BABY PASSENGERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 165, 13 July 1940, Page 8

BABY PASSENGERS

AEROPLANE TRIPS.

REFUGEES FROM FAR EAST.

NEW LUXURY LINERS,

(Special.—By Air Mail.)

SYDNEY, July 10.

Developments in shipping and air services have brought home to Australians the fact that the Far East, whore trouble is threatened, is really quite close to Australia by modern means of transport. Last week a party of French refugees from Indo China, including a baby, arrived in Australia by a Dutch 'plane which had been specially chartered. This week Mrs. Abbott, wife of the Government medical officer in Hongkong, Dr. Terence Abbott, and her three-weeks-old baby also arrived by air—the first evacuees from Hongkong. Mrs. Abbott went straight from a maternity hospital to board a 'plane for Bangkok, where she and the baby transferred to the flying boat from Singapore. The baby travelled in a specially made travelling bassinet—the silk lined half of a wicker suitcase. It was announced only to-day that as a result of war changes, three of the most luxurious liners in the world will shortly enter the regular AustraliaDutch Indies service. They are the 15,000ton motor vessels Boissevain, Ruys and Tegelberg, owned by the Royal Dutch Packet Line. The first two will replace the Xieuw Holland and Xieuw Zeeland in the Java-Australia service. The Tegelberg will replace the Tasman on the South Pacific run. These new liners will bring wealthy evacuees from the East to Australia. The ships were completed just before the war broke out, and are the last word in marine luxury. They carry only 80 first saloon passengers. Every cabin has a private bathroom and the de luxe suites have a large lounge, double bedroom, baggage room and private sports deck. Dutch Air Offer. Some criticism of the Federal Government has been expressed this week because although Australia has now only one overseas air mail service weekly, an offer made by the K.X.I.L.M. on June 14 to conduct a second weekly service has not been accepted. The Dutch Airline did not ask for a subsidy and agreed that the service could be discontinued any time the Government desired. (Jan tag Kmpire Airways, who conduct the Sydney-Singapore section of the Empire air mail route, are subsidised to the extent of £40,000 a year by Australia, but instead of the three services weekly, which were operating, they now conduct only one. The Postmaster-General. Mr. Thorby, in reply to the criticism, stated that the flying boats were capable of carrying all outward mails offering from Australia. Ho pointed out that the Dutch Airline was being allowed to carry passengers to Darwin, although the agreement with the Commonwealth permitted them to carry passengers only beyond Australia. Newspapers and various organisations, including the International Peace Campaign, have also been criticising the Federal Government for not extending the courtesy of an invitation to PanAmerican Airways to make a courtesy flight to Sydney on the inauguration of their San Francisco-Auckland service. It is known that such an inviiation would be appreciated by the company, and the only reason that has been advanced for the lack of it is fear of fostering competition with Tasman Airways. It is pointed out that failure to extend this courtesy to the American company comes badly at a time when Australia has just recently sent her first overseas Minister to Washington, and when events in the Pacific are making her feel the need of strong friends. After the suspension of the Mediterranean section of the Empire flying boat route. Mr R. T. H. Lowry. well-known Xew Zealand grazier, and Mr. C. Mackay, prominent Melbourne business man, each paid £004 to get to England in a hurry by air by another route in 10 days. The fare covered Qantas flying boat to Singapore, land 'plane to Hongkong. China Clipper to San Francisco, land 'plane to Xew York. Boeing Clipper to Lisbon and British land 'plane to western England. The fare by the old Empire air route was £ISO.