productive organization to a position relative to that held by our
mercantile marine, we must understand that it will ensure air supremacy
better than a large unproductive outlay on armaments. And I am convinced
that, with public support, this can, and will, be done. Others will do
it if we do not. But air power, although drawing its vitality from the
expansion of air commerce and the growth of the civil aircraft industry,
must at the same time rely upon the nucleus of a highly trained and
technical air force. Service aviation must be the spearhead, civil
aviation the shaft, of our air effort.

The present isolation of England in terms of air from the rest of the
Empire, and the geographical conditions already described, certainly
render the national expansion of aviation, both external and internal, a
difficult problem. It is clear that for this reason it must rather
develop on an Imperial basis. The Dominions have already started
valuable civil air work and have appointed Air Boards. Whatever the
political settlement of Egypt may be, it is important that our air
interests at this "hub" of Imperial aviation should be safeguarded. Air
communication between the various portions of the Empire may prove of
inestimable value in a future world war, and Dominion air forces may be
able quickly to concentrate against enemy territory which is out of the
range of aircraft operating from home. We have seen the value of
aircraft operating from land bases for naval patrol, anti-submarine
action, and direct attack on enemy shipping. With the increasing radius
of action of seaplanes and other naval aircraft, the Army and Navy may
be relieved of certain of their duties in coast defence and in
protecting Imperial trade routes. For these reasons, aircraft bases are
required throughout the Empire, and it is the commercial development of
aviation which is the best means of ensuring their establishment. It
will be for the Imperial authorities, while attending to local
conditions and requirements, to co-ordinate as far as possible the air
effort of the Empire, so that in peace communications may be developed
and in the event of war its full power may rapidly be utilized on a
co-operative basis.

Civil aviation is not, however, merely a method of amplifying service
air power. It has a vast potential value of its own. Communications
shape human destinies. The evolution of our civilization bears strongly
the marks of the systems which at vari