AIR MAILS

Grey River Argus, 14 March 1935, Page 6

AIR MAILS

TASMAN SERVICE Smith’s Proposal INTERVIEW AT WELLINGTON. (Per Press Association.) WE LLI NG TON. Ala rch 13. Interviewed on his arrival by the. Wanganella, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith said there was a possibility lhat he Would be flying the Southern Cross to New Zealand within t'he next

couple of months. He would carry freight if he could get sufficient firms interested to make the flight worth while and possibly on the return trip would carry mail, and drop it at Lord Howe Island. He indicated that the Southern C’flo-ss would make only one more Tasman flight. The old ’bus, he said, has earned a rest. The flight will be made with a view to t'he establishment of a regular service. He intends to spent about ten days in New Zealand, and thinks the proposed flight with freight would be well supported, because of the novelty. There after, he hopes a service will be. mainained. He said that if the Governments of Australia and New Zealand lecided to go ahead with the estabHshmeiit of a. regular passenger sc.•’ice ' across the Tasman. it could be started any time. However, the Australian Government considered the time was not opportune at present, and hie had lost interest in the project for die time being. He still considers the p’.ell Block, at New Plymouth, the best situated aerodrome for trans-Tasman -ervice with Sydney. Arter an absence of six years from Wellington, .Flying Officer AV. J. Co ; hen arrived by the Rangitanc. During his term with the R.A.F. he spenr •wo years in Iraq, mainly doing police •cork. He mentioned that there were about .150 New Zealanders attached to 'he R.A.F., and all were doing we.l Every year, as many as possible mot nt a re-union dinner in London, FBI MAN TLE, Al arch 1 2 (•apt ain P. G. Taylor, who .v. i>y the M-ooltan to-day, said he was specially into -sfed in the ir.ihsTasman proposed air service, He explained, that there was a special type of seaplane being manufactured i America, most suitable for the -Australia-New Zealand service, but it as toe costly. On the other hand. ihe Fokker 36 landplanes should meet he i Ceos of tl <' service. AIR MAIL ARRIVES. (Received March 13 at 8.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 13. Incoming air mail from London left Garwin to-day, ami is due at Svdnev n Friday morning.

No Tasman Service

UNTIL 1937. WELLINGTON, March 13. The Postmaster-General, Mr A. Hamilton, stated to-day that he was pleased to read a cable announcement of the acceptance by the Government of Australia of the Epi pi re air mail scheme. Continuing, he said that there had been suggestions that an ait service across Tasman Sea could be instituted at once. For the present—that was up to 1937—it was questionable whether there was any justification for an air mail between New Zealand and Australia, particularly in view of the tact that suitable machines were not available at once, and that a different type of machine would be required. ''From the beginning of 1937, however,’’ he concluded, {< T have every hope that we will have a twiee-weeklv service by air between New Zealand and Sydney early in 1937, and I have already concluded tentative arrangements as between England, Australia and New’ Zealand as to the cost of such service.’’