SHIPS SEIZED IN THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15718, 19 September 1914, Page 9

SHIPS SEIZED IN THE WAR.

I , M \l'lol FAT OF TONNAGE. i; P BRITAIN'S LOSS. i' " ' I I' l . 1255 am 1 London, September 17 | * T ; » -hipping journal Fairplay, R'a'' ■ I'.':' the allies have seized or : H';rk ' - 'irrnian merchantmen of,; v.'- •> >- cross tons, of which Britain ha- '■-•■/(■•I .'■■'7, 170 tons anil the . < ■•till'' ' I'M tons. The Hermans,' haw- seized : 7:t,!»41 of liritish ton- | ri.igr, ami 0L ,,; 1 of Russian tonnage. ! Frame has seized 17,010 of Austrian!, t<'!iu;ii;p British toiuiase sunk, in- j c! obiig the Oceanic ami many trawler amounts to 105,521 tons. THK AIR FLEETS. AIRSHIPS AND AEROPLANES. I I I Tin; TEST OF WAR. j T.ST lONS TO be settled. \■' ?:■"'•! crh a few exploits •went to the ■ -"i; ' of aeroplanes during the wars in Tnp"li and in the Balkans, not much e::P'ri'ii' •> ".13 earned to indicate the true Till r-f the aeroplane in a military sense. Ihp theoretical value of flying has been ' "rv thoroughly disrus.-ed. and in the . p'vrl «.ir, for the lir.-t time in his- 1 '■ rv ■■ o;j are fighting in the air. Her- ; mar v and Fran' are the leading flying t: i*.' ► r -i :n the military w-nff ; and Russia i his <i mi" tar mnro in this direction than [ i.i e rally sur>]>osed. (ire,it Britain has i made a marked recovery from the apathy j •which or!v a year or two ago raised lip • a b'>'t of in-eased critics who foresaw the islands smothered by a fluttering army. Briti-h experts believe that they have t.ow as th« result of quiet and patient j experiment, developed the best military aeroplane in the world. In »hi« department, as in others of military affairs, one cannot quote figures with confidence. At the end of 1913 the r. inibcr of aurraft possessed by tho Powers in tlx- Trip!© Fntente were : — Great. Britain —130 aeroplanes and 5 airships. France—7so aeroplanes and 21 airships. Russia—3Bo aeroplanes an/I 8 airships. In the Dual Alliance the tigures were : — Germany--350 aeroplanes and 21 airships. Anuria—loO aeroplanes and 6 airships. lli.t while it. is comparatively easy to I'vn ,m eve on the construction of such and impressive objects as airships, no ore k:iowf, how many aeroplanes each i iti'>ri mav have provided secretly. and ii any .aw th" machines are so inexP''i.*i\e and 'an be so quickly made that a r.a'n'.n 's equipment can lie doubled ill a very '*h"rt time. Probably the rest i!-thl-- (••.V.emi'llt of th« British position wad pun in M.iv. .Mr. Harold Baker, I - in.in-Mi Sec P't-aiy to the War ' ifti-». elated in the I|..ii,j> of Commons trial tlie War i Mice had 176 aemyilanes, of "he r I ill th.it tunc 70 wet" under repair. 'He r.iim'."- of British m ule machines was IV. Wla'evr lia> nominal numerical ''.renz'h c.) the fixing arms of any nation in war-time it, may be greatlv increased ■almost fo rmany, France, and l.iic'and fsj».. i;,llr ahound with flying fccil'V'l ■ ; and ih-'f" ."re | ,'■ .1 pS .vimo thoti-«-ji«la i,< i rivi-.h '.v. r.< • I aeroplanes more <r '•■s.i .•!}]< :.Tit 'I lie i. h'-ols have Ijeexi t jimij .-111. . i-iiifi-.it'-l pilots, many of l' !f in ....' -ii r1; - 1 i.-.J tii< r-, at such a rat-o ■h-I I. t 1 •• i,. .i |. r•/f •- -1 ■■ r i is already over- » i d'd l|cr. . 111 •'I.. > ~n ideal souT'-o nipple i. ah .if nil*i. and <•? implements. T.- " \"wz pi!' t", all of whom have a da-!, . •' n- ■■ i •... -j ~rera-je d.irn.2 and it-'-i.i.' .i i". ti.; ii iit!111»r for di-tim ion, r < '<■ ii. "i ii,.- v.armtii of patriotic en- '■ • • t- i '.ii their i' tro'. ii. i ■! I i.. I The Types of Aeroplanes. I'" •" . ;• r* of flv : n.' )n« given birth | * / ' -i '' •., i--it..rv, ar.d It is obvious to * •• | in ii. hibj"ct that the P' • t, ■ ••:* li.o j.nlili. do not yet j f " ' • ••• i • j of many of the vital I t'frr !••».' rt i' if is weil to under- j Ca-. i ■ • , < •••plane h not an airship. I ' •''• *. >••... .rid i- sustained by ! '' ' • ' ■ ■ |. - ,i. eionga'ed balloon | [" • i • • ~ rid floats w ):• ! her it ■ ' : ■ ':!,!>• •la aeroplane must d" ■ . • ■. i • ••• i' " .i•■! ■i- 11. .11 between ' • ■■■' I•1 . -■ i pi'ine. There ! ' ; i int of view, very ' " ' • 1 • Ji'itb .lie a^rof.Lanes, '• •' •• . I 1..! » .. an aqii.ai bird It '• 'T ii • 1 - ,'h fl r* • li.i* it ,-an rise '"'■'n '• ■ •.•.iter ( onvers<dy 'ai • : i .. •be ■'i The nvre coin- ' • v '••• ■" d . • iopi ino is be i oniing r " ' 1 •' • ■!'•.'!•, :i i ; ... 11la' in 'ie w Inch has ' '"•••••- ' " hl.n'ii'-; ii - in and landing on -i • • i I' is a- beiplen.s on the water "• K ' '• b'l.ilo oloioiislv the wheeled k '"';■■■!'• it"- annv iiiai liine, and the f ' si I- •" P ' iii' ,■ I-, that of the navy. I" " a iii.w hide, may l>e either ' "''-'i.e. • ,■ m..iir.p!aiies, though for sea w ''ik tie 1,ip1.it,,• n-ms to be used almost exclusively. In both cases, too, very ninilar requirements exist iii the flying fjuaiiuea 0 { tho nmchiaea.

It is interesting to note the directions in which the military point of view has affected aeroplane design. The sporting flier can fly when and to a great extent where he chooses. The military or naval aviator must fly when and where ha must; and he cannot always land upon a lawn. Ho has certain duties to perform, and certain risks to run. One of the most important outcomes of the t.ying conditions of Service requirements is that machines are now being made which will fly at various speeds, the slowest being sometimes little more than half the fastest. That enables an aviator to cover distances at a high speed, and vet make a fairly comfortable landing, which is not easy at very high speeds except in favourable circumstances and on good ground. There are roughly two types ~f military aeroplane. One is a weight, carrier, which may carry a gun. and there are several makes now in existence. They are large and not extremely fast. As "a rule the, "Nacelle" or cockpit is set far forward and the passenger occupies the front seat, where ho has a clear view all round. If the plane is armed, it is with a light machine gun capable of being turned in any direction and set just in front of the passenger. The pilot has nothing to do but. drive and control the aeroplane.; which is quite enough. These machines I are all biplanes. j The Fast Scout. ' The second broad division is the! scouting type. They may be either hi ! plane* or monoplanes, but. they are all comparatively small, and very fast, I Their engine power is high so that they! climb fast ; and herein lies their means of safety, for they are unarmed. If they are attacked either from the ground or by an armed aeroplane, they need ' ■tot stop to argue, but can tako refuge, in a direct flight, from the spot, or in a steep climb which the heavier-armed i machine has no hope, of emulating, 'lite | 'scout type now includes some aeroplanes! of highly interesting design, for the mak- I ers, faced with special renditions, have: iin some cases broken well away from j j earlier practice. This is particularly I : noticeable, for instance, in the methods' of bracing the wings. In some of the 1 new bines the numerous wire-stays' and wooden struts have been very much; ; reduced in number, so as to avoid the considerable resistance they offer to swift j flight. Scouts carry either the pilot I alone, or a pilot and an observer. Subject to the drawback that two men are i heavier than one, the latter is much the better arrangement, because observation I for military purposes is no trifling task, and only by the greatest care and at ten- ; tion can an observer collect data, for a ; report without being misled by peculiar j natural appearances or by the ruses of an enemy. Airships. As for airships, they have for years : been the peculiar love, of the German I I nation. Most unhappy, too, 'has been | the history of their use, for disaster after | disaster has befallen the Zeppelins which ! have flown with such .success as has only I made tho disasters all the worse. Since the war commenced two of these ships are reported to have been destroyed. The Zeppelin type is a greatly elongated j body of which the outer envelope sur- | rounds a rigid framework of aluminium I girders. Within are a number of I sprerical balloons, filled with hydrogen. ; The Zeppelins are of huge length and ' carry a car near each end. The ; Zeppelin has a big carrying capacity and * can be imagined as loading up with as ' much a-s a ton of explosives. Other j airships are of the semi rigid and non- j i rigid type. The former is provided ! with a metal keel to which the passen- | ger ear and engines are fixed, whilo in , the non-rigid machine the car and pro- ! pelling machinery are suspended from the long balloon by a system of ropes. I I In these types the inflation of the balloon i is the most important factor in keeping lit in shape. Germany, with many Zeppelins, and a fleet of 21 dirigibles altogether, and France, with as many airships, none of them of the rigid type, are ! far the strongest Powers in respect to these arms ; and it is quite likely that there will be some remarkable happenings with ; these strange and untried monsters. lingland has . never troubled much with dirigibles, and has only five small ones. Fighting from the Air, How much fighting can be done from aeroplanes? Here is a problem which, without experience, cannot be solved, even by flying men. It is at present rather hopeless to expect much in the way of gunnery. Only a light machine-gun can be carried, and it is intended for use against other flying machines rather than against forces on the ground. The more j likely source of damage to an enemy lies in the bombs which an aviator cap carrv, and which, as experience has proved, can be dropped with reasonably good aim at a target of fair size—a ship, or a body of troops close together, or a big building. The aeroplane is not, as far as present theory goes, a true fighting machine except in a sort of guerilla warfare; it is i primarily a s'-out. The case of the air-! ship is different. A big dirigible can carry a -ore of men and a big load of explo- , sives; if it i* not frightened by the defensive measures of the land forces, it can do one thing which the aeroplane cannot —it can keep still; and it can rain down a shower of bombs with almost unerring aim. Naturally, it is at a disadvantage because it is huge and attractive target, and because any aeroplane can overtake it, and wreck it in half-a-dozen ways; but ticie is no doubt that a dirigible- equipped for war .« a nasty eiu-my. WELLINGTON UNEMPLOYED. | POSITION NOT SKIUOI'S. ; [BT TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION'.] ' Wellington, Friday. The Mayor presided at a meeting of j '.ho Mayor's Distress Fund Committee this | afternoon. The treasurer reported that I up to date a total of £1904 19s 6d had | been contributed to the fund, and so far , no disbursements had been made. ! Tim Mayor suggested that a sub-com-I :n:ltee bo set up, to meet even- day if utM'essary, to deal w.th cases that might arise, to inquire into applications and pay out money ae required. Up to the present everything had been absolutely normal, but now there was a little evidence of the need of assistance, and any distress that might Occur would be made apparent in a week or two. Ho thought the matter cf finding employment for men out of work would, to a large extent, relieve the committee. The Labour Department was meeting the conditions arising from tin- ■ employment .if-* far as. lay in its power. A subcommittee a* suggested was set ' up The Mayor i-tatcd that the council had : authorised a number of works, such as goise grubbing, etc., which would absorb , a huge proportion of the unemployed. The rates would he coming in fairly freely ' now and the money would be spent as ' far as possible to provide an outlet for ' unskilled labour- In two or three weeks . wool would be coming in and mora work would be provided on the wharf.