OFFER REFUSED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 28, 14 November 1935, Page 7

OFFER REFUSED

‘GOODWILL FLIGHT TO THE EAST. MR O’HVARA'S DECISION. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, Nov. 13. A request that the should un'dertake a goodwill flight to the Dutdh East-Indies and the East has been made to the Tasman flyer, Mr W. M. O’Hara, by a. group of Australian business 'men. Mr O’Hara, who is in Auckland waiting for repairs to his monoplane to be completed, said he had refused the request, as, be ing a New Zéalander, he had no interest in the proposal. ' l A substantial sum of money was ofiered to Mr O’Hara to undertake the trip in the British Klemm Eagle ’plasne in which he recentzy flew from New South \Vales to the Mangere aerodrbme. ' " “I take it that they meant Japan as the terminal point of the flight,” Ml‘LO’Ha‘ra said. “Slich‘a trip, has been projected by Australia for about a year. It was at first suggested that Mr C. T. P. Ulm should‘ undertake the flight in the Faith in Australia, and later Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was mentioned. The idea behind the trip is an improvement in relations, particularly as to trade, between Australia and the Dutch East Indies, and also with Japan. _ a . “A goodwill ship that was virtually a floating advertisement for Australia toured the Dutch East Indies'and J apan some time ago, and more recently there was an Australian mission to the same places. There is a very big future in trade in the Dutch East Indies particularly. In Java alone there are 42,000,000 people whose tastes are becoming steadily more civilised. The natives are being educated and are wanting something more than rice and fish in the way of foodstuffs. Australia is working actively to gain a big share of this great market, ' and already good results have been obtained.” Australia was already exporting great quantities of butter, flour, jams, tinned -fruits, and meal to the EaSt; he added. There was no market for Australian cotton goods in the Dutch East Indies, however, as Japan was exploiting this avenue of trade to the full.