WELLINGTON AS AIR BASE

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 February 1940, Page 5

WELLINGTON AS AIR BASE

CLAIM TO BE PRESSED. [per press association.] WELLINGTON, February 7. Encouraged by-the choice of -Wellington harbour as the landing place for the Tasman Empire Airways fly-ing-boat Ao-tea-roa. at the end of her flight from Sydney to New’ Zealand on January 19, the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce decided last night to draw the attention of the Government again to the advantages o£ Wellington as a port for flying-boats. The President (Captain /S. Holm) drew attention to the significance of the landing at Wellington instead of Auckland, and recalled that an authority in Australia had said that a fortnightly ■ service was to be instituted soon. I-Ie believed, he said, that the weather had been so bad in Auckland that it had been impossible for two days to place the flying-boat on the slip there. Mr H. Nimmo moved that the council write to the Postmaster-General (Mr Jones), asking him to receive a deputation. There was not the slightest doubt of the efficiency of the port, he said, but the Government had to be convinced of that.

Seconding the motion, Mr A. R. Hislop said that the visit of the Ao-tea-roa had proved again that Wellington could accommodate craft of that nature and it augured well for the port as a base for a trans-Tasman service. It had been proved that the Waitemata had its disabilities. The motion was carried.