CITY AIRPORT

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 142, 17 June 1932, Page 5

CITY AIRPORT

CHARGES AND RETURNS

AGREEMENT WITH CLUB

CONCESSIONS GRANTED

-The City Council last evening agreed' to'a new scale of charges for the use ©£th 6 Bongotai Aerodrome by the Wellington 'Aero; Club.- The concessions will amount to over £200 per annum.

■^The"; Eeseryes Committee reported that a round table conference'was held with representatives of the club to discuss the charges, and submitted the following proposals:-— -." ':'■'". •■"■■

"(a) That'the charge to the .Welling- ■ ton. Aero Club by way of rental be J|4oo"per annum forfive 'planes, plug an additional £50 per annum for each, 'plane over five. .' '; . :-.•:•■ -/(b)- That the club's 'planes bo landed at Bongotai, free, but that the usual charge'be made for visiting 'planes. That <slub members be admitted to the aerodrome free of charge, and bY permitted to take on to the ground not more than'two friends in anyone day : without charge. :" ; .*,:(&). That -club members ■be permitted to park.their cars at the aero-' drome fr.ee' of 'chaTge, '■'•'■ v ' ■ J;'(e)' Thiit the ; council retain^ control of . the 'petrol "} piunps and supply:. the Aero Club and other 'planes with pettol required; ' -

' (f) That the club be charged 2d per gallon-'for petrol, over; and .above the price., paid ,for same by the Corporation.' .. ■■.*■•: ' ■ ' •■.-.■

(g) That the club be consulted before any further facilities are given to gliding clubs to use the aerodrome.

aerodrome, said Councillor P. Meadowc'rof t, chairman of the committee, was built as a city aerodrome, not for the'Aero'Club, and in time he believed that it would be profitable, though he d.id riot personally think, that tjlie '■ provision of an aerodrome '■■ was a municipal, responsibility. The concession made to the club would amount to over £200. ■;•--■'. ■ ■'-.. , .;

'•, Mr..Hislop: "That only means that yjou have" come down £200 from you* original proposals." . The anticipated revenue from all sources, continued Councillor Meadowcroft,. /was £635, and the estimated expenditure, including maintenance of grounds, pump attendance, telephone, hangar cleaning, etc.> would also amount/.to £635. . :

CONTROL' OP: PETEOL PXJMPS. '

The Mayor: "The real reason why you-want to: retain control of the'petxpl pumps is that-you get supplies for «rdmary purposes at wholesale rates." ; Councillor" Meadowcroft replied that s Mme snppUes were so obtained,-but the same rate could be had from other counciljpumps..1 The committee was anxious that the council should retain control of the aerodrome.

What was to:prevent -the club .running the pumps and giving the council accessary supplies, asked Councillor ■w. Appleton.. The cost of the collection of the many small fees would be greater than the. fees received; .therefore, why not let the club-carry out servicing of 'planes and pumps and receive the ■ benefit ■'of-: .wholesale rates for petrol? Otherwise he thought the terms suggested reasonable. ■;Councillor W. H. Bennett asked for more figures. What . did it cost to collect the'fees? - . i -Councillor S. Holm thought, too, that the comioil would be better off finan-cially-lfxthe club was given control of pnmpj;;and -servicing?^—:irf y-~~~ ■■■ ..*.-■ j ■ ._ Councillor J. IT. Wallace moved that the club should be given control of the pumpsj and the collection of admission and-landing,fees; and that the council employee at the ground should be relieved "of his duties. ' ■ -Councillor H. A. Huggins supported that proposal. The Aero Club would do the work for nothing, and would do it more' efficiently. There was no need to keep a council employee in an expensive" bungalow at the aerodrome when' there' was little doubfc; that an official of .the club would be ready to rent it. ■ ■ ;

- The council would still retain full control of the ground, th© Mayor explained, and the club would undertake all servicing. Councillor Gaudin spoke against landing over the control of the ground ■to the club. •

".<.;> The proposal, if not the ; complete surrender of the ground to the club was the thin edge of the wedge, said Councillor Semple. He did not think JRongotai was a suitable location for an aerodrome, arid the sooner the aeroplaneß, used by a very few, were turned wit .and the area turned over to reserves .-the better. He was opposed to handling over any rights whatever to the 'club. '

t Councillor Burns said that the club :'had assured councillors that it had no -desire to assume complete control ,;of •the grounds. Control of the pump was not control of the, grounds. . Councillor Wallace's amendment was "lost, and the scale as proposed was approved, with the amendment that the .club is to be. charged Id per gallon ;<m petrol over the price % paid by the council (instead of the 2d suggested), Except for commercial flights.