NO PROSPECT OF INTERNAL FLYING-BOAT SERVICE

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

NO PROSPECT OF INTERNAL FLYING-BOAT SERVICE

(Special.) WELLINGTON, July 15. There is no room for duplication Of land and sea aircraft services in , extending air transport facilities in New Zealand. This was what the experts told an Otago and Southland parliamentary . deputation, which raised'with the Minister in Charge of Civil Avi§tion, / Mr F. Jones, to-night the question of establishing a flying boat service utilising the Otagq and Bluff Harbours. Associated with, the Minister in hear* ’ ing the representations were Sir Leonard Isitt,- chairman of directors of the National. Airways Corporation, Mr T. A, Barrow j Air Secretary, and Mr E. A. Gibson, director of civil aviation. The deputation comprised -Messrs -F. Walls (Dunedin North), who arranged it, W. A. Bodkin (Central Otago), I), C. Kidd (Waimate), T- L. Macdonald (Wallace), G. R. Herron (Awarua), J, It. Hanan (Invercargill), W, A. Hudson (Morningtop), and P, G, Connolly (Dunedin Central). , • Proceedings were private, but a report was made available, which stated that the, importance of the Otago Har-bour-ms a flying boat base;was stressed by ,Mr Bodkin, while Southland members pointed to the advantages of the Bluff Harbour for the same purpose. ' NOT ECONOMIC. Sir Leonard Jsitt’s statement to the deputation indicated that ’flying-boat services ou internal- running are not regarded, as an economic policy. “ Without entering into the pros and cons of the Dunedin Harbour,” he said, “I approach the problem of the use of flying boats internally in New Zealand from a wider angle. The c*. rporation’s job is to produce air services* : to meet the needs of the' travelling puhlio of New Zealand, and it must be done on sound lines; that is, it must pay its way. Let us accept that.' ! “ Flying boat services could he introduced to serve certain towns ip New Zealand,” he said. “I think they would be limited to Auckland, Ruasell, Wellington, N®l aon > Dunedin, and Bluff; so you will see there.are many places where flying boats could' not operate, : We would therefore" have to provide aerodromes in all .the ahoya towns for connection with cities which could not be connected by flying! boat, thereby doubling the sphsidy-^namely, the services ..provided by the'GovaTU-j ment and also the corporation’s costs in. handling passengers—and I do,not think we- 'Would increase ■ the r am Hint of air travel by 10 per cent. LAND SERVICES CHEAPER. “To sum up,” - continued Si* Leonard ‘‘in a country the- size of ■ New Zealand I do not think yse cqu]d afford the luxury of parallel lines of operation -Every town in New Zealand can bo. served hy land'planes, and over . the short distances land planes are ofleaper' to.' operate than fly* . uig boats. “ I hope to give. Dunedin the. service it requires -before the end of the year with land planes, and we could- not do this |f we tried to change our horses at this stage, ’ as suitable ..aircraft (flying boats) are not available in New Zealand up to the necessary foe civil license.” * Sir Leonard stated that the. corporation’s plan was ’to give ; two .return services daily between Dunedin and Auckland and one return service between - Dunedin and Wellington, with connections to Invercargill. ” Mr Barrow, as a director of Tasman Airways, gave important information about the cost of running flying boats on the Tasman service, the expend!- . turo on bases for flying boats, and relative costs of operating flying boats and land planes. Re mentioned difficulties in extending the Tasman flying boat service to coastal ports. ENORMOUS co^f. The Minister summed' tip the position. On the evideuee heard by the deputation, he said, a case had not been made out to operate' internally ■ a flying boat service and also one provided fly land planes. The cost of a flying boat service could he*enormous in the way of providing moorings, •ietties, launohes, and fuelling bases. However, he assured the deputation that the whole question of the proposed extensions of air transport services as outlined by -Sir Leonard Isitt-would be carefully gone into. Sir. Leonard’s statement, he added, 1 showed that the National Airways were-going to' carry out a progressive policy which would well. serve the - part of New Zealand represented by the deputation when the corporation’s plana were implemented. On the reports received so far,” : concluded Mr .'Jones, "the ' opinion has been expressed that the Otago Harbour is entirely unsuitable as.a flying boat, base."