive floods. Bombs weighing 50 lbs., de- signed to penetrate the ice floes before exploding, weredropped from a height of 500 ft. The attack continued ior several hours, shattering ice 20 ins. deep in the neighbourhoodof Havre de Grace, over an area of one square mi'e. —-^.- 341 E 2
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