The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waiksto Argus. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1920. FUTURE OF AVIATION

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14537, 8 December 1920, Page 4

The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waiksto Argus. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1920. FUTURE OF AVIATION

The Communication from the International Red Cross to the Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva respecting aerial warfare urges the League to do no more than assuredly it (designs to do provided it has the power. Prior to the great war something in the nature of an international code of rules relating to the conduct of warfare existed, but its value as a binding force was revealed when Germany disregarded all its obligations and put her policy of "ruthlessness" into practice. The League is now asked to secure, the interdiction of precisely the methods which Germany introduced, especially in relation to aerial fighting, and to which the Allies were obliged to a limited extent to make reply in kind. The League of Nations has for the prime purpose of its existence the prevention of war, and one of its subsidiary, if not unimportant objectives, is necessarily the suppression as far as possible of the horror of war. But war itself cannot be anything else than a ghastly business, and the mind shudders at the thought of the form which the next war, if it is to come, may assume after an interval allowing for further remarkable developments towards the perfection of the machinery of destruction. Reflection upon such 11 subject only brings out the more clearly the vast importance really attaching to the success of an international organisation capable of greatly reducing, if not of eliminating, the danger of the recurrence of war. There emerges the question whether, supposing the League should be able to circumscribe and render difficult, though not absolutely to ■prevent, resort to arms on the part of two or more nations, would it have the power to impose or secure the observance of restrictions upon their manner of conducting hostilities? What is to prevent some Power arising like Germany did, and taking the law into its own hands and trampling all regard for humanity under foot? What is to prevent rebellion within the League itself of a combination of Powers perhaps strong enough to be an appalling menace to the world of civilisation? There. can be no precise answer to such ques-. lions. Their emergence only emphasises the difficulty of the problems confronting the League. Success of the proposals regarding the limitation of armaments might aid materially in advancing the successful application of rules of warfare calculated to rule out horrors like the bombing of undefended towns, the use of poison gas, and so forth. But in the last resort much must depend upon the good faith of the nations and the strength of the bond of self-interest combining them as champions of the laws of .humanity. The possibilities attending the de'velop-

ment of aviation both as a civil and ai a military factor seem to be almost unlimited. A conference, the first of its kind, called by the Air Ministry to consider the problems of British flying tools ! place a few weeks ago at the Guildhall, London, the object being to shape "a flying policy." The development of civilian flying was the "Outstanding theme of discussion. Regarding the military aspect, Mr Churchill, Secretary of State for War, had this to say: "If you will take Into consideration the possibilities of any unpleasantness ever occurring in the world again, however remote, which takes the form of any overt action on one side or another—if we ever do that which we all pray may be averted by wise statesmanship —then military aviation is a vital element in the defensive organisation of this island. We cease to enjoy the security—a unique one—which our in- ' sular position has given us through' these centuries if we loee control of the arts which lead to our superiority." The Minister added that military development would be dependent on the widespread development of civil aviation, and declared the intention of the Government of helping the latter by every means in its power. In the instructive paper delivered by him at the conference Major-General Sir *B. H. Sykes, Controller-General of Civil Avia- - tion, gave a hopeful survey of the >•' prospects for the future. . "Our watchword," he said, "must be safety and reliability: speed can be improved when these have been attained. Without safety and reliability neither can the public be expected to utilise air transport, nor Is there any Inducement to '- surrender mails and other freight for carriage by aeroplane." Speaking of future developments and of the. Imperial air routes the Minister observed: "The onus of linking* up the Empire by air must not rest on Great Britain alone: each dominion and colony must form its own nucleus of air development and thus .help gradually to build up the complete system." Major-General Sir Henry Sykes also expressed tho hope that the day was not far distant which would see a heavier-than-air , craft oapable of carrying economically fifty to a hundred passengers, and undertaking the trans-Mediterranean journey, with Malta aa a stoppingplace. But the speeohes at the Guildhall conference all went to show how much the imagination which has been . so freely exercised in respect to the future of aviation has become tempered, among experts at least, to discussions of an intensely practical natura. Of course, as Mr Churchill observed, to' suppose that the world, having got into the air, is ever going t 6 get out of the air, is as absurd as to suppose that the world, having taken to steamships, is going back to schooners and sailing craft.