EYES OF THE FLEET.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12790, 15 June 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

EYES OF THE FLEET.

ROYAL FLYING CORPS. LONDON, May 3. Colonel Seely, Under-Secretary for War, explained to a conference of aviators at the House of Commons how the Royal Flying Corps would act as the eyes of the Fleet. . ' / "Some have thought," he said, "that the service of members should be restricted to Great Britain, but I have all along been strongly of the opinion that it would be better that the Royal FJying Corps should be one ready m the hour of national emergency to serve anywhere. While the British Army has been at war nearly all the time during the last five or six hundred years, it has never had to do any serious fighting within these islands. "Any one can see how valuable aviators will be for the purposes of reconnaissances over tvie sea. At quite on ordinary altitude of 2000 feet an aviator can survey 10,000 square miles of sea, and the value of that to us as a sea Power is incalculable. "An enemy would not, of ' course, send us a wireless message to state his position, and the new service comes to fill the gap caused by swifter ships. "No doubt many mistakes haye been made," he added, "and will be made, but good sound , lines have been laid down for an organisation suitable to "r ur island Power, and when all has been done we shall have a far greater pi'o portion of air-craft than any other nation," Some of his replies to questions put to him were not so optimistic. Il.e said he could not undertake to find state employment for an officer m the Royal Flying Corps after he had finished lis time, although subsidiary services m'ght afford employment for such officers. "Frankly," he ■ declared, "I do rot think the new service can be regarded as a life cjireer into which you could put your- sons/ "Then," said >* member pf \he ppplerenco "you arp restricting it tp tho?c who have some other- depup tti«.n on which they can fall back." / When pensions were mentioned, Col. Seely remarked that he had already got into' hot water with the Treasury. IJc promised Mr Cody, however, that the Government would repair an aviator's own inaciijiie if i v t was damaged under reasonable pirepmstances aj; the Central Flying School. "Every one whp. lipids -a rank ip. (.his corps," he added, - f wj|) be a pi sou holding a practical certificate, aifd> T hope, "with very special knowledge on the whole subject, both at home and abroad,''