Wellington As Port Of Call

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 71, 25 March 1935, Page 5

Wellington As Port Of Call

Last-minute representations were oade by the Wellington City Council to the Transport Co-ordination 3oard as to the necessity for the inclusion of Wellington as a port of call in the main trunk air route* The chairman of the board, air Stephen Allen, remarked strongly on the fact that the City Council had not taken advantage of the ample opportunity given to local bodies to make earlier representations* saying that the council had shown a complete lack of consideration for the convenience of the board; he trusted that the statement' would prove to be of some value. Seven points were made by the council, as foliov.a:The population of Wellington and environs ial 150,.000. Wellington is the seat of Government and frequently it is urgently necessary for those in reuott areas to wait on the Government and return in the shortest possible time* It is also the centre of large businesses and is the best centre for fertncesIn tine or war trunk pilots should have- full experience of Wellington's airport. Tourists arrive at Wellington or Auckland; a transhipment en route would nullify any advantages of flying portion of the way. Bongotai has a licence for all types of aircraft ana gave ample landing length for the Southern Cross type. A total of £35«000 naa Deen spent on Rongotai and more vail be expended when tr.e city i 3 convinced that the time has arrived. rfith rapid advances in landing devices, etc.,' it may not be necessary to expend the sum now suggested, £6 0,000. Should that sum be spent it v«ill be possible to have runways of 1100 yards. ' . . • Taxation to provide an airways subsidy will be found largely by v/ellington, and preference should be given to & company-which is prepared to call at WellingtonOn behalf or New Zealand Airways, Ltd., (Dunedin) Mr. K. j. Knight submitted six points to support their claim to the licence. In this statement it was pointed cut that no other applicant had anything to lose if his application failed; in fact neither of the others was yet- in legal existence. New Zealand jiirways had been operating for six years and if its application was rejected an investment of £15,000 would be seriously jeopardised. It was contended that the other applicants proposed schemes and large machines for which the country is not ready, and that neither had specified the type of machine nor called competent technical evidence in support of the general type it favoured. Great lacific Airways* claims we^e put forward by company promoters* The Union Company proposed to wish on t the public an incomplete service and was unquestion* ably seeking to protect its inter-island steamer , traffic and desired to control the development of, J commercial aviation with that end in view. The proposals put forward as to finance, by the other ap», plications involved vested.control, on one hand fron Australia and on the other from.Condon through.a board of dires&ors over whom New Zealand shareholder* have no control. New Zealand Airways proposed mi. tial operation with their own available resources and later the formation of a company wholly controlledr owned, and operated in New Zealand* PALM&RSTON NORTH - DUNEDIN.' / Mr. C-. G. White read part of a letter written by Wing-Commander Grant Dalton in February last, , stating that he had always considered Palmerston Horth the important-centre in the North Island for commercial air service. All parts of the North [island were well.served by rail to Palmeraton North, ! and from there a service by air to the South Island would be ideal, both from the point of view of the travelling public and the organisers of the company itself. He would not call at Wellington to begin with, but would make Palmereton North, Blenheim, Christchurch, and Dunedin the initial route, Timaru to be considered later* New Plymouth and »api«r would of course be joined up later. ICx. T. S. Withers (Great Pacific Airways) said •he regretted that Wing-Commander Grant Dalton was not present for cross-examination, for he would like to cross-examine him on on* point: whether he was not managing director of Bast Coast Airways, a company in which the Union Steamship Cocpany had a controlling . interest. The chairman of the board said that decision would be reserved, and as a, great deal of documentary evidence had to^be considered decision could not be given at a very early date*