of such eventuality, it were made incumbent upon the civilian section of the Board to resign en bloc. Parliament and the public would thus be advised that something had gone wrong with the "machine." To create this position it is only necessary for a public statement to be made by a responsible Minister of the Crown that the Board has at its disposal whatever funds it deems necessary; this is virtually the footing on which the present Advisory Committee is placed.[1]
The alternative to the creation of a Board, such as suggested in the present chapter, would be an extension of the powers of the Advisory Committee. The present functions of that Committee are strictly advisory; and they are, to all intents and purposes, confined to the scientific and technical side of the subject; the personnel of the Committee also has obviously been chosen on the basis of this being the intention. The Committee expends no money directly, but controls grants on account of aeronautics so far as relating to research work and the like. It would be impossible without destroying the whole intention and character of the Committee, to assign to it those duties in relation to the national programme of aeronautical construction for which the author is advocating the formation of a Board of Aeronautical Construction; hence any such change may be regarded as out of the question.
176
- ↑ House of Commons, May 5th, 1909.
