NAVY AND AIR.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 1600, 31 May 1924, Page 4

NAVY AND AIR.

CIVIL AVIATION. The Duke of Northumberland' presided: at the annual dinner of the/Institution of Naval Architects at the Goonaue'nt: Rooms, London, recently. ■ Proposing the- toast of "the;Naval and . Air-Forces of the Empire," the chairman said" that the problems or Imperial defence-had never been greater or more-complicated- thanthey were at .the present, day. They realised fully the penlous situation which cx ~ isted-. in many parts oLthe world. The 00-ve-rnment had their best wishes and sympathy in the attempt, to solve those problems. The country was I'oi'l.rnatc in having at this crisis in its affairs Ministers in charge of the Navy and the Air Force who had rendered distinguished services for the Kmpire. . Cord Chelmsford (First Lord, of the Admiralty]., responding, said it was al- , 'most unique in the history of the nation that there should-be an .unoffi- ,• otal body tike the Institution of Naval \rehitocts and an official body like the Board of AdmiraFty working together in such close harmonious relations. . The interchange of that official and , unofficial opinion must be for the good both -of the Navy and of the- great science of ship-building. The Navy .. .-nnd the Air Force had each union to ; brine to the other. The Air Force was able to bring all that great popular enthusiasm which was behind so splendid, and-young a body,, and 'it . could also- bring to the Navy all .the results of that concentrated study of the science: of aviation which the Navy ■could not have had'time seriously to study. On the other hand, the Navy could bring to the. Air Force a long experience "of a body of technical problems which in many respects were going to confront the Air .Force in the near future —:the experience of a body of. technical experts second to none in the world.. (Cheers.). Brigadier-General Lord Thomson (Secretary of State for. Air), said that the Air .Force was the Cinderella of the Services. As to the.relations between the Air Force and the Admiralty, he had always found that they we're entirely sisterly. He had noiiced very little of that jealousy which was asociated with'the elder sistersof Cinderella. (Laughter and cheers), lie asked men of light and leading, men of public spirit, and men - of

science !o do all' they could' in the way of furnishing experience and advice to Ihe young Air Force. Civil aviation was''one of the most baffling problems that presented itself 'to-day. It was a highly speculative industryIt could not be run • without large subsidies from the State. It was an unfortunate position that here in the heart -of a great Empire the-land wasso small that real flight was hardly ouicker, and not so convenient, as railway'travelling. In- the Empire we had vast regions to conquer. Most of the money must come from this. country for subsidising civil aviation, vet it was exceedingly difficult to induce the. civil community to take up. living ' seriously. We must haye a heavier-than-arr service linking up our business men and carrying our. own mails to all parts of Europe; an airship service linking up all parts of.the I Empire and ■ carrying., mails and pasgengers to remote parts of the Empire .which at present were separated by journeys-,occupying many weeks; ana we must encourage individual flying. Wo would never maintain our supremacy as a World Power unless we were iusl as supreme, in a commercial sense, iii the air as we had hitherto been upon the sea. (Cheers).