THE AIR AGE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 March 1946, Page 4

THE AIR AGE.

THE Empire Civil Aviation Conference at present in session in Wellington is expected to lay the foundations of a transpacific air. service. The principle has already been adopted, for it was announced about a week ago that the British, Australian and New Zealand Governments had agreed on a Pacific civil air service to provide four trips weekly across the Pacific, terminating at Auckland and Sidney. One of the main tasks of the conference, therefore, is to consider the mass of details that such a project involves and determine the date of its commencement. Further similar projects will also come under review. The importance which Britain attaches to the conference may be gauged from the fact that she has sent as her principal delegate the Minister of Civil Aviation, Lord Winster. Extraordinary developments in air services may be expected this year, but the Empire is starting under a serious handicap. This is the lack of suitable aiiliners. Excellent types have been designed, but they are not yet in adequate production. The United States, on the other hand, developed during the war a huge-fleet of air transports which were merely militaiy versions of planes for use on air routes. If enterprise and industry are given full play, however, there is no reason why the Empire cannot rapidly make up the leeway and develop air services that willspan the world’s oceans. Britain still has her designers, scientists and above all, her work-people. Their war record suggests that they are capable of producing the| finest civil aircraft in the world. [