Chamber Still Pressing For Air Feeder Service

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22696, 22 July 1948, Page 4

Chamber Still Pressing For Air Feeder Service

DISSATISFACTION that no aii service could as yet be established between Gisborne and Napier and Gisborne and Auckland owins to the condition of Barton Field was expressed by members of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce at their monthly meeting last night.

After some discussion,. it was decided to communicate with the Aerodrome Control Committee asking for some information regarding the commencement of a feeder service from Gisborne and also inquiring when was considered that a full service could be re-established. Mr. C. H. Cooper considered that, comoared with other airfields. Darton Field was quite capable of taking sixpassenger Dominie aircraft in its ent condition. He thought insufficient consideration of the state of the airfield had been given by the authorities when they advised this week that Dominie aircraft could not as yet use the field.

Possibility of Long Delay

Previously the Works Department said it would be September before tha field could be used by Dominie aircraft. said Mr. H. H. Barker, and tha weather since the flood had been bad. This had probably delayed the work. The information which he had was that the normal Lockheed . service might not be reinstated until about September of next year.

This would possibly affect Gisborne’s chances of being included in the Royal tour early next year and ha considered that the chamber should obtain all the information it could regarding the condition of the field.

The chamber had been made all tvpes of promises, said the president, Mr- T. A. N. Corson. In the meantime, Gisborne was without an air service and there appeared little possibility of a full service being re-established for a long time.

The organisation at Darton Field had been doing its best to get the aerodrome into workable condition again* but the wet weather had naturally hampered the work considerably, said Mr. L. Field. Must Await Re-licensing of ’Drome Mr. Maurice Clarke, general manager of National Airways Corporation, stated in a telephone conversation with the Gisborne office this, morning that the corporation could not run any feeder services until Darton Field was re-licensed by the Civil Aviation Department. The matter had constantly been referred by the corporation to the department, which had stated that it wa4 awaiting a report from its aerodrome construction experts as to the state oj the aerodrome. Gisborne residents could rest assured, stated Mr. Clarke, that a feeder service would be commenced by thg corporation as soon as the airfield wag licensed to take the necessary aircraft.

Works’ Officials’ Hopes

Gisborne officials of the Works Department stated today that the eventual clearing of the whole of Darton Field depended on the weather in the next few months. However, it was hoped that with a reasonable spring and summer the field would 'be in practically pre-flood condition by Christmas. About one-third of the field has been' cleared and is now available for usq by aircraft. Rotary hoes, tractors and ' graders are working on the remainder of the field mixing the silt up. That portion of the field on which the silt is fairly thick will be resown early in the spring and providing there is no drought before Christmas, Darton Field should be ready for full use in another five months.