EMPIRE STUDENTS' GIFT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 572, 31 May 1913, Page 2

EMPIRE STUDENTS' GIFT.

AEROPLANE FOR NATION. An interesting function took place at the War Office, when Colonel Seely, Secretary of State for War, accepted, on behalf of the Army Council, the gift of a Bleriot aeroplane subscribed for by students of the International Correspondence Schools in all parts of the British Empire. South African Dutch, Straits Chinamen, natives of India, and, in fact, representatives of all the British Dominions beyond the Seas (including Australia and New Zealand), figured in the subscription list.

The aeroplane is the one with which Mr Robert Slack, an International Correspondence Schools' atudent, made his aerial tour of Great Britain in June of last year, when he flew 1700 miles without a mishap. Lord Desborough, in introducing the deputation, explained how the idea of making the presentation came about. He said that a great many of the Internatioinal Correspondence Schools students were interested in engineering and aviation (a course of instruction on this sub ject having been prepared by the 1.C.5.), and it was thought it would be a good thing to arrange for a flight round the principal towns of England, for the purpose of giving an actual demonstration of flying to the students of the schools scattered about the country. He might say that there were as many as 90,000 I.C.S. students in the United Kingdom, whilst, taking the British Empire as a whole, they reached the handsome total of 235,000. The tour was made by Mr Robert Slack, who was received with the greatest enthusiasm in the different towns which he visited. Some 1700 miles were covered. After the flight it occurred to those interested in the schools that it would be a very gracious act on the part of the War Office if they would accept from the students this asroplane, which had done so much. It waa decided that contribu fcions should* be from a penny to a maximum of onr shilling. There was an enormous and ready response, the greatest enthusiasm being aroused. It was hoped that this might mark- the beginning of a movement similar to chat which had met with such success on the Continent, where thousands of pounds ha 3 been taiaad by voluntary contributioins i'or tha purchase of aeroplanes for the use of the State. (Cheers). Sir JoseDh Ward, President of the Wellington CS. Students' . Association in New Zealand, congratulated Colonel Seely upon being the firßt War Minister to accept as a gift from pri vata enterprise an aeroplane. He expressed the hops that that gift would be the precursor - ? many similar gift from people in other walks of life. Colone Seely, in accepting the aeroplane or. behalf of the Government, said the gift was a valuable one. for a machine which could be flown 1700 miles without a mishap of any kind was well worth having ; but what he felt to be.still more satisfactory was the splendid spirit which had prompted the gift. It was clear to him that the students of the International Schools were alive, alert, wide-awake, and patriotic, and had shown their patriotism in a very practical way.— (Hear, hear.) He had received many deputations in that room but the deputation before him was absolutely unique. All other deputations had asked him to give ihem something; that deputation came to give him something.—(Laughter.) They gave him something which would be veay useful to the War Office in the study of invitation, and he extended his grateful thanks and the thanks of his colleagues in the Government to all those gentlemen whom he had the plea sure of seeing before him, and to those students scattered throughout the Empire who, in uplifting themselves, had at the same time shown such a splendid patriotic spirit. (Cheers.) Subsequently luncheon was served at the Westminster Palace Hotel, Mr E. ; A. Seitz, managing director of the International Correspondence Schools, presiding. Responding to the toast of his health, proposed by the chairman, Colonel Seely said he could assure the company that the War Office were not losing sight of the national importancee of the science of aviation. He was not go ; ing to anticipate the statement he would ha»e to make in Parliament shortly, but he thought he might say that a remarkable advance had been made in this country, not only in the War Office, but outside, in the science of aviation. — (Hear, hear.