WAR IN THE AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14069, 24 May 1909, Page 6

WAR IN THE AIR.

ENGLAND WAKING UP. SIR PERCY SCOTT'S GUN.. ' V Tfeom CUE OWN COERESrOXD^VTI " : '•.'.;■'"■•; J London, April 13. It is quite refreshing to hear from Admiral ' Sir Percy Scott on Monday that although England is leaving practically uncontested the realms of aeronautics, there is at any rate being brought to perfection here a gun which is designed to destroy the German warships as they hover in space over ' ' the sacred roofs of the Bank of England ''•'.' and the Mansion House. The announcement was made at a Mansion House meeting, organised by the Aerial League, to wake up British sympathy in air-shins. "- The Lord Mayor confessed that at first .' he was rather doubtful as to the value of airships, and, like many other people, he could hardly conceive that in the thin and ' ' invisible air around and above us ships could be made to float which would be a menace to us if they belonged to an enemy, and which would be our safeguard ; if they were our own. But he had now come to the conclusion that in navigating the air the English were very much be- .' hind. Lord Curzon sent a practical sort ofwarning. England's position, he said, was a backward, and, to that extent, a' discreditable one. "While other countries have been perfecting their scientific and' " ', mechanical inventions we have accomplished little, and the popular inclination has j been to regard the navigation of the air j as a harmless, but unpractical whim. This can no longer be said to be the case. Aviation has 'taken its place among -the ••' sciences, and to a country , possessing ; a ■" maritime frontier the navigation of - the' air must be attended with an almost vital significance. Mr. S. Marples (the secretary), who, ■ with Colonel Massy, had studied the ques- * tion abroad at first hand, said they,could not help feeling concerned at the formid-' '-; able lead that our rivals, backed up by ■ '.' an extraordinary public enthusiasm, -had acquired. England would have to, strain m every : nerve ■to make up the enormous '~"' leeway that had been lest. . ' Lord Montagu of Beaulieu said he wiiss&% convinced that unless . public opinion was aroused on this question we should' have to regret bitterly a few years hence not having taken measures to provide .our-, ""* selves with weapons of offence and defence-. "') in the air. Did we realise that within a"' short period, say, five years, the insularity-' ' of .. this country, as we understood- it, might be destroyed? It was quite clear that other nations had, grasped that idea, ' and at least two of the great Powers of Europe were building dirigibles and '££.}&°£s perimenting with aeroplanes, with the eoUs purpose of making them efficient . in case of war. '• • • ' Vice-Admiral Sir Percy Scott seconded the resolution. He said that at present" • our battleships were attacked on the water by guns and under the water by. sub- ■ marine boats and torpedoes, but if they were to have dynamite dropped upon them - from the clouds it would make-the profession to which he was proud to belong a rather precarious one. (Laughter.) ';iftUffp conjunction with a gun-making firm he was at present doing all lie could against those gentlemen, who represented aero- \' nauts. They had got out a design of a gun which he hoped, if they could lay ' it well -and truly,.-, would, at a distance of;. 6000 ft, "play up old Harry" .with an; aerial ship, but he was sorry to say that they had, to. deal with darkness. " Those ', " aerials ships would come over in the dark, and he had not yet.met any gunnery per- .>, son who could teach him how to hit an" ; ' .object that one could not see. (Laughter.) J >JM t The only defence,: it seemed to him, i that \ '; we ";;,;■ had > against these ', flying ; machines would ; : be to ' meet them". with'flying machines. < (Cheers.) If airships were to ~ be a menace to our navy, then we must meet them by airships, ,and. we ought to 1 proceed at 1" once to form a two-Power "■• standard in ' airships. (Cheers.) -'' OitfppS colonies had 'offered to 4 supply us with . Dreadnoughts. -?Let' lis" supply ourselves with airships: (Cheers.) \ Sir Hiram Maxim said it was impossible - for him to understand how any practical man. could dispute the value of flying machines as military ■ instruments. . He had seen the ■ Wright aeroplane. It -.was a small and , rough affair, capable of ' a great number of improvements, and was driven by a 24 hip.'fmotor.' At 'the present rate of • progress we should certainly have machines within a few years that would travel at the rate of 60 miles an hour and .. r • be able to carry a load of 15001b. lb would, 1. therefore, be seen that a'perfectly ; unique system •of warfare■ was •at hand.