THE AERIAL ERA.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 July 1909, Page 3

THE AERIAL ERA.

Mr. Asquttl: made an important announcement in Uic House of Commons on sth May to the following effect:— ''The Government is taking steps towards placing its organisation for aerial navi-

gation on a more satisfactory footing. As a result of a report made by the Committee of Imperial Defence, tlrs ' work of devising and constructing dirigible airships and aeroplanes has been apportioned between the Navy and the Army. The Admiralty is building certain dirigibles, while certain others of a different type will be constructed it the War Office balloon factory at Alderohot, which is about to be reorganised for the purpose. The investigation and provision of aeroplanes are also assigned to the War Office. With a view to

securing that the highest scientific talent shall be trough •• to bear on the problems which will li.:. t - to be solved in the course of the work of the two departments, the National Physical Laboratory has been requested to reorganise at its establishment at Teddington a special department for con-

tinuous investigation, experimental and otherwise, of questions which must I from time to time be solved in order to, obtain adequate guidance in construction. For the superintendence of the investigations at the National Physic.il Laboratory and for general advice oh the scientific problems arising in connection with the work of the Admiral"y and War Office in aerial construct!'m j and navigation, I have appointed a special committee."

English newspapers express great satisfaction at this istep. The D.dly Mail says that no foreign Government has so complete a scientific organisation as this will be. In answer to a question Mr. Asquith said "special and adequate" funds would be placed at the disposal of the committee. The Daily Mail says) further in explanation of the Government's decision:—"The use of airships and aeroplanes in war is a matter of extreme importance—and of much uncertainty. All sorts of experiments are being made in different countries, ibut they are of a. somewhat haphazard character. Scientific knowledge is not sufficiently applied to inventive genius. Scraps of science are common knowledge, but it has) hitherto been nobody's business to ascertain by mathematical calculation and scientific experiment the sound basis of natural law o* which an inventor in aeronautics should work. The story is told of a clever inventor who flew tens of thousands of paper aeroplanes to discover the laws' of curvature. It had not occurred to him that they could be worked out exactly by a mathematician. The Defence Committee of the British Government has decided that, if possible, England shall be in the forefront of the world in the matter of scientific experiments concerning aviation."