Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd 1920. AERLAL LINERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 February 1920, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd 1920. AERLAL LINERS.

Duiuxci tiie past few years the progress in the .science of aviation ii;:s been so rapid that any statement with regard to further advances, no matter liow revolutionary, seems to cause no surprise. Sir Boss Smitli has suggested linking up Sydney and London by means of a six days' service. i\ r o one will venture to say that what he says is impossible. The only question is now soon it will be practically possible. Very few improvements ure now necessary to make the aeroplane a safe and swift means of getting from one country to another;- One by one the difficulties that stood iu the way of aviation have been overcome by intrepid airmen, and it is a matter of pride that Britishers have taken a leading part in the task of mastering the intricacies of aerial flight. Before the war the British people took very little interest in aviation. A few, no doubt, took it up for its sporting possibilities, but the great mass of the people looked upon it as a dangerous pastime that would never be of much practical benefit. The war opened the eyes of Englishmen to the value of aircraft as a means of attack or defence. It showed them, for example, that the mere fact that Great Britain was an island would no longer render it immune from invasion. The air raids on England awoke the people from the false security; into which they had been lulled by centuries of freedom from* invasion. They now •understood that.when Britain is at'war there is e\wy likelihood that the country will have to face air raids on a much more formidable scale than any experienced in L : recent war. Immediately Britishers were keen to learn all about this new danger. From that ,day forward aviation has held a strong grip'on the minds of thf» neople, ,'•.■■ an d : the ' men of gen iu s lioye given demi consideration i<y solving the difficulties that still face those who practise flvine. The Englishman i«? always alive to business' possibilities, and he

knows that .aircraft can be put to commercial uses.as well as to use in war time. Interest lias been stiumulated by the series of longdistance flights undertaken by aviators of .various nationalities. "Joy-riding" in aeroplanes ■ has become quite a popular'pastime at the fashionable seaside resorts, and during the six months ended September last 30,000 people were taken lor short-distance flights, and not a single mishap was recorded. This speaks well for the soundness of the construction of the machines and their engines and the skill and care of the pilots. During the same period a daily passenger service between London and Paris was in full swing, and it is noteworthy that of the IG2 scheduled flights only 13 had to be abandoned although on 04 days the weather was reported officially to be unfavourable. Two large Handley-Pa<?e machines, which had originally been" built as bombers, were transformed into liners, and carried 700 passengers across the. Channel in a single month. Similar machines have made non-stop runs of over a thousand miles; and seldom has an accident occurred to mar the success of the journey. In Chili aeroplanes are used in carrying mails from Santiago to Valparaiso. The Andes no longer present an impassable barrier, and recently Lieut. Cortiues crossed the Cordilleras at a -heia'ht of 20,000 ft. So far the V.ickersYimy machine has proved the most suitable for long flights, and the most noteworthy achievements have been gained by machines of this true. If was a Vickers-Timy that ; crossed the 1800 miles separating lite British Isles from America, and it was in one these machines that Sir EossSmith made his epoch-making flight to Australia. These marvellous flights have aroused tin 1 interest of even the .people of China, and the Government has entered into negotiations with the Tickers Company to supply aeroplanes and establish aerodromes. etc. The initial exnenditure will be £2.000,000, and it is the intention of the Government to arrange fast aerial services right throughout the vast Empire. These machines will- carry passengers, mails' and light merchandise, and will work in conjunction with the li»ht railways and canal systems of the country. Truly ,it may be said that: the awakening of the East is ni hand! Major-General Sir F, 11. Sykes, Controller of British Civil .Aviation, speaks most optimistically of the possibilities of putting airships to commercial use. In most of th° Dominions favourable conditions exist for the establishment of air lines. There are, however, difficulties—international and technical —still in the way before aerial passen.'ver and mail services are an every-dav occurrence.

THE. COAL ISTDTTSTIIY. The coal dispute -which has caused such a grave dislocation of the industry for some time past has been amicably settled. The actual terms on which the agreement is based are not known, and in any case they are of interest mainly to the miners and the owners. All that the general public wishes to know is that the dispute is ended: and that during the coming winter everyone will be able to obtain adequate supplies of fuel. Those who live on. the West Coast, wher<* there is always plenty of coal, cannot .appreciate the sufferings of the poor unfortunates in the larger centres who had to face the coldest weather with little or no fuel to give them warmth. Both miners and owners are to be congratulated on the conciliatory spirit displayed during the conference, and the result goes to show once more how much can be done in settling a dispute if the two sides get face to face and thrasl oiit their grievances. The miners will go back to their work thoroughly satisfied, and the result will be that the Dominion nviiof coal""will be largely increased. Many of those who left the industry during the dispute will return, and as there is a steady influx of miners from Australia and Great Britain the industry should be on a better footing than it h;is been for many years, Tin's is good news for- the West Coast, where mining is one of <he principal occupations of the peoplePlenty of capital-is available, and we are confident; that new mines will soon be opened up and mines that were closed down will resume operations. This last reference applies to Wallsend and Paparoa, both of which have plenty of good coal available. In giving the miners and the owners their due meed of praise, we must not forget the Prime Minister, Mr Massey, who acted as chairman of the conference and handled the situation with admirable tact. The miners and owners now appreciate what was meant by the Peace Conference when the delegates paid a tribute to Mr Massey's ability to handle with tact a dimcult matter. The thanks of community are due to him, and even those who differ politicallv tvom Mr Massey will be the first to acknowledge the value of his services. The question of distribution is now the only difficulty that lies in the way of the coal industry flourishing like the green bay tree. This as a matter that must be considered when Parliament meets. We are confident that our readers will join with us in extending hearty congratulations to all concerned in bringing about a settlement of a longextended and vexations dispute. This will mea nfurther prosperity to our. district.