SINGAPORE SECTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 35, 11 February 1936, Page 9

SINGAPORE SECTION

AUSTRALIA'S STAND

TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE

Up till now few details that would explain the stand taken by the Australian Government in declining to accept in full the Imperial Airways' proposal for the Empire mail service, England to Australia, have been available, therefore very great interest attaches to the statement made by the Australian Minister of Defence (Mr. Archdale Parkhill) on February 3, received by yesterday's mail. Emphasising that Australia wanted to play its full part in Empire air schemes, but .considered that internal development must come first, the Minister said that two points against the British scheme were that the control of the Darwin-Singapore route was commercially and strategically vital to Australia, and that the inland route to Darwin was of greater strategic importance than the coastal route suggested by Britain. He outlined reasons for the Government's rejection of the proposals,' and announced the following plans of immediate development:— 1. Reduction in surcharge on overseas letters from Is 6d to 6d —part of the alternative suggestions to the British Government, on which a reply is now awaited. 2. Reduction in transit time between Singapore and Brisbane from four to three days, as soon as additional route beacons and aerodrome lighting, for which preliminary technical investigation is now being made, are available for night flights. 3. Affording fullest possible encouragement to civil aviation "because of the important part it must play in defence," and as an adjunct to the development of isolated outback areas. 4. Improving the speed, frequency, and carrying capacity of both internal and overseas services. 5. Interesting local government authorities in the preparation and development of landing grounds, with the aid of expert officials made available by the Government, outside key routes —with 230 aerodromes —for which the Government assumes sole responsibility. 6. Merging companies operating in New Guinea into one company operating under strict Government control. Announcing the Government's move to secure .the surcharge reduction, Mr. Parkhill said that the basic feature of the British proposal, with a ten-day schedule reduced to seven days as the route was equipped and organised, was to carry all mails at a rate approximating that charged for sea transportation. As an essential of this service by large flying-boats, the scheme contemplated the pooling of the resources of Dominion companies under the control of Imperial Airways. PROBLEMS FOR COMMONWEALTH. "In its present form, the scheme presents certain important problems from the Commonwealth's viewpoint," said Mr. Parkhill. "The carriage of the large loads comprised in total firstclass mail involves costs conceivably beyond the Australian Treasury at this juncture. "There are doubts of the wisdom of relinquishing fully Australian control of the service through Australia and on to Singapore, as Australia is definitely interested, both commercially and stategically, in the route to Singapore. "Introduction of flying-boats, also, would necessitate preparing a new seaplane route in the Gulf of Carpentaria and between Townsville and Sydney, and have an effect on the development of the inland land aeroplane route to Darwin— already partly developed and strategically more important. "The question is one of Australian control, and of speed—and the speed of the flying-boats is, in the eyes of many, quite inadequate for a trunk service of such importance." Australia, said Mr. Parkhill, was first among the Dominions to establish her

own flying arm of the defence forces — Die A.F.C., prominent on all fronts in the Great War. Today she was the second greatest flying country in the world —second only to the U.S.A. With names on her roll of famous sons, such as Ross Smith, Keith Smith, Hinkler, Hawker, Ulm, and Kingsford Smith, Australia had a unique record in the pioneering of civil aviation. AUSTRALIA'S AIR FUTURE. "If not confined and restricted by outside arrangements, and if free to use the latest machines and improvements, Australia is destined to make further extraordinary progress," added Mr. Parkhill. Negotiations were now afoot which he hoped would result in the early establishment of a comprehensive, extensive industry for the manufacture of air-frames, and subsequently of engines and spares. Australian materials would be developed and used exclusively. He reiterated that the Government now places no obstruction to the importation of American aircraft, since there was no reason to doubt its airworthiness, provided special requirements were met, but licences were Issued only for new aircraft. TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE. New Zealand is vitally interested in the whole question, for, although it has been stated in cables from overseas that the action of the Australian Government in declining Imperial Airways' proposals has ended the posibility of a trans-Tasman service this or next year, this does not necessarily follow, for full plans. for a Tasman service, to operate within twelve months, have been drawn up by the Trans-Tasman Air Service Development Co., Ltd., of Sydney, and these were laid before the Government by the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith prior to his sailing for England to start on his last unsuccessful flight to Australia. These proposals were again put before the present Government in a slightly modified form by Mr. B. T. Sheil, a director of the company, last month. WELLINGTON A TERMINAL? The company proposed to operate large Sikorsky flying-boats on a twiceweekly service from Sydney, and a point of particular interest is that for the first time Wellington has been mentioned as a possible terminal. Although it is considered that Auckland offers the best terminal for aircraft operation if, for internal reasons, the Government desires to establish an alternate air service to Wellington, alternate flights direct to Wellington would be made in the initial stages of the company's service to investigate the possibilities of permanent regular operation over that route. If Wellington were permanently included in the schedule, with flights alternating between Wellington and Auckland, this would not affect direct and efficient connection with the Pan-American Pacific service to Auckland. The plans placed before, Cabinet were for a six-year service, to be modified to suit changed mail requirements, as, for instance, if all first-class mails came to be carried by air. Mr. Sheil himself has always believed that ultimately Wellington will be1 an important flying-boat port, for the present operational difficulties caused by weather conditions will be largely cli^ounted by improved machines. Mr. Sheil maintains —and in this he has the support of a large section of public opinion both in New Zealand and Australia—that the moral rights of those interests who have pioneered aviation in the Tasman must be recognised when the regular service is established. It is understood that Captain P. G. Taylor, who was the co-pilot to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith on several of his great flights and for some years has been technical adviser to the companies of which the late airman was managing director, will shortly visit New Zealand to discuss the technical problems involved in the establishment of a flying boat service between Australia' and New Zealand. THE MACHINES PROPOSED. The four-engined Sikorsky flying boats proposed are of the type made world-famous by the Pan-American "Brazilian Clipper," which towards the end of last year made the first great ocean flight from San Francisco to Manila, a distance of 9000 miles, of which the greatest stage was the first section from California to Hawaii, 2400 miles. The range of the Sikorsky, therefore, is amply great for a Tasman crossing under the most adverse weather conditions. It is likely .• that a Sikorsky flying boat will be used by Pan-American Airways on the pioneer flight from California to Auckland, probably before the end of this year.