The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-26
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT
BUYS SIXTY A|RSH|PS
Authorities Are Converted TO
Belief in Military Value
of Aeroplanes.
WILL INCREASE NUMBER
Forty Additional "Planes" to
Be Bought When Pilots
Are Provided.
WILL INCREASE NUMBER
BY PHILLIP EVERETT.
ccial Cable TO The Tribune.

Special Cable 10 The Tribune
LONDON, May 2j,-At last the gov.
ernmeDt has been moved to serious
effort in the matter of aeroplanes. The
news that the treasury has authorized
tho purchase of sixty machines and is
prepared to increase the number to 100
as soon as there arc pilots trained for
the service will be read throughout
England with general satisfaction. 1t
is the first practical proof the authori-
tics havo givcn of their conversion to
the urgent needs Of the nation.
Tho conversion has been slow and
painful, Notwithstanding the practical
demonstrations of efficiency afforded in
this country by the competitions for
prizes. Invaluable time has been vast
cd in disputing the military value OF
aeroplanes. in discussing plans for
schools, and in deyIsing means of shift
ing the burden from the government
by appcaling TO the vicarious charity Of
private individuals.
Not less important, and even more
interesting. is the announcement that
the hydro o-aeroplane, upon which naval
experts have been engaged, has passed
beyond the stage Of experiment. If
this problem has been solved a most
valuable addition has been made to the
strength and mobility of the navy. The
difficulty has been to design machine
which shall be at once q flyer and
nj fhof raIN
enough to enable it to begin and end
its fight under the lee Of a battleship
or cruiser. Even now it will be long
before we can hope to come up with
our competitors abroad. They have
been doing while We have been discus
sing and disputing,
Old Laws Unenforced.
If all our laws were enforced, car.
oenters and joiners would have busy
time erecting stocks throughout the
country. The pillory has been formally
abolished, but still unrepealed act Of
1877 penalties with two hours in the
stocks any person who "shall doe OF
exercise any worldly labour, business or
worke of his ordinary calling upon the
travell or come into his inne or lodging
UPON the Lord 8 day-or shall use, i'm
plov or travell upon the Lord Is day
with any boate, wherry, lighter or
barge except Ii be upon extraordinary
business to be allowed by some justice
Of the peace.'
Cab Companies Fight.
One Of the keenest fights of modern
tunes is in progress for supremacy in
the transport Of London Is millions. of
passengers. Omnibuses are pitted
against omni buses, and they in their
turn are waging a great struggle with
tramway cars. The war Is none the
quietly and in many parts unnoticed.
Millions are involved.
One OF the first symptoms Is an in
terneclne sort of warfare among The
omnibus group. The 'toctopus,' as the
London General company has been not
inaptly called, has spread its tentacles
into nearly every part Of London, and
In SO doing has encroached on the do
main which other companies have hith-
Immediate fight is between the General
and the Metropolitan Steam Omnibus
compaDy--the latter owning sixty-two
omnibuses.
The first attack has been made bv
the smaller company, which on Good
Friday declared rate war by drasti-
ca1y cutting down nearly all their fares
by so to so per cent,
HThis was in answer Mr., Clifford
the general manager OF the COMPANY,
stated, Fto a hostile move on the part
Of the London General company. who
had commenced two services which
touch our ground between Uerno Hill |
and Putney and BriIton and the city.
We made the route; they have come
to reap the benefit of 1t, but We intend
to put up a stiff fight.
Many Cheap Rides.
The immediate benefit to the public
in this quarrel is that some exceedingly
cheap rides may be obtained. For in
stance, the public may now travel by|
Metropolitan omnibus between Ken
nington Gate and Cornhill for one pen
ny. The fare used to be tuppence
The Journey may be extended to Brix-
ton for another halfpouny. Dalston
Junction to tho Elephant costs three
cents; the fare was formerly four cents.
Many penny stages haye been cut down
to a halfpenny- Although the revised
ratio has only had short trial, the
management express themselves salts
fed with the result.
In the meantime the London General
company has made no reply to this at
tack, and it is not its intention at
present to reduce any fares. But it's
whole energies are given over to per
fecting and developing its system so
that, once the public have anquired the
"omnibus habit they will retain it'll
through the excellence of the service