AIR TRAVEL

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1944, Page 2

AIR TRAVEL

PROGRESS IN WESTLAND

Tributes to the pioneering work in the cause of civil aviation on the part of the Chief Pilot and ManagingDirector of Air Travel Ltd., Captain J. C. Mercer were paid by various speakers yesterday afternoon at the official opening of the new administrative offices and waiting rooms of the company at the Hokitika Airport. The occasion was also taken to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Company’s operations. The official opening ceremony was performed by Mr O’Brien, Minister for Transport and Member for Westland, who in referring to the great development of the Company’s activities, said that whereas it formerly took a fortnight to go into far South Westland and return, it now took but a few hours by plane. It was not until the plane service had been available that they had been able to interest Cabinet MTiiisters in visiting the far South, and now as the result of these visits they had fine roads constructed which but for the war would now extend right through to Otago and Southland. He visualised that after the war air liners wold operate daily between Australia and New Zealand in such a way that passengers would be able to breakfast at Hokitika, lunch in Sydney, and after a business conference return to New Zealand the same day. Mr O’Brien referred to Mr Mercer’s fine record of aviation.

The Chairman of Directors of Air Travel, Mr G .H. Chapman, of Nelson, said the Company was formed in 1934 with a capital of £3OOO, and in June, 1937, was increased to £lO,OOO. The Company now had four fine planes. On the first flight from Hokitika to Okuru and Haast 651bs of mail were carried. Now the mail carried was 5501bs weekly. In the first year of operations the plane’s average flying time was 70 hours a month, Now it was 240 hours. In its ten years of operation the Company had lost only one plane, when an aircraft was lost nt sea near Westport towards the end of 1942. The Company hoped shortly to add to its fleet larger aircraft, a twin-engined Domnie, which used to be known as de Havilland Rapide, and which the Company hoped would shortly be shipped from England. He quoted figures to show the growth of air transport since the Company’s inception, each being over a monthly period for 1934-35, compared with 1944, as follows: —Flying hours 70—214; passengers 145—353: mail 8911bs, 30001bs; freight 6331b5, 5103105. The Company had a record of 18,403 flying hours, 30,413 flights, 34,116 passengers, 395,9171bs mail, and 313,8401bs freight. Other speakers were Messrs T. W. Duff, in the absence of the Mayor of Hokitika (Mr. A. R. Elcock), M. R. Aldridge (Chief Postmaster, Greymouth), Flight-Lieutenant J. Buckendge (Acting-Controller of Civil Aviation) and E. F. Evans (District Engineer of Public Works). Captain Mercer, responding paid a tribute to the great assistance from pilots, settlers, the Public Works De-partment-and the Government in so readily assisting an enterprise which was so valuable a link throughout the province to-day.