THE SKY PILOT.

Auckland Star, Issue 38, 14 February 1929, Page 7

THE SKY PILOT.

GOSPEL OF THE AIR. Cobham's Plan For Tour Of Britain. STIMULATING' AVIATION. (United Service.) (Received 3 0 a.m.) LONDON, February 13. With the double object of mapping out 1000 landing grounds throughout Britain and of preaching the gospel of civil aviation Sir Alan Cobham is finalising plans for an aerial tour of Britain, lasting from April to August. He will be accompanied by his wife. He proposes to give every Mayor in Britain the opportunity of flying. RESCUED FROM KABUL Fine Work By British Air Force Pilots. 366 PEOPLE EVACUATED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12 noon.) KUfSBY, February 13. Bad weather, with snow, prevented further evacuation from Kabul yesterday. On Monday four Air Force Victoria machines brought 58 passengers to Peshawar, comprising .">0 British and Indian subjects, including 38 women and children, five (l-ermans, including two from the legation, one Persian and two Afghans. Sir Austen Chamberlain, Foreign Secretary, gave the following details of men, women and children evacuated from Kabul by the Royal Air Force between December 23 and February 11:—British subjects 21(i, Afghans 32, French 11, (iermans 34, Italians four, Persians 1!>, Buinanians one, Swiss one, Syrian five, Turks 42, United States citizens one. The total was 300, of whom sonic 280 were women and children.

SPEEDING UP MAILS. Air Links In England-To-Australia Route. EMPIRE PRESS UNION VIEWS. (Australian and N.Z. l'ress Association.) LONDON, February 13. The annual meeting of the Empi'" Press Union was held yesterday, the chairman. Viscount Burnliam, presiding. The treasurer, Major J. .7. Astor, chairman of the "Tillies'' Publishing Co., spoke of the desire of the union to make next, year's conference worthy of its increased prestige. Sir Hubert Donald, an ex-chairman, moved the adoption of the annual report. He hailed the wireless-cables merger as a triumph for the union. Major Nicholson (Ceylon) disclosed the fact that Imperial Airways, Ltd., had decided that the acceleration of ths Australian mail services did not justify an air line from Bombay to Ceylon, from which other revenue was inadequate. so it had abandoned the idea. H? appealed to the council to urge the Governments of India and Ceylon to provide an air line on national and inter-Imperial grounds. Sir Harry Brittain, M.P., emphasised the need for the provision by the British Government of such air lines, including one to the West Indies, where otherwise the Americans would step in. Mr. Theodore Fink, of Melbourne, said Australia could, in effect, be brought halfway to England by proper air routes. Certainly there were much finer mail steamers nowadays than ever before, but the fares were double and tho journey took a day longer than when the union was formed. Australia had yet to be satisfied that the wireless-cables merger would mean an adequate reduction in the scale of charges and the development of the services. He had some experience ot large corporations and was convinced that the union should never cease striving to achieve the cheapening of rates and improved facilities. Ihe meeting remitted to the council the matter of air routes. Lord Burnham was re-elected chairman.