MONTGOMERY’S VISIT: NO CALL TO BE MADE AT HOKITIKA

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 July 1947, Page 4

MONTGOMERY’S VISIT: NO CALL TO BE MADE AT HOKITIKA

The visit to Greymouth of Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery will not exceed one hour and the proposed visit to Hokitika has now been cancelled.

The amended itinerary provides for Field Marshal Montgomery to land at Greymouth aerodrome at 10.15 on Thursday, July 24, and for his ’plape to be in the air again by 11.15. According to advice, received yesterday by the Mayor of Hokitika, Mr A. R. Elcock, the reason for the cancellation of the visit to Westland’s capital is that the civil aviation authorities will not permit, a two-engined plane to land on the south side aerodrome at Hokitika and at the same time will not risk transporting the viistor in a single-engined machine which could land at Hokitika. The fact that permission has apparently been granted for a twin-en-gined machine to land at the Greymouth aerodrome and that the Hokitika ’drome has been condemned for the purpose is regarded as rather puzzling in view of the reference made to both fields by the chairman of the National Airways Corporation, Sir Leonard Isitt, earlier this week. Sir Leonard stated that while it was considered dangerous for twin-en-gined machines to land at Greymouth, these planes could use the Hokitika aerodrome with a load below capacity.