Evening star., 1943-02-15
Mrs. Luce Stirs Up
Flood Of British Talk
On Aviation Future
Press Gives Thousands
Of Words to Criticism
Of U. S. Advantage
Ey the Associated Press.

Will De tne limit When Dettlng be
gins in the commercial air transpor
game after the war-a game in which
the United States appears now tt
hold the best hand.
Representative Claire Luces "glo
haloney" remark in her freshman
speech before Congress let loose 6
f1oadtide of talk on both sides of tn
Atlantic on the subject.
The British press has devoted
thousands of words to anxious dis
cussion of her call for American
postwar domination of the world
airways. The men who shape British
policy, recognizing the touchy issue
say the job at hand is to win the war
(Mrs. Luce said in an address
In New York Saturday night that
some people might have possibly
misunderstood" her remarks in
Congress ito mean felt America
must dominate the air"
They cannot have read the
text of the speech I wrote" she
said. 1T is true that I said that
America must control its own
skies. If this be treason, such
critics must make the most of it.
/ did not say, I do not say, and |
never will say that America
should monopolize the air traffic
Of the world.D
Evasion of Issue Charged.
The non policy making drum
beaters for British aviation are not
so reticept.
One of the most outspoken criti-
cisms of British government policy
was voiced yesterday by Peter Mase-
field, air correspondent of the Sun
day Times, under a two-column
page l headline.
The government appears TO be
evading the issue" he declared, "ano
to be afraid of offending the United
States, which not only is building up
a virtual monopoly in transport air.
craft among the United Nations, ou'
is acquiring nearly all the opera
tional experience on. the more I'M
portant air routes"
He asserted that the United States
was building up world-girdllng
network of air routes, dependent
largely on the free use OF British
bases and of inestimable benefit to
the Allied war effort.
But" he added, British air and
ground crews are gaining compare
lively little experience on the major
trunk routes-experience which WILL
be indispensable in future develop
ment."
He said that Britain must rely
largely on lease-lend American
planes for wartime transport, but
that some government pronounce
ment on the availability of these
aircraft for commercial services after
the war is urgently needed"
This weeks issue Of the popular
magazine Aeroplane. said the
United States had stolen a march
by arranging to concentrate on pro-
duction of war transport planes
while Britain builds bombers. there
by gaining an advantage in post
war civil aviation.
The magazine asserted that
transports simply were "airliners
without trimmings" and could be
easily converted after the war.
whereas the idea of converting
bombers to passenger-carriers pre-
sented, in the opinion of some Brit
ish circles, only pretty pickings for
a naiddleman."
The magazines bitter satirical
editorial denounced the "splneless
complaint that America is prepar-
ing to dominate the worlds air
routes after the war" berated the
British leaders responsible for the
transport arrangement and
praised American enterprise in
effecting it.
Some British quarters have de-
manded an immediate government
plan to build l00-ton airliners for
the Atlantic carriage trade
when the shooting stops. Other
gloomy critics said England would
be left holding the bag, no matter
what she does now.
The nearest thing to an officia,
reply TO this clamoring was a state
ment by Capt. Harold H. Balfour
undersecretary OF state for air, that
the British government was con-
sidering bold measures to insure
the nations place in postwar avia'
ton
L. S.-British Conference Urged.
He declared that the day peace
80 k~atr off m
pire routes now flown by American
transports for war purposes" anc
that the government was givinf
thought to steps to prevent The
wrecking OF the British aircraft in.
oustry after the war.
Robert Perkins. one of the Houst
Of Commons most vociferous all
enthusiasts, has proposed that al
American British conference settle
future spheres of air influence.
Concern over Britain's air future
Is echoed by the Nations shipping
industry. The powerful genera
council of British shipping saic
after a discussion OF the issue:
Uncertainty as to the role of ali
transport will act as a deterrent L
fresh construction Of passenget
ships until the policy in regard t
the air is known.
1T is probable that. given sufi'
cient financial support from gov
ernments as a matter Of nationa
policy. much high-claSs traffic pre-
viousiy seaborne can be diverted u
the air. If this were 10 be the gov
ernment's policy, then fast psssen.
ger ships necessarily would diSap.
pear ."