The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-12
Governor Baldwin, at Aero Club Banquet, Lays Stress on Lead
 in Aviation Laws
GREATER CARE IS URGED
Collier, Head of Aero Club of America, Urges Science for the Good It
 Can Do.

nauticS, at the Hotel Tatt, last night. MT. Collier, president of the Aero Club of America, severely scored reckless and fool-hardy aviators, who deter rather than advance the pro gross of aerial navigation, he said. He expressed the hope that the sci ence of aviation will have reached that point of development by the time of the annual banquet of the Aero Club of America, a year from now, that the president of the United States, '.even if he be of the ample proportions turned out by Yale, will be able to swing around the circle in an aeroplane.i'
 Hiram Percy Maxim, the noted in Ventor, confined himself chiefly to a humorous description of his own att tempts at aviating and suggestion that Connecticut take up the manu- facture of aeroplanes and aeroplane nently we'll fitted" Governor Bald win spoke in glowing terms of the success of. the new Connecticut avta- ton law and pointed out that Con- they had in the foundation of a con stit1tional government. As possible candidate for President of. the United States, his criticism of Congress S-~ neglecting to pass similar laws IS worthy of attention. From Henry A. Wise Wood the Aero Club diners learned that "hyproplaning'' with the new machines which either fly in the air or travel. along over the water. IS absolutely safe and is the coming side of aviation, and from w. Irving and A. L. Welch something of the aeroplane motor and the practical side of the science.
 Tn the absence Of 'tAfr. Dooley" Osborne took the topic Up tn the Air, which had been assigned the famous humorist. He said he thought New Haven must be up in the air Nl<ac come together amid such surroundings and with the youngest Governor in 235 years'' to discuss the advanced subject of aviation.
 The banquet was held in the large dining room of the hotel on the main floor. In back. of the guest table the wall was, decorated with American flags, twined with the colors and flag of the Aero Club of American. The dinner was an excellent. one With the ice cream-or words to that ef- fect-the walters carried in large red, fluffy toy balloons, one for each ta-
 A. HoraI4d Forbes, president of the club, in his capacity as toastmaster. his thunder when he expressed his sincere praise for Connecticut.s pro- gressive stand on the question of avia- tion. He Introduced the Governor as the first speaker. The Governor, after speaking of his own success in secur- ing legislation in this State, alluded to the fact that he had also brought the matter before Congress, but that his draft of a law there had been turned down,s
 Ours A Pioneer State.
 Governor Baldwin said:
 They sometimes talk of Connecti- she is, proud of long and noble his tory. But its great quality is. that she has been always a pioneer; and pioneer on roads where other states F., IoN fnI in he
 "She invented the written constitu- tion as an instrument of government, in 1888, and the. world has followed her. And now. in 1911, she has fn- vented the law of the airship, and the world is following her again.
 '-As she was the first country on stitution, so she was the first sover- eign power on earth to frame a de- tailed airship statute. and l was grat1 flied to see that the next power in the world to frame another had adopt ed the basic principles of ours. I re- fer to France. European opinion has been divided as to whether, where in jury to person or property is acciden- tally done by an airship. the owner or the navigator of the ship ought to pay the damage.
 gued that if there were no negligence on the part of the navigator, he ought not to be held responsible, where he
 s'On the other side the contention was that if man undertook to launch out into the air and resist the pervading and inevitable-he ought to take, the risk of failure to resist it, and not the man below him, on whose head. or on whose roof tree, he might be dashed.
 "Connecticut took this latter view, and made the aeronaut liable for any damage done, negligence or no negli- gence. He was to take the risk of his business
 ''This law of ours has been widely noticed in Europe. It was the sub ject of a special article in the Sep tember number of the Feitschrift fur Volkerrecht und Bundesstaatsresht and in the November part of the 1 de Tinstitut II '' de Droit Compare.
 "And now. within six months. France has followed the lead of Con ministry. issued in November. last, the connecticut rule I understand, has been fully adopted.
 sfF"So then, as Connecticut, in the dnys of our forefathers, led the world if the realm of constitutional govern ment, so Connecticut in our day, with the collaboration. of this club. has led the world in legislating for the realm of the air.
 we look ahead in Connecticut. We take the far view. 3,h We have faith s1 to is to become great factor in modern
 .SThe birds have monopolized rapid transit too long. We have been slow to learn the Iessons-the object les sons-that they were giving us. The twentieth century is a good century the best yet; and one of its greatest distinctions. I believe, is to be its progress towards the conquest of the air.''
 Robert J. Collier. president of the Aero club of America. complimented Connecticut on the active part it has taken in aviation. He spoke of the possibilities of aviating in the future and facetiously said that W. J. Bryan. Bourke Cochran or Augustus Thomas might later aspire to the presidency of the aero club.
 Before the banquet the club held a short business meeting and e'ected thes following officers. all re-elections:
 President. A. Holland Forbes: first vice-president William C. Beers: sec ond vice-president Alton Farrel; third 1.ice-nresidenf Thomas " Farram.