THE GAINS OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 69, 21 March 1919, Page 4

THE GAINS OF WAR.

In «pite of the heavy toll which the war has taken in both life and money, .vet it has net been wholly loss, and there is much that has been done during the war that will be of permanent benefit to humanity. But for the war we would never have realised the immense possibilities if aviation or developed the aeroplane to ibs present pitch of perfec-

tion. Britain started the war with six squadrons of aeroplanes, and these were at first considered amply sufficient; but as the war proceeded it became apparent that the mastery of tha air was all-important, both for o.taining information and for attacking positions behind, tlie enemy's lines. Consequently we equipped huge factories for the manufacture of aeroplanes and their engines, and at present Britain has 200 squadrons, and when the armistice was signed the factories were turning out 4000 aeroplanes a .month. These huge fleets will now no longer be required for purposes of war, and attention is being directed to their use in civil life. Three million pounds have been earmarked for experiment and research work in civil aviation, and £6(5.000,000 have been placed on the estimate for air

work in general. The authorities are already considering the use of aeroplanes in the deliver}- of the mails, and the Air Ministry intends to put all its resources at the disposal of civilian aviation. It is proposed to experiment in the direction of carrying mails between Cairo and India, and it is said that the prospects of a successful service are extremely favourable. This will enormously accelerate the delivery of mails between London and Calcutta, and it may be possible in time to have an -crial service between the two towns. The development of aviation led to experiments in the direction of wireless telephones, and this new development has now been sufficiently perfected to allow of messages being sent and received by one operation. Aerial photography was the direct result of war conditions, and this has now been brought to such a pitch of perfection that it is possible to gain by its means a more accurate survey of the land below than could be obtained by many months of ordinary survey work. An international aviation exhibition lias been arranged to take place ut Tlie Hague from May to Jul}*, and Britain, France and Germany are preparing to participate.

But apart from aviation there are other directions in which the war has left results of permanent value. Iti Palestine and Mesopotamia a tremendous amount of work has been done in the way of irrigation. Parts of Mesopotamia which were desert before the advent of our troops are now becoming fertile and well-watered, and give great promise for the future if they pass into the hands of owners able and willing to cultivate them. We have laid water along the desert separating Egypt from the borders of Palestine, and both here and in Mesopotamia we have laid railways that will he of permanent value to the countries through which they pass. We- have laid similar railways in France, and not only have we added permanent value in the matter of railways, but we have also widened and improved existing roads and added thousands of miles of new roads both in France and Italy, and the East. Britain has also increased enormously her facilities for shipbuilding, and factories established for the manufacture of munitions and other war material will be .able to be adapted to the manufacture of goods required in civil life. One of the most marked achievements of British industry, due directly to the war, has been in the direction of perfecting our system of making optical glass. Formerly we were quite unable to touch the optical glass made at Jena, tint now our manufacturers have discovered a means of producing glass that quite eclipses anything made elsewhere This has been named the second victory of Jena.