PACIFIC AIR ROUTE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 145, 20 June 1936, Page 9

PACIFIC AIR ROUTE

PAN-AMERICAN LINE PREPARATIONS PROGRESSING NEW YORK, June 18. Further inquiries into the reported postponement of the starting of the America-New Zealand air line indicate that it is contrary to fact. Colonel Clarence Young, who is in charge of the Pan-American Airways' trans-Pacific service at San Francisco, said that preparations were progress- : ing, and indicated that the South Pacific plans were awaiting, the comple- : tion of the present oriental route in ' August. ! Reports from Honolulu also indicate 1 that the Pan-American Airways' supply ship North Haven will shortly begin further preparation of PanAmerican bases for the proposed Hono-lulu-New Zealand route, visiting Kingman's Reef and other sites in August. There is also a report current that the Suva Government has invited PanAmerican Airways" to us» its landing facilities. A representative of the Department , of Commerce, Mr. W. Miller, arrived at ' Honolulu today to organise a new expedition to the South Pacific islands to collect weather data to be made available to the Honolulu-New Zealand air line. Mr. Miller said that within a month he would board the cutter Itasca for Baker, Howland, and Jarvis islands to establish stations for upper air weather observations. Personnel s would be left on the islands, probably c for a year. c _ c A New York cable dated May 6, referring to published reports in Australia that the extension of the commercial air service from Honolulu to £ New Zealand had been postponed, stated that Pan-American Airways had informed the Australian Associated J! Press agency that the negotiations with t the New Zealand Government were _ not completed, and therefore any reference to the inauguration of the service was premature. It was stated that i a considerable amount of technical work in surveying the route had been accomplished, and the hope was expressed that the starting of operations 5 would not be unduly delayed.