establishment of aircraft and personnel, other methods must be
adopted of possessing both of these available for war while
employed in peace for other purposes.

From the war two new methods of transportation have emerged--the
aeroplane and the airship. To the business man neither of these
is at the present juncture likely to commend itself on the basis
of cost per ton mile. When, however, it is considered that the
aeroplane is faster than the express train and the airship's
speed is double that of the fastest merchant ship, it will be
appreciated that for certain commercial purposes both these
mediums for transport have their possibilities. The future may
prove that in the time to come both the airship and the aeroplane
will become self-supporting, but for the present, if assisted by
the Government, a fair return may be given for the capital laid
out, and a large fleet of aircraft together with the necessary
personnel will always be available for military purposes should
the emergency arise. The present war has shown that the merchant
service provided a valuable addition both of highly-trained
personnel and of vessels readily adapted for war purposes, and it
appears that a similar organization can be effected to reinforce
our aerial navies in future times of danger.

In discussions relative to the commercial possibilities of
aircraft, a heated controversy always rages between advocates of
the airship and those of the heavier-than-air machine, but into
this it is not proposed to plunge the reader of this volume. The
aeroplane is eminently adapted for certain purposes, and the
greatest bigot in favour of the airship can hardly dispute the
claims of this machine to remain predominant for short-distance