indication of the willingness of the Rhodesian community to be taken into the partnership. There has been no advocate of Union who has not declared the will and free consent of Rhodesians to such a step to be essential and has not also claimed for Rhodesia the fullest liberty to make terms for herself. No machinery exists by which the community, apart from the Chartered Company, can enter into negotiations with the Union Government on its own account. But there seems no reason to doubt that, if such machinery existed, terms might be arranged which would be acceptable to a majority of the population. It is conceivable, for example, that on the language question a special set of provisions might be made applicable to Rhodesia; or the matter might be left to the decision of the Rhodesian Provincial Council. In these circumstances it is worth while considering whether there is not a good deal to be said for a suggestion recently made, that the Imperial Government should make use of its prerogative under section 33 of the Charter to terminate the administrative powers of the Company, and in doing so should transfer them to a Provisional Government responsible to the Crown, in which the settlers would be thoroughly represented, such Government being charged with the duty of entering into negotiations with the Union Government for the purpose of ascertaining the most favourable terms on which the inclusion of Rhodesia would be accepted. The terms being ascertained, a proposal for the admission of Rhodesia would be submitted to the people and their wishes ascertained by some means to be provided for in the constitution of the Provisional Government. In the event of its acceptance, Rhodesia would at once take up its place as one of the provinces of the Union. In the contrary event, the Imperial Government would be obliged to prolong the life of the Provisional Government for a term of years and, if necessary, from time to time for further terms of years, until the progress of the country became such as to entitle it to claim the full privileges and responsibilities of self-government or to reconsider its decision to remain out of the Union.

H. T. LONGDEN.

Art. 13.-AIRCRAFT IN WAR.

ALMOST unheeded, a momentous conflict is raging amongst the Powers. The first chapter of another volume of the 'next' war has been started. In the European campaign of to-morrow aerial supremacy will probably prove to be the dominant factor. That supremacy will be gained in peace. Salient and vital in this peace-strategy, this war of preparation,' is the contest for the air. Are we forward in the struggle? Let us consider briefly some of the many factors and components involved in the further development of military aviation.

The term ' aerial supremacy' is not, as is inferred by large sections of the press and by the man in the street, synonymous with numerical superiority in aircraft. The fact that military aviation means a combination of organisation, training, and materiel is often overlooked. To gain the true criterion of aerial strength, equal weight must be given to training of personnel, to ground organisation, and to the supply and maintenance of the best possible materiel. An air service lacking good ground arrangements is more seriously handicapped than is a fleet without bases.

In the air, as on land and at sea, advantage is with numbers; but, as we have recently seen in France, numbers alone do not denote aerial strength. A national subscription of about a quarter of a million was raised in France last year to promote military aviation. To encourage the home industry (and perhaps to gain public favour), part of this sum was spent on the purchase of 170 aeroplanes of various French marks. The Press then proudly declared that so many hundreds of aeroplanes were available for war purposes, and the public was assured of French predominance. When taken into army use, however, many of the machines were found to be out of date. Further, their multiplicity of types, involving a multiplicity of spare parts, rendered efficient ground organisation impossible. It is even doubtful whether many of them will be retained in the French Air Service. The move may have had its political value; the actual gain to the service was comparatively small.

The principle emphasised is that the fewer the types

or designs of aircraft used in a flying corps the better; and standardisation within those designs must be rigidly adhered to. British organisation is based upon this principle. Before proceeding to a detailed examination of its development, it will be useful to glance at the types and characteristics of existing aircraft.

The main classes of aircraft for military purposes are airships, aeroplanes, and kites. The radius of action of the latest airships is approximately 1000 miles, though theoretically their range is greater. Their speed is from 40 to 50 miles an hour in still air, and they have a lifting power of from 20 to 30 tons. This leaves a useful margin for crew and light armament. Airships can hover, and they afford an excellent all-round view. Owing to their ability to remain in the air for many hours, if necessary without the assistance of a motor, they are excellent for night work; and their long-range wireless equipment renders them very valuable for distant reconnaissance. On the other hand, they are vulnerable to fire owing to their size, and they require a well-trained ground personnel for safe landing.

Aeroplanes normally have a tankage capacity of about 200 miles and a speed of from 60 to 90 miles an hour. When in flight their vulnerability to fire is small. The rate of climbing of an average machine is from four to five hundred feet a minute. This is a slower rate than that of the vertical rise of an airship, but aeroplanes can attain to heights quite impossible to airships. Both aeroplanes and airships deteriorate if left in the open, but the former less rapidly than the latter. At present the principal rôle of the aeroplane is reconnaissance by day. The engine is still not sufficiently reliable to permit of practical night work.

Kites are of value for the observation of artillery fire. They support an observer and his carrier at from 1500 to 2000 feet, from which height fire may be directed by means of a telephone. Kites cannot easily be damaged by hostile artillery; but they have the great disadvantage that they can only be used in steady winds ranging from about 20 to 40 miles an hour. Balloons, though not used in war, have considerable value in the preliminary training of pilots and observers in airmanship and map-reading.

In this country, kites, balloons, and small dirigibles were til recently handled on a very limited scale and in a tentative manner by Balloon Companies, and by the late Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. These units were unfortunately much handicapped by lack of public interest and funds; and it was not until early in 1912, when the progress of aviation abroad was brought home to the authorities, that the first serious steps to form a suitable air service were taken. There were at that time very few data upon which to base a detailed organisation; each of the Powers was endeavouring to form an air service, but that of France alone had materialised sufficiently to afford useful help. Since then the French organisation has undergone many changes. A Council has recently been formed to advise the War Ministry on questions of scientific research, industrial enterprise, and military aeronautics.

In principle, the air service of France now consists of three lines-frontier, reserve and training. The further organisation appears to be somewhat indefinite, but it is understood that the formation of two regiments, of three battalions each, is proposed. The 'escadrilles' of these battalions will be distributed among certain specified centres. It is probable that each centre will have ten 'escadrilles' and their reserves. The number of aeroplanes per escadrille' has hitherto been six, with two more in reserve. It is reported that a Government aircraft factory is shortly to be formed. The French airships have until to-day been of the nonrigid and semi-rigid types, but the large rigid is now also being tried. France has at present about eleven useful airships available for war purposes, with suitably equipped bases for their employment.

The German organisation has developed somewhat differently. The Army and Navy services are distinct. The administration of the former is supervised by the Inspector-General of Military Communication Services. Under him is an Inspector with two assistants, the one dealing with heavier-than-air craft and the other with those lighter than air. The former service is organised in five battalions, each normally consisting of three companies, which are, as a rule, stationed at fortresses away from the headquarters of their battalions. In war

a number of flying units are to be formed from battalions. The units will probably each consist of six aeroplanes with their personnel and transport, and it is expected that they will be allotted to Army Corps.

In airships, Germany has a remarkable lead. This service has behind it many years of strenuous endeavour; and, as a result, there is no doubt that the Zeppelins, Schutte-Lanz, Army M type and Parsevals have attained to a high state of efficiency. The airship troops comprise six battalions. Army airship bases are situated at Berlin, Königsberg, Metz, Cologne, Mannheim, Friedrichshafen, Dresden, Düsseldorf and Munich; and many others are now being built. The naval air service is administered by the Admiralty. It has two airships in course of construction, and a number of seaplanes. A naval airship base is situated at Cuxhaven and another is, it is reported, projected on the Island of Heligoland. Seaplane stations are being established on the North Sea and Baltic.

Now to turn to the British organisation. The general outlines of that organisation are as follows: There is to be one air service consisting of a Military Wing and a Naval Wing, the idea being that either Wing shall be available to assist the other as occasion may require. There is no chief of the Air Service and its branches. The Director of the Air Department at the Admiralty administers the Naval Wing. The Director-General of Military Aeronautics at the War Office is responsible for the Military Wing, the Central Flying School, the Royal Aircraft Factory, and the Aeronautical Inspection Department. The Military Wing is to undertake all work with heavier-than-air craft, with the exception of the seaplane service mentioned below. The Naval Wing is now to be responsible for the provision of the lighter-than-air type, and for seaplanes operating directly from the fleet. The Central Flying School, paid for as to two-thirds by the War Office and as to one-third by the Admiralty, carries out the initial training of Army and Navy pilots. It is administered by the War Office and is staffed by both services. The Royal Aircraft Factory carries out experimental work. It also effects heavy repairs which are beyond the scope of the squadron workshops, or in cases where time does not permit of their being done by the