HAREWOOD PLANS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25933, 13 October 1949, Page 3

HAREWOOD PLANS

“ DELAYING TACTICS ” VIEWS OF MR J. R. DENCH “It is evident that the job, which in the circumstances could be carried out with expedition, is to be delayed and spread over a long period, notwithstanding repeated assurances that we were to be given an aerodrome up to international standards as soon as possible.” said Mr J. R. Dench, chairman of the Harewood Overseas Air Terminal Committee, yesterday. He was commenting on -recent statements by the Minister in charge of the Air Department (Mr F. Jones) and the Commissioner of Works (Mr E. R. McKillop) concerning plans for the extension of the aerodrome. The reason for the tardiness no doubt lay in the decision of the Government to equip Evans Bay and to operate a trans-Tasman service with Solent flying-boats as soon as operating experience at Evans Bay had been

obtained. Sir Frederick Tymms, in his report of the United Kingdom Civil

Aviation Mission, had said that the expenditure of large capital for the development of Evans Bay as a flyingboat base would not be justified, par-

ticularly because of the doubt whether seaplanes would still be used after the retirement of the Solents, and that for this reason it should be carefully considered whether it would, be justifiable to institute a seaplane service to Wellington with no certainty that the aircraft would be available to operate it for more than five to seven years. In addition to this argument, there was the difficulty likely to arise through conflict of operations between the flying-boat base and the internal aerodrome at Rongotai. when the latter was completed and in full operation.

“This brings us to consideration of a second trans-Tasman service and to the logical choice of Harewood, and it is pertinent to point out that it does appear that the Government, in its anxiety to protect and even temporarily extend its flying-boat service, is prepared to set aside the interests of the South Island and delay completion of the aerodrome to international standards: so that, in effect, the advocacy of the claims of Harewood as an international aerodrome has moved from the develonment o*’ the aerodrome to plans for the transTasman land plane service from the Commonwealth to Christchurch. “The public of lhe southern part of the Dominion must be fully alive to the danger of these further delaving tactics by those in authority.” said Mr Dench. He added that, because of the recent developments, the efforts of the committee would be increased and accelerated.