RESTORED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 297, 16 December 1935, Page 7

RESTORED.

'PLANE LICENSES. No Structural Failure in DHB6 Crash in Tasmania. MINISTER'S ACTION. United Prcas Association. —Copyright. (Received 10.30 a.m.) MELBOURNE, this day. The announcement that licenses of the DHB6 aeroplanes would ' be restored as from to-day was made by the Minister of Defence, Mr. R. A. Parkhill, after he had received a communication from the Air Accidents Committee following their examination of the Holyman Air Line machine Lepena at Hunter Island. The report indicates definitely that there was no structural failure affecting the safety of the aeroplane.

Having spent the night in the cabin of the wrecked machine, the eight passengers of the air liner Lepena, which was smashed in a forced landing on Hunter Island, off the Tasmanimn coast, on Friday, owing to a wing crumpling in mid-air, were taken to Smithton by launch on Saturday. BRITISH INQUIRY. Withdrawal of Airworthiness Certificates. PUBLIC CONFIDENCE SUFFERS. (Received 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 15. It is only fair to assume that Mr. Parkhill intended merely a temporary withdrawal of tlio certificate for DHB6 machines, pending an investigation into the forced landing, says Mr. Oliver Simmonds, Secretary of the Parliamentary Air Committee, commenting on the restoration. He added: "I shall approach the Air Ministry to take up the question of investigating what was in the minds of the Australian authorities when they brought about the withdrawal, as withdrawals are undesirable from the viewpoint of public confidence in air travelling and of the British export trade." Imperial Airways cancelled the arrangements for Indian 'planes continuing to Darwin on receipt of the Qantas cable announcing that it was resuming the Singapore-Darwin service. ATLANTIC SERVICES. CONFERENCE AT WASHINGTON British Official Wireless. (Received 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, December 15. The conference on the subject of a transatlantic air mail service, at which representatives of the United? States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Irish Free State took part, concluded at Washington. A communique containing the following statement was issued: —"Understandings have been reached, which it is confidently hoped will bring about the early establishment of transatlantic air transport services connecting these countries. "It is expected that experimental flights will bo begun early in the summer of 1036, and it is hoped that scheduled services will begin by the summer of 1037, when full regular services will bo inaugurated. It is provided that there will be four round trips per week." i ELLSWORTH SEARCH. 'PLANE LEAVES MAGALLANES. KANSAS CITY, December 15. The aeroplane which is going to the Antarctic to search for Mr. Lincoln Ellsworth and Mr. T. Hollick-Kenyon, with Mr. R. Merrill at the control, departed for Magallanes yesterday. BASE SHIP'S PLANS. MESSAGE TO EXPLORERS.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. The Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department. has received the following report from the superintendent of the Awarua Radio Station: — The following message was broadcast to Mr. Ellsworth's aeroplane, the Polar Star, by the base ship, the Wyatt Earp, at 1.3 a.m. to-day: "Expect to head south from Magallanes next week." The Awarua Radio Station listened keenly for any reply, but nothing was heard.