A DANGER TO OXFORD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 244, 15 October 1929, Page 6

A DANGER TO OXFORD.

The pride : of England's university town and district of Oxford; has been wounded by the decision of the British authorities to erect an Air Force aerodrome near Abignon, which is about five miles from the college area. Making a strong plea for the defence of the amenities of the district, Dr. Bridges, Professor Murray, Mr. Masefield and other prominent men have advanced a serious objection to the aerodrome site upon which ploughing of a large area of the countryside was . started .about eight weeks ago. Their argument is that an aerodrome invites attack from ah enemy and therefore to put an aerodrome near a city is to expose that city to special danger in times of war. , Most adults remember tlie lamentations that rang throughout, the world during the.Great War when beautiful cathedrals were injured, so it must be conceded that Oxonians have a sound case. Mr. H. A. L. Fisher, on behalf of. the Oxford Preservation Trust, has written protesting against the proposal and urging reconsideration in Parliament. He claim's that a much better site is in the Oxford Vallev from ten to fifteen miles south if an aerodrome is required for strategic or technical reasons. Even in far away New Zealand we can conceive the folly of placing an aerodronie in close proximity to possessions of immeasurable national, and even international, value. As one writer on the subject observed in this connection: "Oxford is one of those places whose destruction would put civilisation in mourning." —E.A.B.