Evening star., 1922-01-08
Delegates Poisonous Gases and Apanes


: . : -.
Of horsepower-may apply
~ Total horsepower in assembled
l2j Total horsepower in assembled
ls) Horsepower in a single indi-
vidual plane Of given type:
capacity Of the engines; there will
be no guarantee that nation mas
not discovered a secret which VIII
enable greater horsepower to pc got
out of limited capacity nor Is 1t rea-
sonable to expect any nation TO as
close such a secret. The more de-
administrative difficulty OF ENFORCE
ment. particularly under present con-
ditions when administrative methods
are SO widely different. and as pointed
out in the first part of the report any
enforcement. to be effectual would
entail such detail led inspection oy
foreign commission as to be intol-
The third method of limitation.
Limitation of lift tonnage. may apply
to:
% Total lift tonnage in assem-
bled planes.
(2))Total lift tonnage in all planes
assembled or not assembled.
CD Lift tonnage Of q single tndi-
vfdual plane of a given type.
Any method must presumably be
based on wing area and horsepower.
1t has been mentioned thai, the actual
horsepower may be unknown and 1t
Is likewise conceivable that q nation
may discover wing shape of ex-
treme lifting efficiency and neglect
to disclose the fact. Limitation of
lift tonnage may therefore be wholly
iilusory and the remarks rs to In
spection made in the last paragraph
apply to this method ALSO, 80.
Fourth Method Fails.
80. The fourth method OF .limita-
tion,. whether of the total of orga-
nized personnel for war aircraft, or
only of pilots in the permanent mill
tary establishment. fails by reason
Of the difference. in organization be-
which has a separate air service has
to include in. its organised personnel
those employed in, recruiting, supply,
transport. administrative headQuar-
ters, ETC., etc. In the case Of nations
whose air forces are contained In
their naval and military forces, sup
ply. ETC., personnel are included in
naval and military establishments
fair comparison cannot therefore
be made. Moreover. the difference in
terms of service. long or short, vol
untary service or conscription, must
Introduce incalculable factors which
directly affect the efficiency of organ
nized air forces and the size and eff
cheney of the reserve.
"a. The fifth method Of limitation
Limitation by means Of limiting the
budget and thereby controlling the
amount Of. money that may be ex-
pended annually for aviation. seems
simple in theory. but it is difficult OF
application. The various methods of
distributing budgets for material
under different tsubheads make it i'm
practicable to determine or compare
the actual sums expended exclusively
for aircraft. and the question Is al
present further complicated by the
factor of the relative purchasing
power of the currency of various ma
tions.
35. OF the five methods of Hmita-
| ton. limitation by lift tonnage or
horsepower appears to present the
! least objections, but to make these OF
any other methods effective 1t would
be necessary, as previously pointed
out, to organize system of inter-
! national inspections. Any system OF
international inspection would be al
| most certain to arouse ill-feeltng and
! would tend to cause friction rather
than to insure harmony and good
feeling between friendly powers. =
Inpracticability Of Limitation.
s. Objections in detail to each
| suggested method Of Limitation have
been advanced above-there is one
insuperable objection which is com.
| mon to every method. namely. the
, close relationship which at presen,
exists between civil or commercial
aeronautics and air power: Unless
civil or commercial aerenautics are
strictly limited-and- It has been
| shown in the aerly part of this repor,
them-a nation desiring air power in
| excess of the limit imposed or agreed
to will develop: its civil and CONNER.
cial aeronautics to any extent de.
sired.
Granted a fourishing .aeronautical
industry, the number of the present
type of perishable military aeroplane.
active on any given date Is only one
of the elements of air-power. Durins
the war a single American firm con.
tracted to deliver 100 aircraft a day
and the output of the engines can bs
organized on similar scale. A ma.
tion's air power can thus be multi.
piled not only by the actual numbei
| Of civil and commercial aircraft IL
use, but also by the capacity of thu
industry to turn to the manufacture
OF military aircraft in large quaint.
ties. Limitation of the number OF
horsepower and lift tonnage would
under such conditions. prove illusory
This commercial industry will fur.
ther provide a great potential reserve
Of pilots and skilled technical per.
sonnel and will thus discount to 9
great extent any limitation of mum.
bers of the personnel Of militar,
| aviation.
Reasons Cited.
:37. It is the; opinion Of this com.
mittee that theslimitation Of military
air power Gas regards heavier-than.
air CRAFTY is not practicable at the
| decision are as follows:
| Cd The difficulty Of finding basil
/ for the proportion Of aircraft to bs
allotted to the various nationa
QI) The difficulty Of devising tech.
nica1 methods to impose such limita-
ton.
tIID. The difficulty of enforcing
| such methods
.UV) The interdependence between
air power sand 4 commercial aircraft
industry which it is not practicable
| to limit.
ss. Many of the remarks already
made apply to lighter-than-air craft
but, as in the case of commercial air
craft OF this nature, Limitation is both
possible and practicable. It Is un.
4 necessary to recapitulate the argu-
ment that the military value Of q
| dirigible is dependent on its size, and
the size Of dtrigt bles and the numbei
maintained can be limited by agree
ment Of a few simple rules. Infrao.
ton Of such rules can be rapidly a.
certained without detailed inspection
But such q Limitation of lighter-than-