PLANS FOR FUTURE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 19, 23 January 1937, Page 8

PLANS FOR FUTURE

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS WIDER EMPIRE SCHEME WHAT OF TASMAN ? The latest gazette of Imperial Airways contains a detailed report of the annual meeting, the twelfth o£ the company. It is too long to be reprinted in full, but there are several sections of moment to this country, for New Zealand hopes to be connected with the greater countries of the world by fast air transport in the near future. But there is not anywhere in the report made by the chairman (Sir Eric Geddes) mention of the extension of the Empire flying-boat service across the Tasman, nor for that matter, any mention of New Zealand. The board recommended the payment of a dividend of 6 per cent., plus a bonus of 2 per cent., and that £65,117 should be carried forward to the current year, and in a note to this recommendation the board remarked that in view of the immense changes probably during the next few years it was more than ever necessary to continue a conservative financial policy. "Quite apart from this, however, international air transport today is the target of a good many ambitions, and if Imperial Airways, which is virtually a national undertaking, is to retain its position in the world it is of paramount importance that the company should have adequate resources behind it. TRAFFIC AND OPERATIONS. In figures and by graphs the report records the great increase in traffic and the wider operations of the past year, largely due to a rise of 78 per cent, in the carriage of Empire air mails, to the doubling of the frequency of the service in the past, and the enterprise of the General Post Office in making substantial reductions in air-mail rates. During the year the company ansl subsidiary. and associated companies flew a total of over 6,500,000 miles. During the current year the figure will probably reach 8,000,000 miles, an average of over 20,000 miles a day. The company and its subsidiaries —but excluding associated companies—carried over 68,000 passengers and nearly 1250 tons of mail, freight, and excess baggage. In 1924-25, the first year of the company's life, the company had 1760 miles of airway in operation. In 1928 this route milage was 2200. In 1930 it was 9300 miles. Early in 1936 it was 19,100. Today Imperial Airways and its subsidiary and associated companies have over 27,000 miles of airway in regular operation. FOITR-ENGINED CRAFT. The chairman then spoke of the new aircraft ordered, the twenty-eight fourengined Empire flying boats and the twelve four-engined Ensign land aeroplanes, representing a capital outlay of approximately £2,000,000, and continued: — "The first of the Empire flying-boats has completed, with outstanding success the Air Ministry trials necessary to obtain a certificate of airworthiness and is now operating on the company's Mediterranean services. A sister ship is about to leave for the Medi-i terranean. As more of these aircraft are delivered we shall be able to carry the whole of the Empire load all the way by air, thus eliminating the use of the train between Paris and Brindisi. "The actual route that will be fol-| lowed by our flying-boats across France and Italy has not yet been finally decided, buf I hope that suitable airports will be made available to us, as the result of negotiations which have been in progress for some time. "I am happy to say that the performance of the flying-boats exceeds our expectations and reflects the greatest credit on the constructors Messrs. Short Brothers. The full speed trial recorded 199J miles per hour. This speed gives us the fastest flying-boats in the world. "The Ensign class land aeroplanes are not quite so far advanced in construction, but the first one should be flying early in the New Year. They are similar in size and performance •characteristics to the flying-boat. LONG-RANGE RESEARCH. "Two of the new flying-boats, namely, the Caledonia and the Cambria, have been fitted with additional fuel capacity and otherwise modified so as to enable them to carry out some research in long-range flying both on the Empire and on the Atlantic routes. Of these, the Caledonia is already flying. "Another boat—the Cavalier—is destined to start the New York-Ber-muda service in the early part of this year and is shortly to be dispatched to Bermuda for that purpose. "The Mercury and the Maia are the combination known as the Mayo Composite Aircraft. They are both approaching completion and experimental flying with this most interesting invention should commence within the next few months. j The report then discussed future developments and the part of the Dominions in the wide airways plan of the company: five services a week to India, three to Malaya, and two to Australia; three weekly to Central Africa, and two services weekly to Durban, which will involve an increase in flying personnel from 96 to 262. "The Union of South Africa and in fact all British Governments on that route were the first to signify their willingness to participate," said the chairman. "They have from the very commencement of our service recognised the importance of unified direction. . . . The arrangements on that route are, therefore, in advance of the India and Australia route, and we expect to be able to have this first stage of the scheme complete by April or May." UNIFIED CONTROL WANTED. It is no secret at all that the desire of Australia and New Zealand to play an active part in the management of the southern sections of the Empire service was a main topic of discussion at the recent air conference at Wellington, attended by representatives of the British and Australian Governments. No statement of the cases put forward by the Australian and New Zealand Governments has so far been made, but the view of the Imperial Airways directorate was stated by the chairman: "In co-operating with the Government in putting this great plan into practical effect, we have done our best to meet the views of those Dominions who wish to participate in the scheme to a greater degree than taking the role of a mere contributor. But as I have emphasised for many years past, these long Empire routes are really unworkable if divided into sections with separate control, each with different ideas and a different policy in view. "Each Dominion has its own particular problems which must necessarily loom large in their eyes and it is not unnatural that the problems of others are less readily recognised. Nevertheless, divided responsibility on our vital trunk air lines would inevitably affcct 1o a serious extent the good will of our Empire trade routes. Those foreign lines, which are directed and