The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-05
ENGLAND ID BUY WAR AEROPLANES Experiments on Mexican Border Create Interest THE PRINCE OF WALES Will Be Allowed to Emerge From Obscurity During Coronation.
 English Fear Invasion
 By Plague

l London, March 4.-(Speciai.) )-1ne experiments made in America with aeroplanes under conditions of actual warfare along the Mexican border have created strong impression here even among the officials of the War Depart ment, and this is undoubtedly the req son why 1t is now said that in a very near future large number of aero planes will be bought for the use of the English army officers.
 The British war department was until quite recently almost assured of the uselessness of the aeroplane for mili- tary purposes and like Germany mill itary authorities. pinned it's faith all most entirely to the dirigible airship but now the authorities will devote their to the formation of corps of of ficers skilled in the use of the swifter aeroplanes.
 I have just talked with MT. Roger Wallace. president of the Royal Aero club, who confirmed the report I had heard.
 The recent discussion on the sub ject" he said, has been very useful and I know there will be a distinct change in the attitude of the war office. The developments in that direction will be seen very soon.
 "The people who have taken the trou- ble to think the matter out realize the necessity of our having aeroplanes in England if our safety is to be consider ed. over dozen army officers have al- ready obtained pilots certificates from the Royal Aero club. and many others are now learning to fly.
 There is no longer any doubt about the increasing value of aeroplanes in war Mir. Claude Hamilton's flight from Fl Paso across the besieged Mexican town amply proves this, and still, what he did might have been done six months ago, and six months is long time now that improvements in heavier than-air machines are coming thick and fast
 "Dut it is not in what has been done but in what is going to be done by the seroplane that the chief interest lies. There will be great changes in the sta bility of aeroplanes fin a short time, and then it will be a comparatively easy matter to use aeroplanes under all conditions.
 observations can already be taken from an aeroplane with great exacti tude. and when an aeroplane is at any height is can scarcely be seen below. When silencers are fitted to ,ne exhaust from the engine of aeroplanes, they will not only be almost invisible, but their approach will not even be heard
 "The advance of the aeroplane has been conclusively proved by the fact that the other day Bleriot carried eig..l people. That shows that quantity of explosives could be carried If the ne- cessity arose. tsH
 "The money that is being spent on dirigibles at the present time is, in my opinion. waste of money. Dirigibles are too unwieldly and unmanagable under all circumstances. The difficulties of keeping a dirigible up in the wind are considerable and then again so many men are wanted to hold 1t down when it lands. that it is impossible to move sufficient men.
 Although much is being done in the direction of perfecting the aeroplanes, our danger is that we have not got sufficient men trained in their use. The Royal Aero club has been doing what it could in this direction by passing pilots from the army and navy. and giving them certificate, but official action must come sooner or later"
 Naturally enough, a great deal of in- terest centers round the Prince of Wales this year. as he will be allowed | to emerge from obscurity to some ex- tent during the coronation ceremonies | and then. in July the investiture at | Carnarvon castle takes place. The | writers of paragraphs in the so-called | society papers have invented quite Q | nice little batch of anecdotes about | him. A S a matter of fact, the Prince is very, very much like hundred other boys and has reached the awlS ward age, | which makes him very much opposite to what he has been heard to call these old. out of-date displays"
 The Prince will not have a separate establishment for some time yet, and the King is inclined to ordain that he shall | live as other students do while at OK ford. The Queen. on the other hand, favors private house outside. Natu- rany, the young prince hopes that hiast fathers will will prevail.
 An interesting debutante this season will be the Countess Zia Torby, daugh- ter of the Grand Duke Michael of Rus sia. The Countess Zia has little of the Slav about her and is thoroughly En glish in her tastes. She Is strikingly handsome and quite clever, and has al ready numbers of admirers, as she has already been seen about good deal.
 The people of England must have
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