LOSING HEAVILY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12867, 22 May 1936, Page 7

LOSING HEAVILY

COOK STRAIT* AIR WAY 8 HIGHER FARES SOUGHT Cl’reSD Association 1 • BLENHEIM, May 21. Following .representations already made to the Alinister for authority to increase the passenger fare between Blenheim and Wellington from £1 os to £1 10s, a representative of Cook Strait Airways. Limited, yesterday afternoon conferred with the Blenheim Borough Council and the Marlborough Progress League, which had protested against the company’s original pro posal of a fare of £1 15s when the service was first inaugurated. The company's representative, with the object of gaining the support of local bodies for the proposed revised fare, submitted details of the financial result of the first.quarter’s operations, stressing that the company was losing money at the rate of approximtelv £500.0 annually with fares at the present level. Incidentally he said he recognised the au mindedness of the Marlborough community, which exceeded that,ofv'any other part of the Dominion, and had resulted in real-1 j excellent support, for the service. Wlnl6 appreciating'the di.lliculties confronting the company, the local body representatives still considered an increase in the'fare as not justified, as Blenheim was making full use of the service and in 'fact would he able to provide passengers for at least two extra, ’-planes daily 1 .It 'was I urther considered that- the four months during 'which, the service had been iperating represented an . insufficient time to determine the adequacy or otherwise of the fares.