AIR SERVICES ON FARMS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27075, 25 June 1953, Page 8

AIR SERVICES ON FARMS

AUTHORITY DEFINES TOPDRESSING DECISION IN TIMARU CASE (New Zealand Press Association) TIMARU, June 24. ■ , Thls authority regards the aerial industry, particularly the topdressing phase of it, as of paramount importance to the farming industry and consequently to the country,” said the chairman of the Air Services Licensing Authority (Mr E. D. Blundell?, when he announced a decision today on an application by Auster Airviews. Ltd., of Timaru, to add two Auster aircraft to its existing fleet for topdressing and farm services. The company was granted two additional licences for flying operations other than aerial topdressing as defined by the authority, a licence to carry out a non-scheduled passenger and freight service from the Hermitage aerodrome to any licensed aerodrome in New Zealand, and a further licence to carry out aerial day and night advertising, also anywhere in New Zealand.

As far as the actual topdressing portion of the application was concerned. objections by other operators were justified, Mr Blundell said. It was auite clear that they did not have full utilisation of their aircraft. There was no evidence of complaint against thejr work, and they were ready and willing to take on any additional work. . “We are not satisfied that there 1S J 5 neef i for any additional aircraft and that part of the application is refused,” said the chairman. Growth of Industry “Fertiliser is being dropped throughout New Zealand on places which nave never been able to be got at before,” said Mr Blundell. “The figures for the year ending March, 1952, show that about one-tenth of all the superphosphate dropped in New Zealand was dropped from the air, and it is believed that, when the full figures are available for the following year, about one-seventh of all the fertiliser b , e dropped from the air, and with the industry still expanding, this is some indication of its vital importance to the farmers. “Until this hearing, although we have had dozens of applications before us throughout the country, we have never found any difficulty among the applicants, farmers, or ourselves, as to what we mean by aerial topdressmg, but there seems some need to define it in more particular terms,” Mr Blundell said.

The basic purpose of dropping fertiliser is to promote growth, but the purist may well extend that to the dropping of minerals, trace elements, and say. everything that is fertiliser. For our purposes, it may not necessarily be the same as farmers, stock ana station agents, and others regard it, Mr Blundell said. “We say there is topdressing when you drop superphosphates in any form, concentrated or otherwise, lime, or some nitrogenous fertiliser. If in dropping some of these, you include, as is frequently the case, seed or fertiliser trace elements. that also amounts to topdressing, but if you drop seed or trace elements not mixed with fertiliser, then it is not topressing from our point of view. “We affirm that there is no restriction upon the dropping of anything which is not topdressing,” said Mr Bb’ndell. The topdressing industry had become a permanently-established business. and the majority of operators had incurred high capital outlay in the purchase of aircraft and ground equipment, in addition to employing permanent pilots, he said. If uncontrolled development was allowed, inevitably there would be a tendency toward seasonal work, with a result that men and equipment would become idle in the off-season. Referring to the powers of the authority, Mr Blundell said that its members were governed bv statute “Let it be clearly understood that the members of this authority are averse in principle to any unneces--1 sary restrictions on private enterprise or the creating or encouraging of 1 monopolies, but at the same time we must have regard to the public interest.” Mr Blundell said. Maintenance of Stability “When it comes to reconciling on ■ the one hand the rise of private en- : terprise and the rise of the individual with the public interest on the other hand, we have come to the conclusion

that the matter that is of paramount importance is the stability and proper development of the indushy. and we have laid down principles which are general and not exhaustive—

“(1) That the applicant must show he can or has obtained new business other than at the expense of existing operators: or that “(2) Existing licensees in an area are not giving a full service: or that "(3) Farmers or other interested persons in the area have reasonable grounds for complaint against the existing services. “The authority always must be satisfied by evidence, and must not be expected to speculate on possibilities, Mr Blundell said. The authority, which was sitting m Timaru for the first time, comprised, in addition to the chairman, Grouo Capt^ n t. W. White and Mr W. HNarxervis. Mr R. R. Roberts was secretary to the authority. Objections to the portion of Auster Airviews’ application relating to topdressing and farm services were lodged bv Willmott’s Aerial Toodressing Company (Mr B. J. Peg’I®’’ 1 ®’’ Airwork (N.Z.), Ltd., and Aerial Sowing (Canterbury), Ltd. The two testnamed objectors were represented y Mr W. G. P. Cuningham. of Chris - church. Proceedings were w . a tcn on behalf of Southern Scenic Air oe. ' vices. Ltd., Queenstown, by Mr EHarvie.