CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 4, 30 September 1907, Page 5

CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

:—$-■ ZEPPELIN'S CRAFT. Berne, September 27. Tho Zeppelin- airship circled around Lake Constance, German Switzerland. i"K'-' ;: 'ra<mo3uvTea perfectly against the wind. QUESTION OF BOUNDARIES. .COMPLICATIONS 'AIIEAD. With the now aerial'; warships of Franco and Germany making successtul. demonstrations, even those sceptics who refused to take aerial navigation seriously have (says the "Express )'become convfneed that the war of the future will be fought in the air. Although we arc only on. the threshold of tlio new era in warfare, the most perplexing and complicating problems are already-harassing the great military, minds of aIL countries. the expert •on aerial navigation, and author of worus on military tactics, considers that the question or air-warships is a grave and important one. .. It is" a 'question so great, no said, "that thp, further you go into it the more complicated it seems to he. I believe there .will he a time —not von far off, dltt'cr;'- let us say ten years hone. —when we shall have an aerial navy.. " Wo' Might' to have an air-warship equal to the ' Patrie,' and the new German au'ship as'it is,'and should wai break out to-morrow I am.afraid those countries possessing ■ practical air-whr-' ships would have the advantage. "What we want is an English ; -J>'•■amly—a . patriotic Englishman' vflio will"put down a few thousands. Then we should, I am sure, be. able 't'o-i'Efet.something:'.". V.' ' ; " I know one nflin, an engineer of high, startding, 'Who has-plans 'for- e. practical airship, but who, from lack of ,'noaey, cannot.carry then out.. If the strength of a "-li'atiSti's -pj.vM ,is- : to.;be' in the air, then inventors should lit ■;iven evcry-opportunity." ■■ i : 1 Aerial Spies., _ On the question of aerial frontiers'. Major Gaden-Powell said: "Supposing :hat all nations have airships. Are they to be allowed to go over one another'? strategical,po, iitions in times of peace? If you- say ' No,' I;don!t sc.e 1i.0.w ypu can prcyoiu them. " ' "*

"it is impossible tqifice at them, for is field-guns' are' mado at .present they have not pot tho .olevation. You may say that'iiew' guns ivill bo invented for Sring upwards, and I daresay tliey will hi. But then, if a vessel in tho Sir of wother country is fired on, what of the (irsliip that-Jiiw-.dfifted; there by aceilont, or wMt <Jf,t].ieiprivat4'.nmchinesF "You see' "the discussionleads or.r ! nto all sorts of' complications. Tlx vhole thins is so dream-like, and yet >ue day the dream will be realised. 1 -hint, probably,"it will be an 'unwritten'' '•uv' tbftt no air-warshp wll be allowed in ' territorial air.'

"Another possibility is, that if airhips became. common, Wars Would be'o armies would/be useless, for'"what would be ' the good of •nen marching over tkei country, with vhe enemy's airships hovering over ttiem, seeing .every move oii the part of 'lie other.-side?; And supposing,' 'for; irsjument's sake, Germany.sent.a fleet if air-warships over here; '!W _ could' amply retaliate by "sending our air fleet o Germany. Tho whole principles ol'

varfare would have to be revised. "It .is -a great. question," ;;ho con.'lurled—''l' one j which •France - has fully valised; and Germany is realising. 1 looking to".the time- when the ifii-st ;hip of the English air fleet sails over :he land. _Wc must rule the atmoiohcric wave* sas much as the waves of ■*io . v- ■ "" Owners of the Air. The problem ,of. .aerial, frontiers lias '•Mil under the consideration of Sir L'homas ' Barclay, oiie of the world's greatest'' authorities M 6ri internatibnal law. "You- can --assume at once,", he ■(.lid, "that,,the atmosphere belongs to the country just as the-rivers and its likes 'do. And if Germany forbade I'rsn'ch air vessels to cross her territory she is quite entitled to do so. "There might be a question of proi-. imity of territory. Suppose an airship' is hovering about the German frontier,, hut not in- what- might bo called Herman territory, >,it. woul-.docrtainly bo able, .to' ; photograph; positions .and ■ terman fortifications, which might lead to a German protest. Tho probable result would bo that the nations would conclude an agreement whereby mili'nr.v airships .should '!not, bo allowed ■vithin so manymiles of the air frontier. "And yet I don't see very well how h could be prevented, and I suspect hat when diplomats sit down to settle ! io question, the difficulties,, will bo 'ound to be insurmountable. "Since 1900 the Institute of Interna-'-ional Lawj. has'been> considering the iiiestion very seriously, but it has not ft foundl'rt'go'od basis-in dealing with he question. • "Of course,"said Sir Thomas Barlay, "when the cir-warsh'ip is common we shall probably have air-wnr--ship destroyers, and some inventor will riroduco a gun that will fire a bullet payable, oCporforating-the vessel. We •night even have artificial clouds by ••ending up smoke, perhaps, and thus woil the game of an enemy spying out tho land." ■