RECORD NOT BROKEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 167, 29 April 1935, Page 5

RECORD NOT BROKEN

MISS BATTEN’S FLIGHT. STRUGGLE AGAINST A GALE. TIRED AND COLD AT LYONS. (United Press Association —Copyright.) PARIS, April 27. Miss Jean Batten arrived at Lyons from Marseilles tired and cold after fighting a 40-mile-an-hour head wind. She will leave for London to-morrow. To have set a new women’s record, Darwin to England, she would have had to be in London at 9.25 p.m. yesterday.

FURTHER REPAIRS TO ENGINE. (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) PARIS, April 28. Miss Jean Batten arrived at Dijon from Lyons. She is making slight repairs to the engine. CAMPBELL BLACK’S PLANS. , ATTEMPTS ON FOUR RECORDS. LONDON, April 26. Financed hy- a Sheffield' citizen at a cost of probably £40,000, Campbell Black intends to make four flights with the object of record breaking—tlie first (in July) to Capo Town and back, the second to Canada and back, the third to the Far East, and the fourth to a destination not announced. A super-Comet ’plane is being constructed. It is designed to be the fastest and biggest long-distance ’plane in the world.

AFRICAN AIRWAYS. STRONG BRITISH COMPANY. LONDON, April 27. Another Empire airway, which will connect West Africa with the Imperial air network, is to he inaugurated in the near future by arrangements concluded between Elder, Dempster and Co., shipowners, and Imperial Airways, Ltd., to form a joint company to be known as Elder’s Colonial Airways for the purpose of operating air services in West Africa. . Arrangements are also in hand for the inauguration this year by Imperial Airways, Ltd., of an air service from Khartoum to Nigeria which will provide a through connection from London to Lagos via Khartoum, Ed Fasher, Fort Lamy, Maidugan, Kano, Ivaduna and Illorin. Elder’s Colonial Airways, Ltd., win operate an extension from this service to Acera and later to Kumasi and Takoradi as soon as suitable gioun organisation, is provided at these places. Later it is hoped to provide a service to Freetown. Other local feervices and special charter works will be developed as need arises. The Australian Press Association learns that the London-Brindisi service will shortly commence taking outward Australian mail, reducing the time to Brisbane to Hi days and enabling later/ posting from London. The service will not carry inward mails from Australia as the depaitures from Brindisi do not connect with Europe-bound machines.— British Utficial Wireless.

hawaii-australia route

AMERICAN BUSINESS INTERESTS

HONOLULU, April 27. The coastguard cutter Itasca returned to-day after a 7500-mi e survey tnp of islands suitable for landing fields between Hawaii and tiie Antipodes. The survey, which was completed y • E. Miller, airways expert foi United States Department of Commerce, was not announced until tne cutter’s return. Five Army officers with the part} studied the military phase. Palmyra, Jarvis, Howland, Bak .® and Swain islands are suitable for ancraft bases according to the commander of the Itasca, Captain W. N. Derby. Mr Miller said that the Department of Commerce required data because of inquiries of American concerns interested in a possible line between the United States and Australia. “Swain Island lias lagoons suitable for seaplanes, but its growth would require extensive work n a landing field were needed, ’ said Mr Millei. “The other islands are flat and sandy, with slight growth. All these are on a nearly direct route. “The sovereignty of Jarvis, Howland and Baker islands' is doubtful, as they are claimed by both Great Britain and America. The others are American territory.” , _ „ The Itasca also called jit Pago Pago for a similar survey. ATI data wrll he sent .to the Department of Commerce at Washington.

The islands mentioned lie south of Hawaii and north of Samoa and b iji. The distance from Hawaii to Fiji is 2740 miles. The nearest island to Hawaii is Palmyra, 5 deg. north tof the Equator. Jarvis, Howland and Baker islands lie on the Equator, Jarvis having roughly the same longitude as Hawaii and Howland and Baker islands lying 18 deg. east of Jarvis Swam Island is a few miles north of Samoa.