The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1947. Lagging Air Service.

Evening Star, Issue 26154, 16 July 1947, Page 4

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1947. Lagging Air Service.

When the Royal Australian Air Force was desperately awaiting fighter aircraft to hit back at the Japanese bombers and Zeros which were ranging the New' Guinea skies almost at will in early 1942, the assurance was given that American ICittyhawk aircraft would soon bo gent into the area. So long, indeed, did it take to get those aircraft there that the R.A.A.F. in the weeks of anxious waiting satirically dubbed the aircraft “ To-morrow-hawks.' 1 •

The incident is recalled by the delay Dunedin is experiencing in. getting the extra aircraft to duplicate the daily passenger service with Wellington. Originally the improved service was to begin early this. year. Answering an influential deputation in Dpinedin on April' 11 last the. chairman of the National Airways Corporation, Sir Leonard Isitt, promised that the extra aircraft would be in service M by July or August." This promise seemed to be qualified a little by the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation, Air Jones, in a statement in Dunedin on June 3, He paid that, although it was not definitely kuown il a Lodestar would be available for the augmented service by August, the Government intended to make every effort through the National Airways Corporation to place one in the Dunedin-Wellington service. Now, when Otago members of Parliament saw the Minister and Sir Leonard Isitt in another deputation .in Wellington last night,, the latter is reported as saying that " I hope to give Dunedin the service it requires before the end of the year." ' And .even that was qualified by A warning that, if Otago pressed for a flying-boat service as -well, it might take longer to provide the augmented land plane service, It is a trifle ironical that the present facilities have become increasingly inadequate nbw because members of Parliament were recently granted free air passages to enable them to move more expeditiously between Wellington and their electorates. While this concession, may, be accepted as reasonable it is to be’ hdped it will spur - the members so benefiting with the rosolve not to let up in theirrequests for an improved service for the general and certainly not to be satisfied with the repeated procrastination* that is evident in official quarters., ; •