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Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 230, 28 September 1936, Page 8

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BRITAIN AND N,Z. TRANS-TASMAN SECTION. DEFENCE MINISTER'S VISIT. The fact that negotiations between the Commonwealth Government and Great Britain regarding the Britain-Aus-tralia section of the Empire mails project in approaching stages of finality, was announced this morning by Sir Archdale Parkhill, Australian Minister for Defence and Air ' Services, who arrived by the Awatea. Sir Archdale has come at the invitation of the Government to take part in the discussions between the New Zealand and the Commonwealth Governments as to the Aus-tralia-New Zealand section of the air mails plan. "The whole proposals are of considerable magnitude," Sir Archdale commented, "and they involve many important considerations. We shall be interested to hear and discuss the position as it affects New Zealand and the Commonwealth." While he was in the Dominion, he would be pleased, too, to discuss any other matters of common interest. He added that discussions between the British and the Commonwealth over the matter had been protracted, because a number of points had had to be settled. The British proposals were that first-class mail matter should be flown out at l|d and returned at 2d; but the Commonwealth had discussed the question of surcharge, because of the financial arpect and because of the internal position in Australia itself. At the minute while, as he had said, negotiations were aproaching finality, the question was turning on problems of control of the service, surcharge and costs. Location of New Zealand Terminal. Asked whether he or his Government had any ideas y on the location of the terminal in New Zealand, he replied that that was a matter for experts. _ Australia had no interest in any particular place. As to the kind of craft to be used, Sir Archdale said that Britain wanted flying boats to be used throughout, including the trans-Tasman section. There again, he said that Australia would adopt the advice of experts. Speaking personally, he said that the flying boat might be expected to have a psychological appeal, particularly over the Tasman.

The Minister added, in reply to another question, that in his opinion a service across the Tasman was desirable. "In view of the development of aviation in the past 10 years,, and in view also of its development in tlie_ future, my own opinion is that a service from New Zealand to Australia is both necessary and desirable," he said. New Zealand, he added, had been waiting for a decision between Australia and Britain, and now that that decision showed a likelihood of being made, discussions between the Dominion and the Commonwealth might The advantages of personal discussion, he said, had been seized on with avidity. About defence generally, Sir Archdale spoke with freedom, but he would not be drawn into a discussion on the defence aspect of the proposed BritainNew Zealand service. All he would say was that the service definitely had a bearing on Empire defence; but while the matter of the service was under consideration, he was not in a position to speak of its relation to defence.