RECONSIDERATION URGED

Evening Star, Issue 22086, 20 July 1935, Page 22

RECONSIDERATION URGED

PALMERSTON N. CALL BY GREAT PACIFIC PLANES PRECEDENT DUCTED [Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 19. An application for an amendment to the recent decision of the Transport Co-ordination Board, which excluded Palmerston North from the trunk air route of the Great Pacific Airways (N.Z.) Ltd., has been forwarded to the board by Mr Trevor S. Withers, organiser of the company! The decision to make the application followed receipt of information which, according to Mr G. W. Hutchison, chairman of directors of Aviation Development Ltd., made it clear.that the.final,decisions of the board relative to air service licenses, were capable of amendment, by the board, although apparently no appeal could be made against such decisions. - Information was received hyV the directors to-day that the board had recently amended its final decision relative to the license "ranted to the Union Airways Ltd., by including Blenheim as a port of call upon that company’s air route. Mr Hutchison said this amendment was made by tho simple expedient of a board minute, and the Union Airways will accordingly now be allowed to include Blenheim as an airport upon its Palmerston North-Dunedin service instead of having to operate a direct service between Palmerston North and Christchiirch as provided in the board’s original decision. . .. “ . ' ' “ The precedent thus created by tho board,” said Mr Hutchison, “ establishes beyond all doubt the fact that the board can, if it deems such course to be in the public interest, give further consideration to the inclusion of Palmerston North upon the trunk route of the Great Pacific Airways, and that it can by ' a minute amend its recent decision in this connection and include Palmerston North in the Great Pacific .Airways license. The directors accordingly instructed Mr Withers to apply to the board immediately with a view to’having the question of Palmerston North further investigated at a public sitting of the board.” He added-that he was confident that the board, would, in view of tho many and emphatic protests voiced, at the exclusion of Palmerston North from the Auckland-Dunedin air route, be .prepared to, give the question further investigation. Since those interested in the Groat pacific Airways did not oppose the amendment of the board’s final decision relating to the inclusion of Blenheim in the Union Airways route, they suggested that no opposition by;the Union Airways Ltd. in regard to Palmerston North . should now be expected.