AVIATION.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 August 1920, Page 3

AVIATION.

BY AIU TO AUSTRALIA. WHAT OF THE TASMAN SEA FLIGHT? SYDNEY, August 4. The arrival of Parer and Mcintosh in Australia in an old Da Hay Hand sin gle-engined aeroplane, after ''bumping half round the world,"as one newspaper put it, demonstrates once more the tremendous value cf the new mear.s of transportation in these scattered lands of the south. People in Sydney interested in aviai inn are again asking when an attempt is to be made to fly from Australia to New Zealand. It is suggested that tin distinction of making the initial flight over a route that is bound to be much used in the future is turely worth having, and it is baiioved the Australian and the New Zealand" Governments would gladly co-operate if someone would only start, the movement. The suggested route is from the Australian coast, north of Newcastle, to Lord Howe Island? thence to Norfolk Island, thence to North Cape, in New Zealand and it is believed that any aeroplane capable of carrying' a fair supply ot petrol could make the journey without much risk.

The New Zealand and Australian Governments might co-operate in patrolling the route for the first llight. Australia has a score of warships, largo and small, which are "eating their heads off" in Sydney and Melbourne and they could be w ,ully employed in such a duty with .try little-extra cost to the Commonwealth ; and New Zealand, by the time the suitable warmer weather comes, will also have a warship or two available for such a service. It is said in Sydney that, as soon as a sufficient number of powerfully-en gined aeroplanes are available, interIslands services will be planned. This should solve the long-existing and difficult problem of communication among the less-developed Islands groups.