CANTERBURY AND MARLBOROUGH.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16933, 7 September 1920, Page 6

CANTERBURY AND MARLBOROUGH.

« . I FELICITATIONS BY AIR. ■ J — Having successfully flown froja " Christehurch to Wellington, Captain f Euan Dickson completed his return flight yesterday morning, when ho arrived at Sockburn from Kaikoura, wit!i two bags of mail for the Postal Department. The journey from Kaikolira was commenced at 10 o'clock, and completed at 11.55 o'clock. Captain Dickson, who had with him Mr J. E. Moore as mechanic, and Mr A. W. Buxton 03 passenger, was welcomed at tho Sockburn aerodrome ■'by tho Mayor, tho Town Clerk (Mr H. It. Smith), tho Chief Postmaster (Mr R. D. Kelly), tho Telegraph Superintendent (Mr F. C. Hawley), the chief of the mail staff (Mr J. Collins), the chairman of directors of tho Canterbury Aviation Company (the Hon. H. F. Wigram), the doputy-chainnan (Mr C. H. Hewlett), the chairman and organiser of tho Pro- J gress League (Messrs A. G. Henderson i and P. R. Climie), and various others. | Captain D. "W. Gray, with Mr George ! Rhodes as iwsscri? 01 . flew to meet the ?• home-comers, who were accorded- a I hearty welcome. Tho Mayor extended ' '* his congratulations to Captain Dickson, .< Air Moore, and tho Aviation Company, It and reference was made by the Mnyoi . i and bv Air Wigram to tho fine initial V work 6f the late Mr O. M. Hill in tho 1 interests of tho company. I Captain Dickson brought the following letter to the Alayor from the Deputy-Alayor of Blenheim (Mr V. D. Pike) :— "Permit me, through the medium * f this first air wail between Blenheim and-Chrht-church, to send municipal greetings and eon. gratulations to your city upon the fact that such an opportunity io "available, and to ox* j preFs tho hope that' a permanent service of such a nature will bo roirularly available from day to day in tho «oar future". It is by com- I mon consent agreed that the failure of the, Government to complete tho Main Trunk lin*> has resulted in the complete isolation of thi* province, whilst almost every other portion o! the Dominion has benefited by means of intercommunication. Anything which tends to remove that isolation is, without doubt, _a matter which we should encourage. I einoeryly hope that work upon the Main Trunk line will shortly bo resumed, and carried on continuously thereafter to completion, and I trust that you will continue to do all ihM is possible to impress upon the Government tho necessity which urgently exiflte for tie epocdy construction of such railway until tq» object is an occompliahed faot." Tho Mayor of Picton, (Mr G. .T. Riddle) sent tho following letter to Dr. Thacker. per Captain Dickson:— "The differences of travel have kept »W*J two places which should, lonjf ago, hav» been connected by rail, to the benefit of both.' 1 trust that the object lesion afforded' by V» easy passing of Captain Dickson's air »«<*»• between tho centres of Canterbury an* Marlborough will serve to emphasise .their aejal proximity, and hasten tho completion of ifio lino." Mr P. R. Climie, organiser of the Canterbury Progress League, received the following letter from Mr W. Lowson, organiser of tho Marlborough Chamber of Commerce:-— "Aorial greeting! Captain Dickjon i> carrying a mail with him on hw return w Christehurch, via Kaikoura, to-morrow, ana I tako this opportunity of expressing■ tw hope that, now that the proximity of CW*Jchutch to Blenheim ha« been exemplified, Canterbury and Marlborough will, ere long, be brought into closer touch than theyWve been in the past. The distance from Blenheim to Chmtchurch, via Wellington, » * formidable bar to closer relatione. Atfiu travel for the masses is, of course, ft »*« W J for tho distant future, but the completion! or the South Island Main Trunk railway ?<*>» mean a very great deal to the inhabitants 01 both provincca, ond also the Dominion 8* * whole."