Canadian Foreslry Journal, January, 1919 



23 



cessful and continuous flying depends on the 

 preliminary organization, and on the organiza- 

 tion during the period in which flying is carried 

 out. This involves all kinds of detail, not the 

 least among which is the transportation of the 

 machines, stores, etc., to the point of departure, 

 and in this country this particular item would be 

 quite a serious matter. In a small country like 

 England, it would be quite possible for a ma- 

 chine to fly to the point of departure, thus 

 saving a lot of bother; but in a vast country 

 like this it would be uneconomical, as aircraft 

 engines have only a limited life before they 

 require overhauling and machines would arrive 

 at their final destination, after many stops, in 

 a state requiring several days of careful over- 

 hauling, let alone the possibility of breakdown 

 at some of the landing places en route. 

 Public Control. 



If Canada has an Air Service my idea would 

 be for any department requiring assistance in 

 the aviation line to make application to the 

 Air Department, stating their wants, and then 

 rely on the Air Department to provide the 

 necessary equipment to cope with the situation. 

 In the early stages of an Air Department, the 

 charge to the department requiring the work 

 would probably be purely nominal, as one of 

 the main wishes would be, to a certain extent, to 

 educate the department and the rest of the 

 public as to the possibilities of aviation. In a 

 year or so, however, it would only be reasonable 

 for the Air Department to send their account in 

 for the actual working expenses; but this would 

 not include any percentage of the cost of stores 

 and spares which were not actually used, as on 

 completion of the expedition these would all be 

 returned, having been kept in good condition in 

 the meantime, and be put back again into cir- 

 culation, while the personnel would be returned 

 to other duties. 



Nationalization is Best. 



To get off the track of this lecture for a sec- 

 ond, aviation run by a private company on a 

 very big scale, embracing as many diverse in- 

 terests as possible, or as a National Service doing 

 the same, could, in my opinion, be made to well 

 pay for itself in this country, but the scale 

 would, I think, be too big for any company to 

 undertake for some years to come, and so every- 

 thing points to nationalization here, as a com- 

 pany on a small scale trying to run things 

 economically would only let themselves and the 

 public down, and by their mistakes and short- 

 comings queer the pitch of aviation with the 

 general public. You may take is at an axiom 



that false economy in aviation material and 

 personnel is a great mistake, and that the best 

 cannot be too good. There is good reason for 

 saying that an Air Department should be run as 

 a business concern, showing a balance sheet, as 

 moderate working expenses would show it was 

 being of value to the community, whereas big 

 working expenses would show it was not and 

 that a change of policy or organization was 

 required. 



The public are apt, in talking about aviation, 

 to neglect the possibility of lighter than air craft; 

 but with the advent of the efficient semi-rigid 

 ship and very much more efficient rigid ship, 

 based on the old Zepplein design, I think lighter 

 than air work is going to play a very important 

 part in the future of aviation. 



Crossing the Atlantic. 



Merely to give one instance of this possibility, 

 I want to tell you that the modern Zeppelin, the 

 total weight of which is from 60 tons, can carry 

 sufficient fuel to cross and recross the Atlantic 

 three times, as well as passengers, material, etc., 

 to the extent of 20 tons, all this being carried out 

 at a speed of some seventy miles an hour. 



R. H. CAMPBELL RECOVERED. 



It is with much pleasure that the Journal 

 chronicles the full restoration to health of .Mr. 

 R. H. Campbell, Dominion Director of Forestry, 

 who vv'as seriously injured near the Pas, Mani- 

 toba, while on inspection duty. Mr. Campbell 

 returned to Ottawa a few days before Christmas 

 and took over most of his official duties. 



A GREAT SERIES FOR THE 1919 

 FORESTRY JOURNAL. 



Commencing with the February issue. 

 Dr. C. D. Howe, of the Faculty of Forestry, 

 University of Toronto, will write a valuable 

 group of articles for the Canadian Forestry 

 Journal, the first of which will be entitled 

 "The Making of a Spruce Tree." 



Every reader in whom the working of 

 Nature has aroused a sense of wonder and 

 curiosity will follow Dr. Howe's stories with 

 eagerness from month to month. Not more 

 than a page of two to each contribution — 

 popularly written and well illustrated! 



The first article by Dr. Howe comes in 

 your February number, which will be issued 

 by the Association not later than the 1 0th 

 of the month. 



