TASMAN AIR LINE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 292, 9 December 1936, Page 7

TASMAN AIR LINE.

NO PROGRESS YET. Agreement on Control Methods Essential. AUSTRALIA'S REQUIREMENTS. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 11.30 a.m.) CANBERRA, this clay. The Federal Cabinet yesterday gave consideration to the proposed air mail service between Australia and New Zealand. £ It was stated after an adjournment that little progress can be made until the three Governments concerned—the British, Australian and New Zealand — agree on the precise form of control. The Federal Government intends to insist that the service shall be available

to passengers as well as mails, and will also insist that the personnel of the service be recruited in Australia, and that there should be effective control in Australia. BASE AT DARWIN. REPLACING WEIHAIWEI. LONDON, December 5. There is a possibility that the question of whether Darwin would be more suitable than Weiliaiwei (Shantung) as a summer base for the China Squadron will be discussed in the near future, possibly during the Imperial Conference. It is clear that in the event of a surprise attack on Weiliaiwei, the British squadron could be bottled up by hostile warships and aircraft and virtually destroyed before it could escape to Hongkong or Singapore. On the contrary, Darwin would be much more suitable for the navy's strategical requirements, as it could not easily be taken by surprise, being outside any foreign Power's practicable operating range. British naval authorities already regard Darwin as Singapore's auxiliary base, as, with Trincomalee, in southern India, it forms a strong triangle that would prevent an Asiatic fleet gaining access to the Indian Ocean. The establishment of a base at Darwin would provide a welcome opportunity for combined manoeuvres by the China, East Indies, Australian and New Zealand squadrons and would constitute closer liaison between the Empire forces in the Pacific.