The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-30
LONDON CLUBS ARE
 IN BAD CONDITION England Behind in Aero
 plane Development BOOK ON AVIATION
Claude Grahame-White and Harry Harper Write Book on Future of the Aeroplane as
 War Machine
By PHILIP ENEnETy

By PHILIP EyERET1
 London. June 29.-(speeial.) )-During the past few weeks the committees of several London clubs have been trying to make the best of very unpleasant balance sheets.
 The financial position of nearly half the best clubs has been going from bad to worse for some time; in fact. con- siderable portion of giubland is in state of mild panic. Even the remedy of low erng the height of the barrier of ex- elusiveness, which many committees have had to adopt, has not got them out of their difficulties,
 "Clubs are suffering from two changes in fashion, a reporter was informed yes terday by gentleman who has had a wide experience of West End clubs.
 Twenty years ago many man about town could boast that it was not pos sble for him to walk more than 300 yards within a certain area of the West End without coming to a club of which he was a member.
 Ut is no longer fashionable to belong to three or four clubs. There are out lets for expenditure in other directions.
 "The restaurants are gradually killing many of the best clubs. In spite of some of the latter having afforded facilities for entertaining lady guests. so as to counteract the competition.
 Clubs which have suffered little or no falling off in members are feeling the pinch in the amount received per mem Der for dinners, luncheons and wines.
 "One sees a member to whom the cost of pint of wine is of no consideration drinking two pennyworth of barley wa ter (quite a fashionable beverage) al lunch and sixpennyworth of lager beer at dinner.
 "To make matters worse. while receipts are falling off year by year, expenses are slowly increasing.
 At the present moment one of the best West End clubs, which for many years past ohas numbered distinguished public men among it's members, and P years ago was in very prosperous crcum- stances. is barely solvent.
 Since 1890 no fewer than 16 clubs. at one timelyf firmly established and of some repute, have disappeared.
 Al the present moment in St. James street alone the tenants of four proud looking clubhouses are face to face with a more or less imminent crisis"
 The "Aeroplane in War" by Claude Gra- hame-White and Harry Harper. will not alay anxiety as to Britain's future in the air.
 The development of aeroplaning( espe- cially for war purposes, the best types of machines. the severe training of air men, and the exaeting duties required of them, are all admirably described. We are told by the authors how opposing squadrons will meet in combat in the sky
 Armed aeroplanes will accompany each recornitering machine when it is about to set out over the enemys position. These armed craft. or aerial cruisers. will most likely circle round the scouting machine. so as to open fire upon any rostile aeroplanes which approach.
 "One prominent constructor suggests that such fighting units should be fitted with a gun firing small explosive shell, something like pom-pom
 Speaking of the aerial battles that are certain to<preeede the land actions of the future" the authors think that the fast guns Ga gun has already been fitted 10 a biplane) will come into speedy conflict. After maneuvering for position the op- ponents will open fire.
 After a preliminary exchange of shots. the machines will sweep to closer range, and then one of them, winged by well directed fire. will be put out of action, and will flutter away earthwards.
 An ability to climb rapidly, com bined with high speed, will, indeed, prove invaluable to the fighting aeroplane. If it can do so it will undoubtedly seek to rise above an antagonist, and destroy 1t with a well directed missile"
 The late Captain Ferber prophesied that aeroplanes would fight fin the same way as all fights between birds have ever taken, place.
 Speaking of types of war aeroplanes the authors state that in addition to "erui- sers," ''it Is suggested by many ex- perts that fighting aeroplane, carrying a heavier gun or guns-a sort of aenal dreadnaught. in fact-should be con structed. The aim of such machine would be 10 attack antagonists at long range.
 As one tries to picture a cloud of these deadly birds of prey. rising higher and higher in the air like furious hawks. one thinks of Tennyson's prophetic lines: Heard the heavens fill with. shouting,
 and there raind ghastly dew From the nations airy nayles grappling
 in the central blue.'
 ccmbatants can help it. Anything rather than that.
 With regard to an aeroplane attack on the Thames valley between Hammersmith and Gravesend, the authors quote "a mil- itary expert of high repute'' as saying:
 This whole five miles of concentrated essence of empire lies at the absolute mercy of an aerial machine, which could plant a dozen incendiary missiles in cer- tain pre-selected spots
 The authors add the following words grave enough in all eonscience:
 ''It was only the other day. while dis cussing the destructive capabilities of modern type aeroplanes that a famous constructor showed how-if d large fleet of machines were marshalied together-it would be possible for an enemy to drop couple Of hundred tons of explosive matter upon London, suddenly appearing from across the channel by air, and as rapidly flying back again
 The experiment of dropping a stream of dummp bombs at night on an encamp- ment of dragons has actually been car- ried out in Germany. The machines planed down silently and the booms'' fell all about the camp fires" Then the en- zines were started before the dragons had recovered from their surprise, and the machines vanished in the darkness
 It is very evident that the nation that is best equipped in the matter of aero planes will have tremendous initial ad-
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