The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 7th, 1939. NOT AIR-MINDED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 46, 7 August 1939, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, AUGUST 7th, 1939. NOT AIR-MINDED

"WHAKATANE is definitely not air-minded" declared a recetit visitor to the town who qualified his statement by asserting that from the contacts he had made, locally, he had been astounded at the small interest taken by the citizens in this very vital service- Towns which were not taking the opportuntiy of pressing their claims as air-ports, would in his opinion be, missed entirely from the aero map, the all-important transport and passenger plan of the future which was now in the process of preparation. It should not be necessary to reiterate the wonderful benefits which would follow the establishment of an aerodrome or even of a landing field for Whakatane. It is only necessary to make a start in some direction to obtain recognition and better still to have a 'leg in' with the aviation plans for the future. The BEACON is fully aware of the fact that there are already two alternatives under consideration, and that the subject is by no means a new one to Whakatane. The dan- | ger is however the length of time which has elapsed since the project was first 'under consideration.' Already a drift seems to have set in, and in dealing with Government Departments a 'drift' is a notorious prelude, to official shelving, which is little removed from indefinite postponement. It is therefore immediately necessary to stop the rot in this direction and by vigorous agitation, and awakening of public, opinion, indicate to the authorities the urgency of/establishing an aerodrome without delay. The Government's avowed policy is to lend the utmost encouragement to aviation. This precedent may be exploited' to the full. In a town of growing importance an aerodrome: is a first line necessity. The signal success that attended the Chamber of Commerce, meeting for the purpose of eliciting the opinion of the townspeople with reference to the course of the East Coast Main Highway, should be an incentive to other sections of the public weal. Why not foster the project of a new aerodrome. It is only necessary to pool the strengths of all interested groups and then by vigorous representation and active assistance in a practical manner demonstrate the force of argument behind the demand. If Whakatane is to be in line with other centres, it will be necessary to cater for the air service, which is accepted the world over as the coming means of conveyance.