PIONEER VOYAGERS

Evening Star, Issue 23657, 17 August 1940, Page 20

PIONEER VOYAGERS

CLIPPER’S FIRST PASSENGER FLIGHT ELEVEN U.S. JOURNALISTS ARRIVE I Per United Pkess Association.) AUCKLAND, August 16. The pion.er voyagers on the aerial circuit of tne Paciue journey now made possible by the new air link between Honolulu and Sydney, a party of 11 journalists representative of the whole American Press, arrived at Auckland by the Pan-American Airways California Clipper for a brief stay before dying on to Australia on Sunday and •thence through the Far East and home again by the Central Pacific route. Tho visit of so large a newspaper delegation to New Zealand has not been paralleled since the party of British and Canadian Press leaders, headed by Lord Rumba m, spent about a week in the Dominion on their way to the Empire Press Union Conference in Australia more than 15 years ago. Tho visitors met Auckland journalists at a reception given by the mayor. This was followed by a State dinner at which the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, represented the Government. An uneventful trip in good weather was reported by Captain W. A. Cluthe, master of the Clipper, on arrival from Noumea on the final stage of the transpacific flight this afternoon. Captain Cluthe last visited Auckland in November of last year as master of one of the Boeing Clippers making a survey flight. Regret that the arrival of the flying bout bad been delayed by a day because of a mishap at Canton Island was expressed by Captain Cluthe. He said that little damage was done when tho mast of a launch pierced the fabric covering of one of the ailerons, but he considered it wise to have repairs made immediately, and this resulted in the machine remaining at Canton Island a day longer than the schedule provided. Complete repairs had been made, and it would not bo necessary to do any more work on the aileron in Auckland. Captain Cluthe added that since he was last in New Zealand he had been flying . Clippers on the north Pacific run to the Orient, but he hoped in future to he a regular pilot on the South Pacific route. The Clipper will begin her. return flight to the United States on Sunday morning. Mr H. Gatty, special representative of Pan-American Ariways in New Zealand, will be a passenger for Noumea.

The importance of the occasion to the cause of closer international relations aud the strengthening of the cousinly ties across the Pacific was fully recognised by the Government, which deputed the Minister of Finance (Mr Nash) to come to Auckland and welcome the visitors. This he didl when the Clipper berthed and again at tho State dinner in the evening at the Grand Hotel.

There was a large gathering at the Mechanic’s Bay airport to see the huge flying boat touch down on the harbour at 2.40 p.m. at the end of her voyage from Noumea. When she had been moored at the pontoon and the medical examination was completed. Mr Nash went aboard in company with the Minister of Marine (Dr D. G. M'Millan), and gave the visitors their first official greeting. Among others who joined m the welcome at the base were tho United States Consul-General (Mr L C. Pinkerton), the Canadian Minister to New Zealand (Dr Riddell), and representatives of the Auckland Harbour Board.

At 5 p.rii. the American journalists had the opportunity of meeting nearly the whole literary personnel of the Auckland newspapers as the guests of the mayor (Sir Ernest Davis) at a reception in the City Council Chamber at the Town Hall. Short speeches were made by the mayor. Sir Henry Horton, Sir Cecil Leys, and Mr Nash. The welcome was acknowledged by Mr Roy Howard, the doyen of the American party, and the executive head of the well-known Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. The American journalists will leave for Sydney by the transtasman air liner on Sunday morning. The Americans are a group drawn from the great news agencies—the Associated Press, the United Press, the International News Service, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the North American Newspaper Alliance—and from several internationally known newspapers, including the ‘ New York Times.’ the ‘ Herald-Tribune and World Telegram,’ the ‘ San Francisco Chronicle,’ and the 1 Los Angeles Times.’ Two of them, Mi - Harold Callender and Mr Ansel Talbert, as war correspondents, have seen much of the recent fighting in Europe, and a number of the others have travelled in all parts of the world. Yet, with the exception of three, who own Australia as their birthplace, none of them has ever been in Ijlew Zealand before.

in the course of many conversations witli Auckland journalists the visitors showed themselves eager to gather information about the Dominion, much more so, indeed, than to talk of American affairs. Their greatest interest, it soon appeared, was in New Zealand’s war effort, and when the approximate recruiting figures were given them, they one and all expressed the greatest astonishment that a small country sbouldjbe doing so much. When told that New Zealand had undertaken, to provide 4,000 Air Force personnel of all kinds yearly, they were more amazed than ever. CONFIDENCE IN BRITAIN. All the Press Agency representatives are sending homo messages at frequent intervals, and it is certain that their visit will bring New Zealand under the notice of millions of American readers as never before. The journalists, in addition to sending day-to-day news of their, trip, are also gathering material for feature articles, which will be despatched as the opportunity offers. At to-day’s gatherings the bond of international brotherhood and common ideals was most evident in the ready friendliness that made itself felt from the outset, and the common ground that the Americans and New Zealanders found at once in their conversations. It seemed almost superfluous for the visitors to say, as they did, that intelligent public opinion in their country was wholeheartedly with the British Empire in its life and death struggle. Perhaps even more heartening to those who listened was the absolute confidence that the Americans showed in the ability of Britain to fight and win. One of them remarked, too, that America was Britain’s ally in all but one thing—she was not sending an expeditionary force to Europe. STATE DINNER. “ Whatever you can do to tie us more closely to the United States will bo good for you and perhaps better for us; hut none the less, we hold fast to the tie to the United Kingdom that can never be broken.” said the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, at the State

dinner in honour of the visiting jour-, nalists. The Minister recalled that before New Zealand became a British colony the United States had a Government representative in the: country in 1830. Since then the happy relations between the two countries had been so potent a factor that even - a Prime Minister had once suggested that New Zealand should link up with the United States. To-day, however, there was not a man or a woman in the Dominion who would break the tie that held the country to the Motherland. “ You cannot break that tie because, though it is as frail as a silken thread, it is tight in linking us with the Motherland through tradition,” Mr Nash continued. At, the same time he j emphasised the desire of the Dominion | to maintain in their fullness the relations that had existed with the United States. “ If you can’t help the. United King dom at present, and the United States | has been and is helping, then buy a | little more from this country of ours,” | he said. “ You can have it only if the | United Kingdom does riot want it.” j That was an extraordinary condition j for a little country that was completely free and independent to make, ! but New Zealand of her own free will ; had offered everything she had to Britain. The offer had been made to help in defence of something greater than had been defended in all history. The Minister paid a tribute to the Pan-American Airways in spanning the ocean and bringing New Zealand closer to America. Mr L. C. Pinkerton, the American Consul-General, in returning thanks on behalf of the United States Government, referred to America’s desire to increase trade with New Zealand. Other speakers among the journalists mentioned the manner in which the United States was speeding up the production of armaments and supplying them to Britain in spite of her own urgent needs. For no other country than Britain, it was said, would this be done. SPECIAL TASMAN FLIGHT. As a result of the arrival of the party of American journalists a day later than had been expected and of the need for adhering as closely as possible to the schedule prepared for them in Australia, it was not until late to-night that final arrangements were made concerning the duration of their stay in Auckland. The Tasman Empire Airways’ machine on which they were; to have left to-morrow morning will fly to schedule, but the journalists will not leave for Sidney until Sunday morning, when a special service will be provided for them by, the Aotearoa. Some of the journalists will visit Rotorua to-morrow as guests of the Government: