AVIATION AND THE EMPIRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19529, 11 July 1925, Page 17

AVIATION AND THE EMPIRE.

NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT. VIEWS OP RESPONSIBLE MEN. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 2. The president and council of the British Empire League gave a luncheon to meet Air Vice-marshal Sir W. Sefton Branckec (Director of Civil Aviation, Air Ministry) and Mr Alan Cobham. General Seely, who presided, said that the best way to strengthen the ties of Empire was to speed up the moans of communication. Nowhere was aviation more needed than in the British Empire. Ii was fortunate that flying was easier the nearer they got to the tropics, because so large a part of the Empire came within that area. _ [' Sir Sefton Branckor emphasised the need of greater speed for passengers and mails supplementary to other means of transport. He was a Government servant entitled to 60 days’ leave. A visit to New Zealand and Australia was now out of the question in that short space of time. A journey to India or South Africa meant spending half the time on the sea, and Canada was the only great portion of the Empire that, travelling by sea, he could visit in the allotted time. Our most valued possession to-day was life, and that was measured by time. An airship service averaging 60 miles an hour would bring New Zealand just , cast of Samaliland, Australia, to the south-east of Arabia, India to Egypt, and South Africa to tho present distance of French Morocco. Thus those who loved the Empire and wished to see it would practically be able to live twice as long. Many and constant criticisms were put up in the press against British aviation, but it had to be realised that we in this country were in a very difficult position to start things. Wo should, however, be in a very favourable position when we really got things going. England was a small country, with a vile climate, but with good railways. America • and Germany, with large land areas, were in a better position. There was a great need to educate the public in tho new form of communication. Aviation was a war baby, and started with rather a bad reputation If mercantile flight were properly set going it would create a reserve which might prove of tremendous use in times of natural crisis. Lord Montague of Beaulieu proposed the health of Mr Alan Cobham. who, in response, gave an account of incidents :n tho flight to Rangoon and pointed out that many of tho difficulties that menaced the pioneers of new routes would bo absolutely obliterated once a regular air route was established. As soon as this task was successfully accomplished air services could be run with as much regularity as those on our railways. He was constantly being struck with tho tremendous geographical ignorance of the man in the street not only with regard to the position of places in rho world generally, hut even of localities within tho Empire. Ho felt that effective end icgnlar Mr services would greatly improve matters in this respect. STIMULUS TO EMPIRE TRADE. Sir Samuel Hoaro (Secretary for the Air) spoke at Chelsea on Empire resources, and in tho course of his remarks he dwelt on the need of cheap and quick communication which enters into the cost of almost every commodity. “By scientific methods,” he said, “we can greatly improve tho communication within tho Empire, we shall bo taking a long stop forward in dove .'oping tho Empire’s icsourcos. You may say that communication by air will never make a change os groat or os important as was made by communication by steam. As I do not want to prophesy 1 will only point to tho fact that communication by air is much more fully developed to-day than was con. in lication by steam 100 years ago. If in tbu next 30 years we can nave anything like tho development that took place in tho 30 years after tho first use of steam the air will be tho moans of bringing tho groat distances that now divide tho various parts of tho Empire, and by means of tho ouiokcr communication that it provides will help immeasurably to develop tho almost limitless resources of the whole Empire. . . . . I do not believe that it is possible to exaggerate tho value that reduction of time would have for the Empire. Politically, it would make it pfissiblo for us to settle by personal intercourse many of those problems that are almost impossible to settle by telegrams arid despatches. Economically, it would prove a great stimulus to Empire trade, and every improvement. in Empire trade will bo reflected in the better conditions of living and employment in this country. IMPERIAL AEROLANE SERVICES. “I regard tho duty of improving Empire communications by air as second only in importance to the duty of defending London and tho Mother Country from any possible air attack. My recent journey to the Middle East, has confirmed mo in the view that air communications can ho made of tho greatest value to this country and tho whole Empire. Already lam engaged upon tho first stages of a programme for starting Empire linos of communication by airship. lam also engaged upon building up aeroplane services within the Empire. One of the reasons of my journey to Irak was to study, on tho spot the possibility of an aeroplane route to India by which many days could bo saved in tho carriage of mails and passengers between London and Bombay. I hope that in tho course of the next few months wo shall have laid the foundations for it, and that, oven if we have to advance step by step, the first step will make a considerable improvement in the communication between England and India.”