The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-10-21

her fame, but her air force still
fails to measure up to that of some
of her competitors in quality. She
has failed to develop a good air.
cooled engine.
Shortage of fuel supply has been
real obstacle to Italian aerial de-
velopment, and has prevented her
fiiers from obtaining sufficient fly
ing time to qualify them. They are
said to have an average of but 70
hours in the air. Lack of raw ma
terials, as demonstrated when sane
tions were applied in the Ethiopian
war, renders her incapable of sus-
tanned high-speed production, al
though she is now building planes at
the rate of 200 a month.
For protecting Italian citizens in
the larger cities, II Duce has chosen
to depend chiefly upon rapid evacua-
ton in the case of air raids, leaving
only those absolutely necessary to
government and to war industry re-
naming in the industrial centers Of
the Pc valley to the north. Within
three or four years he expects
Rome's first subway to be COM
pleted; it will also be used as an
auxiliary air raid shelter. A royal
decree has made it compulsory that
all new buildings be supplied-at
the builders expense-with stand
ard underground shelter which, it
is claimed, adds no more than two
per cent to the cost.
Germany is the great mystery
among European powers in the air.
Her extremely rapid growth,
coupled with the obvious friendship
between the Reich and Italy, is said
to have Britain quaking. No one
can be sure, but it is a good guess
that Germany's first-line planes are
more than 1000 in number. Her
fine factories can turn out new ones
as fast as those of any other ma
ton on the continent if they can OBJ
tain enough raw materials, and
right now she is believed to be pro-
ducing between 200 and 800 month.
Like some other countries, she has
not produced a really top-notch mo-
tor.
French Prestige Slips.
Germany's aerial forces are I'M
der command separate from the
army. Air Minister Wilhelm Geor-
ing has developed his command so
rapidly that, for the time being, it
probably is not well organized, but
some day soon it will be in good
working order. Her air defenses
are under the same command, and
are probably the best co-ordinated
in Europe Her anti-aircraft artil-
lery line boasts 480 guns and new
ones are being completed at the
rate of one battery a day. Cheap
civilian gas masks are being rapid
ly distributed among the populace.
Shelters are being constructed. But
the real defense of Berlin, the CAPT.
tai, is its relatively great distance
from any frontier.
France has slipped from her one
time position as the leading air
force of Europe. She has now only
about 1000 front line planes, includ-
ing those within her borders, with
the fleet and abroad, and 1000 train
ing and reserve planes. About two
thirds of all French planes are OBJ
solescent. And production of late
has been halted to a virtual stand
still by internal economic and po-
litical strife. There are plenty of
good pilots, the air force is COM
petent technically, and the French
have produced good motors.
Much of Frances aerial defense
is conferred in Paris, as might be
expected. This city is particularly
fortunate in that thousands of Gel
lars made famous by Lies Miser-
ables" have been inspected and pro-
nounced excellent air raid shelters
capable of giving refuge to 1,720, 900
persons. Other precautions-search-
lights, guns, civilian drills and edu-
cation-are being undertaken.
Anti-aircraft guns are said to be
eight times as efficient today as
they were in the time of the World
war, and with the wholesale de-
tense measures, both active and
passive, it is hardly probable that
Europe's next war will be won in
the air. It just means that the
greatest human suffering. will not
necessarily take place upon the
fields of battle.
0western Newspaper Union.