AIRFIELDS FOR U.S. FORCES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23883, 27 February 1943, Page 4

AIRFIELDS FOR U.S. FORCES

NEW ZEALAND’S PART PRIME MINISTER’S COMMENT (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. February 26. A comment on statements by Mr Melvin J. Maas, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives, was made to-night by the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon, P. Fraser), who said he had considered it necessary to check the accuracy of‘reports, and that he had now been informed that Mr Maas had. in -fact, alleged that New Zealand had built 105 airfields in New Zealand out of reverse lease-lend.

This was. of course, entirely incorrect, said Mr Fraser. While there were 105 airfields of varying size in New Zealand, when war broke out in 1939 many of these were merely landing grounds suitable only for the operation of light aircraft and too small for modern combat types. The Government had, therefore, immediately embarked on a programme of airfield construction which provided for completion of a number of airfields of modern design and for the enlargement of a number of others. Tht total number of airfields constructed in New Zealand since September. 1939. was six, and the number enlarged to meet modern operational requirements was 12. A small number of these were provided with certain facilities to United States specifications, the work consisting largely of alterations and additions on existing aerodromes which had already been well provided with necessary buildings. New Zealand had not. in fact, said Mr Fraser, made any reverse leaselend charge for airfields constructed in the Dominion.