TIMELY TOPICS

Northern Advocate, 31 May 1935, Page 6

TIMELY TOPICS

COLLECTIVE SECURITY. Vice-Admiral J. D. Allen (retired), writes as follows to “The Times”: —■ If, as we all hope, we are eventually to get a system of collective security it is quite obvious that Great Britain must have adequate armed forces to take- its fair share in such a system. It is quite evident from authoritative statements that His Majesty’s Government have not abandoned the policy of extending and reinforcing the collective system of defence and have not weakened their determination to work for a general reduction of armaments by international agreement. But a collective system of defence must be established before a general reduction of armaments and, until there is a collective system of defence, the armed forces of the British Empire must be kept sufficient and efficient. That is quite reasonable and in all . fairness cannot be construed as in any way inciting a race in armaments. <s><s><s■ G>

THE MEN BEHIND THE MACHINES. Referring to the rush by * young men to join the Royal Air Force, the “Dominion” says: “Before he can defend his country aloft, a flying officer has to have an aeroplane, and a highly-competent ground staff to keep it in tip-top order, . . , All mechanical achievements have a practical as well as spectacular side, and in the glamous and excitement of success and credit due is frequently misplaced. Greats feats of aviation have all been the outcome of a collective effort rather than that of the individual. With the inevitable romance and thrill associated with successful flights one is prone to stress the performance of the pilot, and forget that •it was the work of the designing engineer and the workshop that made them possible. The late Aircraftsman Shaw was not forgetful of the debt the world owes to those who serve behind the scenes. In a remarkable passage in his selfwritten epitaph he reminds us that it is fhe airmen mechanics who are overcoming the air, not the Mollisons and the Orlebars, The airmen mechanics and, it ought to be added, the staffs of the aeroplane and aeroplane engine construction factories.” <s> <s> WORDS OF WISDOM. Be so true to thyself, as thou be not false to others. —Bacon, <£> <s> <s><s> <S> TALE OF THE DAY. An elderly couple were getting married at the little country chur,ch. The groom was very deaf. When the clergyman read: “Wilt thou have this woman to he thy wedded wife,’ the old man did not hear him, and asked his bride, “What’s he say?” The old lady bawled in his ear: “He wants to know if tha’ll ha’ me for they wedded wife.” The old man looked surprised, and. exclaimed, “Why, sartingly, Mary, dear ! Didn’t I tell thee] so t’other neet?”