TRADE AND DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22260, 7 November 1935, Page 10

TRADE AND DEFENCE

IMPORTANCE OF ATUTIOK BABIS OF FUTURE SECURITY * • ' SPEEDING UP COMMUNICATIONS [fhom OURJJWN CORRESPONDENT ■' "if By Air Mail ' LONDON. Oct. u t I At a luncheon of the Royal Empir. Society, over which General Sir under Godley, deputy-chairman of thincouncil of the society, presided, Can. ? tain Norman Macmiilnn, president of the National League of Airmen, it»W on Aviation and the Empire. showed how all the empires of thjN® past had been built up on coinniunica. $■ tions, the Roman Empire on Tartar on the speed of the horse.' and : l the Spanish on sailing ships. Under the political clouds which had gathered so swiftly in the last f ew months there was greater need than ever, he continued, for cohesion bellil tween the component parts of the \ British Empire. A new pathline was 4 needed which would ensure closer union for the purposes of trade and self, defence. The one thing which stood out was the girdle which aviation ft afforded. By that means Empire unit* could be drawn together : their inter. unit trade could be facilitated; their '$ personal inter-communication between individuals could be speeded up; and 3§ if Empire aviation was developed toward that end it would enable the Mother Country to laTffich help swiftly to the succour of any of her children- # countries. These were ends for ghfcfa "i i they must be prepared to pay. Empire commercial aviation should ' be a. spearhead of communications. To achieve this object it should be faster than at present and able to fly by day and night in all weathers. If aggrej. sion came upon any British Empire territory there could be no excuse for Britain to say that she could not get help there in the shortest possible time. Thus the speed of Empire air lines, and their ability to fly in all weathers, was of paramount importance for inter-Empire defence. As one empire had gone down another one had arisen 111 its place. Whatever the idealists of this world might think the fact was not less certain in the future M that, if for any reason the British Empire went down, another empire would arise. Lack of the means of fast com-< munication caused the collapse of the ' empires that were great in bygone centuries " Let us seize aviation as a real connecting link," said Captain Macmillan. " Why should there not be C an Empire Parliament in London when V it becomes possible for members to reach their constituencies in Canada in 24 hours, in India in two days, inft Africa in three days, in Australia in four days, in New Zealand in fire? Is there a reason why a Parliament of Empire should not assemble in the capital city of the Empire, which i* London? That is what aviation has to' 1 offer to the British Empire; and if what aviation offers is wisely taken and made use of, it will place within : our hands the, power to maintain the British Empire in a way that has been impossible to any empire in the past. 'Aviation and the Empire' should be our motto for the welfare of the British peoples." " '