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POSTWAR RECONSTRUCTION

POSTWAR RECONSTRUCTION May, 1943 AIRCRAFT ENGINEERIN G 125 almost unbelievable superiority of the present-day debates in th e House of Lords as compared with the jejune deliberations of th e Aircraft Engineering House of Commons are further evidence that the careerist is not necessarily the most intelligent or desirable controller of affairs Devote d to th e Scienc e an d Practice of Aero ­ In the pages of LORD LONDONDERRY'S book, and the other authori­ nautic s and t o Allied and Subsidiary ties we have indicated, are to be found all the answers to those Branche s of th e Engineerin g Industry facile optimists who are again bringing forward such hoary panaceas Editor:Lieut.-Col. W.LockwoodMarsh, O.B.E.,F.R.Ae.S.,M.S.A.E.,F.I.Ae.S. as the prohibition of bombing and the establishment of an inter­ national aerial police force. Vol. XV, No . 171 May 1943 We are sorry to follow such a pessimistic line of thought, which may be too realistic for some of our readers. The trut h is, however, as history shows only too clearly, that the unity of purpose which is so heartening a manifestation in war is by no means so easy to obtain HER E are those who argue that all efforts should, for th e in peace—and this, unfortunately, applies as strongly to nations as present, be exclusively devoted to th e prosecution of the war, it.does to individuals. It'is for this reason that a month or two ago and that no one has a right in these days to be looking into we took leave to doubt whether it were wise to place complete the future. It is, admittedly, difficult to draw the line, but we donot reliance on present American intentions to hand over- to Britain by any means fully endorse this view. After all, the war is being those routes developed during the war which came within her pre-war fought to put an end to certain distasteful activities and it is surely spheres of influence. Various utterances made by prominent -wise, within limits, to be considering what is going to be put in their personalities in the United States since then have only served to place when this tyranny is overpast. We have excellent authority confirm this cautionary attitude. for taking this view. British Commercial Organization Authoritative Precedents In regard to the future of commercial aviation there is a con­ There is, for instance, on the highest plane, the example of th e troversy raging as to the relative merits of private enterprise and Atlantic Charter, apart from other less august manifestations of the public service, with a subsidiary argument as to the desirability of spirit of foresight. There has in England lately been appointed a inserting all our eggs in one basket in one transport entity, or en­ MINISTER OF POST-WAR PLANNING AND RECONSTRUCTION whose couraging initiative by maintaining a spirit of rivalry between duty it is to look ahead and make what preparations are possible several companies. Our own view, which we have come to with for the changeover from war to peace conditions. Not all tha t is being some reluctance, is tha t international competition is likely t o be so -written and said, indeed, is actuated purely by tha t spirit'of altru­ keen that Great Britain will not be able to afford to dissipate her ism and absence of self-interest which many hope will inspire all energies between two corporations and that , to ensure survival, it hearts after the war is over. Even so high a personage as MR. will be necessary to place the organization of at any rate overseas BEVIN , the MINISTER OF LABOUR, recently warned the Trade air lines in the hands of one strong Public Utility enterprise formed Unions to consider carefully before they pressed for a return of all on some such lines as the LONDON PASSENGER TRANSPORT BOARD the post-war rights and privileges surrendered for the common­ or the BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION. weal during the present emergency, as it might be tha t some of them were in fact beneficial rather than otherwise and therefore deserving A New Home of permanent retention. While admitting that this somewhat casuis­ For a similar reason—to ensure maximum effort and strength of tical essay in reconstruction has no doubt its lesson for all, we do purpose—we have slowly been forced to the conclusion that " Civil not quote it for.the purpose of endorsement so much as to show that Aviation "■should be removed from the subservience of existence in there is authority to justify us in devoting a par t of our attention to a Service Department and should therefore be divorced from the planning beforehand what we arc going to do with the world, or Air Ministry. The appropriate place for it, then, seems unques­ our own particular portion of it , in the normal times after the war tionably to be the Ministry of Transport ; where it should have it s is won. own Under Secretary of State, or his equivalent, on the Board. The outstanding problem arising out of such a rearrangement A Word of Warning would be Research and Development. We suggest that the We, of course, arc not here concerned with ideologies, but purely continuance of adequate provision for these two related activities could be ensured by th e setting up of an inter-departmental com­ with the post-war future of aviation. There is, we feel, need to mittee with the chairman holding a senior position in botli Depart­ sound a note of caution against the danger of ignoring the past. ments—as is the arrangement at present with the AI R MINISTRY It is a common belief nowadays that all the troubles that have and MINISTRY OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION—the M.P.A. we do not befallen us are due to a complete lack of any attemp t by those in charge at the end of the last war to guide events or look ahead. imagine will survive in the post-war Government. This is, as those who lived as adults through those days are well If something on these lines is to be set up after the war is over, aware, a complete fallacy. Failure was not due to this cause— the sooner plans are made, and possibly a skeleton nucleus organiza­ Heaven knows those at the helm tried hard enough, and there was tion started, the better . We understand that those in responsible as much idealistic talk then as now—but rather to the irresistible positions in all Government Departments have been instructed force of hard facts and circumstance ; many of which will rear up to devote some portion of their time to plans for post-war recon­ as equal stumbling blocks alter this war. struction and rehabilitation, so there is every excuse for making a start on civil aviation which is destined to be a "key " industry. Lessons of History Let those who doubt this, so far as aviation is concerned, consult Supplies of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING the files of such publications as La Revue Aeronmttique Inter­ nationale or other official reports of the deliberations of the Inter­ Several Instances have recently been brought to ou r notice of reader s being informed by their newsagents that they are national Commission on Air Navigation or of the various Dis­ unable to. supply copies of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING regularly. armament commissions and conferences. Or let them read LORD Anyone ■ encountering this difficulty is urged to send a sub­ LONDONDERRY'S recently published Wings of Destiny, an admirably scriptio n direct to 12 Bloomsbury Square, London, .W.C.I, as a sufficient number of copies is now printed to meet all statesmanlike history which gives cause for regret that "the days reasonabl e demands. of the ascendancy in politics of the great aristocratic families— tha t much-abused and now discredited class—are over. The http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology Emerald Publishing

POSTWAR RECONSTRUCTION

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology , Volume 15 (5): 1 – May 1, 1943
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0002-2667
DOI
10.1108/eb031015
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Abstract

May, 1943 AIRCRAFT ENGINEERIN G 125 almost unbelievable superiority of the present-day debates in th e House of Lords as compared with the jejune deliberations of th e Aircraft Engineering House of Commons are further evidence that the careerist is not necessarily the most intelligent or desirable controller of affairs Devote d to th e Scienc e an d Practice of Aero ­ In the pages of LORD LONDONDERRY'S book, and the other authori­ nautic s and t o Allied and Subsidiary ties we have indicated, are to be found all the answers to those Branche s of th e Engineerin g Industry facile optimists who are again bringing forward such hoary panaceas Editor:Lieut.-Col. W.LockwoodMarsh, O.B.E.,F.R.Ae.S.,M.S.A.E.,F.I.Ae.S. as the prohibition of bombing and the establishment of an inter­ national aerial police force. Vol. XV, No . 171 May 1943 We are sorry to follow such a pessimistic line of thought, which may be too realistic for some of our readers. The trut h is, however, as history shows only too clearly, that the unity of purpose which is so heartening a manifestation in war is by no means so easy to obtain HER E are those who argue that all efforts should, for th e in peace—and this, unfortunately, applies as strongly to nations as present, be exclusively devoted to th e prosecution of the war, it.does to individuals. It'is for this reason that a month or two ago and that no one has a right in these days to be looking into we took leave to doubt whether it were wise to place complete the future. It is, admittedly, difficult to draw the line, but we donot reliance on present American intentions to hand over- to Britain by any means fully endorse this view. After all, the war is being those routes developed during the war which came within her pre-war fought to put an end to certain distasteful activities and it is surely spheres of influence. Various utterances made by prominent -wise, within limits, to be considering what is going to be put in their personalities in the United States since then have only served to place when this tyranny is overpast. We have excellent authority confirm this cautionary attitude. for taking this view. British Commercial Organization Authoritative Precedents In regard to the future of commercial aviation there is a con­ There is, for instance, on the highest plane, the example of th e troversy raging as to the relative merits of private enterprise and Atlantic Charter, apart from other less august manifestations of the public service, with a subsidiary argument as to the desirability of spirit of foresight. There has in England lately been appointed a inserting all our eggs in one basket in one transport entity, or en­ MINISTER OF POST-WAR PLANNING AND RECONSTRUCTION whose couraging initiative by maintaining a spirit of rivalry between duty it is to look ahead and make what preparations are possible several companies. Our own view, which we have come to with for the changeover from war to peace conditions. Not all tha t is being some reluctance, is tha t international competition is likely t o be so -written and said, indeed, is actuated purely by tha t spirit'of altru­ keen that Great Britain will not be able to afford to dissipate her ism and absence of self-interest which many hope will inspire all energies between two corporations and that , to ensure survival, it hearts after the war is over. Even so high a personage as MR. will be necessary to place the organization of at any rate overseas BEVIN , the MINISTER OF LABOUR, recently warned the Trade air lines in the hands of one strong Public Utility enterprise formed Unions to consider carefully before they pressed for a return of all on some such lines as the LONDON PASSENGER TRANSPORT BOARD the post-war rights and privileges surrendered for the common­ or the BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION. weal during the present emergency, as it might be tha t some of them were in fact beneficial rather than otherwise and therefore deserving A New Home of permanent retention. While admitting that this somewhat casuis­ For a similar reason—to ensure maximum effort and strength of tical essay in reconstruction has no doubt its lesson for all, we do purpose—we have slowly been forced to the conclusion that " Civil not quote it for.the purpose of endorsement so much as to show that Aviation "■should be removed from the subservience of existence in there is authority to justify us in devoting a par t of our attention to a Service Department and should therefore be divorced from the planning beforehand what we arc going to do with the world, or Air Ministry. The appropriate place for it, then, seems unques­ our own particular portion of it , in the normal times after the war tionably to be the Ministry of Transport ; where it should have it s is won. own Under Secretary of State, or his equivalent, on the Board. The outstanding problem arising out of such a rearrangement A Word of Warning would be Research and Development. We suggest that the We, of course, arc not here concerned with ideologies, but purely continuance of adequate provision for these two related activities could be ensured by th e setting up of an inter-departmental com­ with the post-war future of aviation. There is, we feel, need to mittee with the chairman holding a senior position in botli Depart­ sound a note of caution against the danger of ignoring the past. ments—as is the arrangement at present with the AI R MINISTRY It is a common belief nowadays that all the troubles that have and MINISTRY OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION—the M.P.A. we do not befallen us are due to a complete lack of any attemp t by those in charge at the end of the last war to guide events or look ahead. imagine will survive in the post-war Government. This is, as those who lived as adults through those days are well If something on these lines is to be set up after the war is over, aware, a complete fallacy. Failure was not due to this cause— the sooner plans are made, and possibly a skeleton nucleus organiza­ Heaven knows those at the helm tried hard enough, and there was tion started, the better . We understand that those in responsible as much idealistic talk then as now—but rather to the irresistible positions in all Government Departments have been instructed force of hard facts and circumstance ; many of which will rear up to devote some portion of their time to plans for post-war recon­ as equal stumbling blocks alter this war. struction and rehabilitation, so there is every excuse for making a start on civil aviation which is destined to be a "key " industry. Lessons of History Let those who doubt this, so far as aviation is concerned, consult Supplies of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING the files of such publications as La Revue Aeronmttique Inter­ nationale or other official reports of the deliberations of the Inter­ Several Instances have recently been brought to ou r notice of reader s being informed by their newsagents that they are national Commission on Air Navigation or of the various Dis­ unable to. supply copies of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING regularly. armament commissions and conferences. Or let them read LORD Anyone ■ encountering this difficulty is urged to send a sub­ LONDONDERRY'S recently published Wings of Destiny, an admirably scriptio n direct to 12 Bloomsbury Square, London, .W.C.I, as a sufficient number of copies is now printed to meet all statesmanlike history which gives cause for regret that "the days reasonabl e demands. of the ascendancy in politics of the great aristocratic families— tha t much-abused and now discredited class—are over. The

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Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 1, 1943

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