Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1928 ITALY'S MISFORTUNES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 10 August 1928, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1928 ITALY'S MISFORTUNES

THE ne,ws of the sinking of the Italian submarine Fl 4, following upon the tragic fate of the airship "Italia," emphasises the fact, so often emphasised before by similar sad experiences of other nations British, American; French, and Japanese—that the submarine and the aircraft are as yet imperfeot a'nd unstable and used only at considerable risk. In regard to the loss of the '.'ltalia,'/ there is to be an inquiry, which doubtless will reveal the cauße of tlio; disaster '\ which overtook General Npbile's expedition, and perhaps it will reveal the imperfection in the airship which caused the disaster. No doubt a similar inquiry will be held in reference to the disaster which overtook the submarine Fl 4, and perhaps the cause of that disaster will be revealed. As a result of these inquiries the aeronautical art and. the art of. controlling submarine craft should be benefited, and thus Italy's, misfortunes may actually result in being of, service to her. In any case, she did not deserve the opprobrious outcries w.liich emanated from certain nations/when General Nobile's expedition experienced such terrible hardship on the ice. ' Nothing but sympathy is to be' extended to brave' men in misfortune, and it is stij| all too \ sadly 'evident that those who navigate the air and the depths; of the ocean are brave,, since both . arts "are still accompanied" with risk. But,it is only by taking such risks • that flying i and submarining can be brought to perfection. When the two New Zealand fliers. Hood and MonCrieff, lost their lives last summer, in their b ra V e endeavour to fly across the Tasman Sea, some people thought them foolhardy, and condemned their attempt, but it is only by such attempts that success can be attained. Pioneers, whether of the air or of fleep must necessarily take risks, and _even Sometimes meet with loss, if the development "of the wonderful era in which we live is to lake successfully. Therefore those who lost their lives in the."ltalia'? and in submarino Fl 4 are to be regarded as heroes who gave their lives in the cause of modern accomplishment, and Italy .«nould receive the whole-hearted sphcitude.of the civilised world in.the loss she has sustained by the death of gallant aerial and submarine navigators!