AERONAUTICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2710, 14 January 1910, Page 2

AERONAUTICS.

MONOPOLY IN THE AIR. The brothers Wright, with several millionaires behind them (writes a Lon. don correspondent under date of November 26th), have formed a combination to exploit Hying machines, which by reason of its articles of incorporation, and its claim to what they call “the basic principles of aviation,” lias, apparently, justified the sarcastic comment that “the Wrights own not mere, ly the world below, but the air above.” The capital is £2OO,CKX), and the corporation will control in America and Canada all aviation by means of liea-vier-than-air .machines. One paper calls it the American “Sky Trust.” The articles of incorporation not only mop uip everything in the flying world within sight, but the past and future as well, and, apparently, ignore the fact that while the Wrights were still engaged in repairing bicycles at Dayton, Ohio, without dreaming: of flying, there wore men in Europe who were already flying quite nicely, and that, as regards the basic principles of aviation, which the American brothers claim to have discovered, the birds have been illustrating them to -.perfection from time immemorial. There is no stock for sale. The company which has been formed to take over the patents of the Wrights, and to orosecute all infringement-, claims as "one of its assets even the principle of the plane and the control of the equilibrium of the machine. If this contention is upheld by the Supreme Court, the company will have the monopoly of the air. Wilbur Wright will be president of the. new company, and his brother, Orville; vicepresident.