Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th., 1928. BLENHEIM’S ENTERPRISE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1928, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th., 1928. BLENHEIM’S ENTERPRISE

yi-iE Marlborough Aero Club lias scored a notable success in inducing Kingsford Smith and Ulm to take their departure for Australia, on the return flight across the Tasman, from Blenheim, a valuable advertisement being thus secured for that district.' Moreover, a foundation is being laid for the making of Blenheim the port of arrival and departure for future Tasman aerial services. Other districts may be envious, but few should begrudge Marlborough securing the fruits of foresight and enterprise. Whilst some centres talked, or were content with passing resolutions on the subject, Blenheim acted. Club and Council co-operated, money, time, and area being found to help on the good cause.

It may have then appeared that the Blenheim people were premature, and that adequate return for the investment would he long in eoihing, but Blenheim has scored by having available facilities for airmen, not obtainable elsewhere. Before the Tasman flight was made, Blenheim and Tlawera were made, places of call by airmen making Dominion tours, and Kingsford Smith has now set his seal,of approval to this itinerary. From now on, Blenheim will be prominent on Hie map where aerial travel is concerned. and what this may mean as the years pass and the traffic develops. can be easily imagined. The West Coast, and particularly (Ireymouth, had hopes that its geographical position, being the nearest to the Australian mainland, would have won for this district the advantages now given to Blen-

lioim, but nothin" was done in tliis part of the Dominion to attract airmen. Any rep'ret must now be shared by the community as a whole, whose lack of “air-spirit ” and initial ive was in contrast to the enthusiasm shown further North. None can predict with certainly what places in the Dominion will become its “C’roydons, ” but "eft in" in early is half the battle.

and Blenheim has left competitors far behind.

Kingsford Smith accepted Blenheim’s invitation to depart for Richmond from there, because Ijc would gain two hours’ additional daylight for the flight across the Tasman. Greymonth, in that re-

spec! is better placed than Blenheim, but has no facilities to offer airmen. The Coast’s congratulations to Blenheim, should be accompanied by meditation as to what its future policy is to be. Is nothing to be done by Greymouth to use its proximity to Australia, in order to secure a fair share of future aerial traffic? It is no use waiting for the traffic to exist before any attempt is made to handle it. It is' nol without ' significance that Kingsford Smith’s plan was to travel via Cook Strait, 'and not across the Alps further south. This may mean-that, airmen will prefer going out of the direct ' route io avoid the mountains, but, against this, is the fact that the Alps have been crossed several times by Dominion airmen. It is agreed that the conquering of the Tasman by airmen has opened a new era. of transport in these parts, and from that “wonder” .journey will develop a traffic as regular and as commonplace as shipping is to-day. Greymouth realises what great value harbour facilities are to local trade; will it do nothing in the way of sowing the seed that will enable it to share the rich harvest aerial transport must bring?