Most Important Air Line

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21582, 19 September 1935, Page 6 (Supplement)

Most Important Air Line

The most important of the air services that will definitely be operating soon in the Dominion has been left to the last to describe here. Because It will be the main air line in the country, which East Coast Airways—if it is extended to Palmerston North—and Cook Strait Airways will serve, it is known as the trunk air service. When it begins it will go as far north as Palmerston North, and as far south as Dunedin, but it is possible, and indeed probable, that before many years have passed it will be extended to cover almost the whole length of the country, from Auckland to InvercargilL uast week we saw how some of the most progressive surface transport companies in the country were now becoming interested in aviation, and were combining to operate services. This ease Is even more striking, for the company which will run the trunk service is Union AirWays, whieh is owned by the Union Steam Ship Company. The Union Company owns the ships which are used in the steamer express service between Wellington and Lyttelton, and it another company ran the air service it would be competing with the shipping service ana possibly damaging the company. The company has protected itself by buying aeroplanes. It may seem strange to you that Palmerston North has been chosen as the northern terminus of the service, but there is a very good reason for it. A passenger leaving Palmerston North I as early as possible In the morn- . fng will be in any South Island town long before meleaving-j Auckland equally early. Naturally you will say, "But how is that going to help the ™ an * ro t m ine Auckland?" The important thing - to him, if he is a business man, is that he should get from Auckland to, say, Chfistchurch with as little loss as possible of business tone. Probably he does not mind whether he flies all the way or not By this arrangement he leav f Auckland in the evening of one day-after business hours—by ™S Limited railway express and get out early in the morning at Faim erston North, leaving immediately for the south by air. A man who had hired jmaeroplane in Auckland and left in the early morning would get to Christ church or Dunedin later than the traveller by theservice, and would not have gained anything, JWM would not have been w Auck land for any more business!S In the same way, when the pas senger by the service is returning; helvill be able to theswg late enough to reach only ston NorffiTby dark, and will go on b7 Theteroplane S of the new service will be flying regularly «"***££ before Christmas, if the Presenj plans of the company are carriea OU The technical adviser of «»«»■£ pany, who has been *» "SgfSj selecting the '*mta**L*L J?you C. McGregor, of whom most of you have heark Mr McGregor is one of the best-known Pjh>te to f New Zealand. He went to Englan^» ir g earlv in the war, and learned . vo flfLSre. He went to France and Sroved to be w very fine £»°£j£:

THE TRUNK SERVICE Palmerston North to Dunedin

book "War Birds" is written. When light aeroplanes were introduced about 1928, Mr McGregor began flying regularly again, and took passengers all over New Zealand. Then he operated the first air service between Christchurch and Dunedin, with a DHSO machine which was lent by the Air Force. After that he did more joy-riding, and then he was appointed instructor to the Manawatu Aero Club. At a pageant at Palmerston North he had an accident in which he was very badly injured, and he was in hospital for months. He had been flying again only for a little while when his aero club entered

I a-machine in the Melbourne Centenarv air race and sent him and \mE C. Walker to England to fly the machine. You will not have forgotten their wonderful perfor-man6e-show they finished fifth, well aS of many faster machines, in wf at would have easily been record time fcr the course had it not been fo? the flights of the very mush fastefmachines which beatftemm i the race only by two or three days. ! Mazeppa's Ride Mazeppa was a page at the court of a Polish king in the seventeenth century. He offended a •wealthy. who had the youth bound to the back of a wild horse. With furious speed the horse bore Mazeppa for miles and miles. When at last its strength >ww spent, the honesank to th» ground and died. toe dead animal's back so he had to remain where he was. Havens Qwoooed down, ready to devour he had nothing to eat or "Mazeppa's Ride," descriDes now same Cossacks found Mazeppa_unand nursed him back to cealth. Later they made him their 1645 to 1709.

Children's contributions, apart frnm Tories and poems,, should be don&