VALUE OF AIR TRAVEL

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21334, 29 November 1934, Page 10

VALUE OF AIR TRAVEL

SERVICE ON WEST COAST VISITORS VERY FAVOURABLY, IMPRESSED "There are three sights in the South Island that are worth coming all the way from England to see and that will stay in my mind for ever—the flight over the Alps from Hokitika to Christchurch, which has not its equal in all Europe, the view up the Fox Glacier from an aeroplane with bush-covered slopes reaching up to snowy peaks, and Golden Sands Bay in Nelson, which is magnificent in the sunlight, excelling the Bay of Naples," said Mr A. A. King, a prominent Birmingham business man, yesterday. Mr King, with Dr. Howard W. SLrong, of Australia, has just finished a five day business trip on the West Coast, in which an aeroplane was used for travelling. j In that time they covered more than 1000 miles in the Canterbury Aero Club's Fox Moth piloted by Mr J. C. Mercer.

"I have travelled all over Europe by aeroplane and have not found a pilot better than Mr Mercer, nor have I had more comfortable or expeditious travel. I really believe that he could perch an aeroplane on the dome of St. Paul's if he set out to do it. I look upon him as the pioneer of transport aviation in this country," continued Mr King. In the particular part of the north of the island that they wished to visit it would have taken them about Ave days on the journey—two on horseback, one by train, and then two more by road. By aeroplane a little more than two hours and a half had been spent.

The lack of wide landing grounds that could be used in any wind was criticised by Mr King. On one occasion they had very important business to transact in the Nelson province, but it happened that the landing ground when they got there was too narrow to allow them to land and take off again with a cross wind, and they had to go somewhere else. This meant that the man they were going to see had to drive 90 miles to meet them. They were in New Zealand to investigate the possibilities of establishing a new industry in the country, and they were now quite satisfied that they could not havq done without Mr Mercer and the aeroplane. The weather while they were on the West Coast was good and they saw all the scenery to the best advantage. Both were emphatic that it was some of the finest that they had seen, and Mr King said that the trip had saved him so much time that he was going back there for a week's holiday, as he was so much impressed by it. "You are handicapping your industries by not providing first-class landing grounds over the country," continued Mr King. "I am satisfied that aerial travel and transport will ultimately become the foremost means in New Zealand, and Mr Mercer has done more to impress this on the minds of the people than any other man.

"We have done in four days what would have taken a fortnight any other way. We have not been bustling but just putting our business through. We have seen country unknown to the ordinary traveller and in perfect comfort. We told Mr Mercer that we wanted to see some bush and he showed us 400 miles of it." he continued.

The perfect tourist trip as suggested by Dr. Strong was a flight from Wellington to Picton. round the sounds and down to the West Coast to the glacier. From there he would recommend the trip across the Alps to Christchurch. They had found the service car very efficient and good, but it simply did not. offer the sights to the traveller that the aeroplane did. The roads in the district were not gcod and in the air travel was dust and dirt free. Both admitted that the thermal regions in the North Island offered unusual attractions to the tourist, and considered that the remoteness of Westland prevented many visitors from fjoing there. By road the sight-seeing took too long to cover, but this was now overcome with aeroplane transport.

"It appears that the weather lends itself to aerial transport in New Zealand, and especially on the West Coast, and I can see that it soon must become the only means. In the remotest parts of the West. Coast. Mr Mercer was welcomed as a friend. All knew him as their connecting link with civilisation." continued Mr King. He stated that they had intended to "do the Milford track walk by air." but the weather had not allowed if. .tSolh Mr King and Dr. Strong will leave for Dunedin to-day. They said that they would have done thin journey by aeroplane, but Mr Mercer had a previous engagement. Any of the remainder of their journey that could be done by aeroplane they intended to do by that means. The cost of the I rip was also commented on by Mr King, who said thai it was 110 more expensive than road travel when the money saved in hotel expenses was considered.