POST-WAR AIRWAYS

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1944, Page 5

POST-WAR AIRWAYS

AUSTRALIAN PLANS FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE (Rec. 9.30) CANBERRA, Nov 24 The Government is basing its plans for post-war overseas airline services on the assumption that these will be Government-owned and ’ controlled. This was authoritately stated here ; to-day, though it was pointed out that no firm decisions could yet- be made,. as agreement with othercountries would be involved. Committed to a policy of international control and operation of trunk routes, the Australian Government is awaiting the outcome of internal conferences before announcing its plans for external airways. It hopes < to establish the principle of Govern- • rnent ownership of overseas airlines in the war-time Trans-Pacific ser- - vice and the Fremantle—Colombo section of the Australia—England, service. C BRITISH PROPOSAL TO MAKE LONDON AIR *1 CAPITAL. r LONDON, Nov. 24. j The “Daily Mail” says: Plans • which may well have the backing of New Zealand, Australia - and other Dominions, and which, if quickly applied, will make London the world’s air capital, have been laid h before Lord Swinton, Minister of • Civil ■ Aviation, and Sir S. Cripps, Minister of Aircraft Production. The Port of London Authority is interested in) these plans. They provide for construction of air harbours in all great Empire ports, and a' fleet of long-’ range flying-boats with great carry-;, ing capacity. Passenger fares over big distances will be the sameVas’-'the' first-class rate by sea. A six weeks’ journey by sea will be cut to sixy days. Preparatory work, on' 120-ton i “Queen Marys” of the air has begun,, but they canot fly as a commercial. proposition until air harbours are; built to receive them. Cur plane: manufacturers, industrialists and’ architects press Lord Swinton to ex-1 pedite building of a harbour near? Gravesend as a first link in a chain/, to connect the English speaking* world. Air experts, however,, fav-' our London because of its ideal pbsiA tion as a connecting link between/' America and the Continent. Theses experts have investigated every pos-j sible competitive site both in Bri-j tain and on the Atlantic seaboard of Europe ■ b