The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-01-05
GERMANY GAINING
SUPREMACY IN AIR
Teutons' More Powerful Engines
Enable Them To 0utfy
the Allies

# ..r. ---
| LONDON, December 20--Germany
soon will have complete supremacy in
the air, according to W. Joynson Hicks.
one Of the most active members OF the
house Of commons, who has made spe.
cialty OF aviation He points out the
! futility Of complaining to the govern
ment and appeals to the press to inter.
vene and compel immediate action. He
complains at delays, and attacks the
authorities for permitting the payment
of huge commissions TO intermediary
American contractors.
"While the high powers are quarrel.
ing, 1" he says, "the lives of our men
ARE sacrificed and the security Of our
army is jeopardized. The casualties
among the Royal Flying Corps have in.
creased, and many officers from the
front complain that the curve has be.
gun TO move in the German direction.
tOur machines are out Of date. as
against the brilliant new ones that the
Germans use. The model that fills mn
the bulk of our squadrons is n beauti-
full stable machine, but It is utterly
outclassed, with its ninety TO one hun.
dred horsepower engine by the new
| German machines, the Rumpler. Hal.
berstadt and several others, with en-.
gines of 240 to 260 horsepower, now in
use go
Germans Reach Greater Heights
"They cruise around over our lines at
a height Of $4,000 to 10000 feet, while.
the bulk of our machines are content
with flying at height Of 5000 or 10000
feet. A few others can reach $4,000
feet. Everybody knows that in flyinp
height is what the weather gauge was
to Nelson. asg ~, I.,.
"The new German machines crash
down with all the added impetus of
their descent upon our machines, with
results disastrous to our intrepid young
aviators who man them. They are eff.
fete machines and nothing more.
what both services, military and
naval, have refused TO realize is that
success in aviation consists in engine
power. This means not only pace, but
climbing power. In the German army
Everything has been made to give way
/ to higher power in engines "s
tfThere is one mode only in which we
cannot merely regain our position but
man1 of the air. That is to scrap re.
lentlessly all the lower power engines
and build, as an officer of the flying
corps with much experience said to me
only last week, fewer. machines if neces-
sary, but higher powered ones.
SIC, 000,Oo0 American Contract
Beyond this there needs to be a
very definite inquiry as to the work of
the royal naval air service. When the
Admiralty was forced to admit last
week in the House of Commons that in
a contract for supplying airplanes from
America, running into more than $l0,.
!, 100000, there was included commits.
sion of TO per cent nearer $2,000,000
than 81 100000, the taxpayer is en-
titled to ask whether that was necessary
when both the vender and the pur-
chaser were willing and anxious to
contract. .' ga 81 r. -" w.. ".
"I do not say there was corruption
in regard to these contracts in the Ad.'
miralty, but do say that provision
in the purchase price of q commission
of sixth of the total to an English
barrister would be enough to put an
Attorney General ON inquiry. If we can
only get an inquiry thoroughly started
i think good deal more will come to
light than the particular contract to
which have referred"
The parliamentary correspondent of
the Times, writing on the evidences of
dissatisfaction with the conduct of tho
war; says the resentment Of the coun-
try has permeated the house Of com.
mons, and the ministers are becoming
daily weaker in their own stronghold.
He continues: he '@%
There is no difference of opinion
whatsoever about the reason for the
growing appropriately of the govern
ment. 1t is due entirely to their fail.
ure to wage the war with vigor and to
organize the nation and themselves
At this moment a half dozen great
problems all directly connected with
the war and of most urgent importance
have been overripe for solution for
weeks.
"The man power question has ad-
vanced to a stage that is acute, though
the whole future of next years cam
paign depends upon its settlement early
this winter. The air board crisis is
still protracted from day to day.
While views are exchanged between
Lord Balfour and Lord Curzon, the air
services wait for machines. Meanwhile
the German submarine campaign goes
steadily forward, while such insistent
questions as arming volunteers and the
organization of merchant shipbuilding
remain in allegiance. Lt"," n
$50 does the question Of increasing
the production Of food. Every expert
au.aaa ahout tho danoar Tho xninia