ANTI-AIR RAID MEASURES.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1916, Page 4

ANTI-AIR RAID MEASURES.

It is not surprising to find that there ia a growing demand in England for measures that will ~■'ensure .protection against air raids. Itbw the Kaiser views these diabolical.attacks on women and children is evidotrt from the fact that lie lias decorated the perpetrators of the recent outrages in the Midlands, Naturally the people of that thicklypopulated area are desirous of receiving edequata protection, and the meetings of protest held there should certainly arouse the authorities to prompt and effective action. It was stated that an important conference has been held at the Admiralty on the subject, and that it is believed tiicr-Governmcnt is considering the desirability of appointing an Air 'Minister, while it is also suggested that there should: be a director in charge of aerial craft. The mere appointment of officials will in itself be insufficient to provide a remedy, nor are tiie names suggested for the position of Air Minister sufficiently appropriate to engender confidence in the control of such an important and expert branch of the war service. The problem is not : an easy one to solve, awl oven the ex-' perts who have contributed articles to' the Daily Mail on the question are not agreed, some suggesting ffiat construction of a large fleet, while others recommend the building of Zeppelins. That some satisfactory scheme of overcoming these German air raids must be evolved, and speedily, is emphasised by the threat contained in a Munich paper, that this year's Zeppelin fighting will he directed, above all, against the British marine, the principal feature or which is to be the combined playing of the Zeppelin and submarine trump cards against the. most important barrier points around England. The tightening of the blockade against Germany is producing a dementia of recklessness in the destruction of life and property of noncombatants,, aud there is every likelihood of further and more extensive raids being attempted, stimulated by the Kaiser's action referred, to above. The editor of The Aeroplane (Mr. Grey) urges retaliatory raids being carried out, even as far as.Berlin. There are, as we have previously stated, grave objections to adopting a course which would bring Britain to a level -with the barbaric tactics'of the rluns, but there is plenty of scope for reprisals at Kiel and other places which can be reached from the sea and offer fair marks for bombs. Mr. Grey considers that the latest British models-'can reach theas places provided the 'raids are properly organised and carried out by speciallydesigned aeroplane. Then, why delay? h is purely a question of organisation, and adapting the aeroplanes to the purpose. In all probability there are plenty of suitable, machines available, and it may be that the weak point is the lack of an organiser clothed with power to do what is necessary, and not tied down hy red tape. Aeroplanes are also urgently needed at Salonika to frustrate German raids there. It is high time that the utility of this branch of the service was placed on the same high plane as that of the Navy. If tlie/iresent agitation succeeds..in its object! the recent raid on the 'Midlands willfliavc its counter-advantages. '