N.Z. AIR POLICY DEBATED IN MANY ASPECTS

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1949, Page 5

N.Z. AIR POLICY DEBATED IN MANY ASPECTS

P.A. WELLINGTON, Oct. 5 In the House of Representatives today various classes of defence estimates were under discussion. The Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, replying to Mr Sutherland said that medals for the Home Guard were in the country. A matter which would affect the distribution was whether the medals should be engraved. If so, it might take up to three or four years before that work would be completed. Mr W. H. F’ortune (Nat. Eden), asked when would medals be forthcoming for forces who served overseas Mr Jones did not state when.

Mr Jones, answering an inquiry by Mr T. B. Shand (Nat. Marlborough) during the discussion of the vote for the Air Department, said the present strength of th? Air Force was 3094. It was planned to increase the figure to 3511 this year

Mr A. C. Baxter (Govt. Raglan), advocated stepping up facilities for night flying. He knew of no country as 1 backward as New Zealand in this respect. The provision of the necessary installations would be costly, but they were essential. We could not have an efficient air force or civil aviation service until we developed- night flying facilities.

Mr F. Doidge (Nat. Tauranga) That is an important statement.

Hon. Mr Jorfes, replying said there was £350 thousand on this year’s estimates for the extension of the night flying facilities, which alrendy existed at a number of major aerodromes.

Mr Jones/ said the Chief of the Air Staff had been in the United Kingdom looking at the jet-propelled aircraft. He said: “That is something we must face up to in regard to l placing an order for new aircraft. I am awaiting for a report on the whole matter. It is also a question of how soon we can get them. Britain has many orders on hand for jet aircraft, but Australia is now producing jet aircraft, and we may be able to get our aircraft in future from Australian manufacturers.” Mr Jones said that the sum of £60,000 was available for the purchase of a new aircraft for the R.N.Z.A.F. as soon as a decision was made on the best types to obtain.

Mr M. Oram (Nat. Manawatu) speaking to the vote for the civil aviation department, said there was an adequate vote of £5OO for accident investigation. The whole machinery for inevstigation of air accidents needed overhauling. There was strong dissatisfaction with the present system, which needed revitalising. The investigating body should be under direction of a person who would seek out as well as hear evidence. After the recent Waikanae disaster, the Inspector of Aircraft Accidents spent only a short time at the scene. He was interested in what the instruments would tell him, but not in wider considerations as to how the aircraft reached the spot it did. This was the person who instructed Crown counsel at a subsequent inquiry, whereas the Director of Civil Aviation should have been instructing counsel. Accidents should be investigated by an active, not a passive authority .concerned with the whole chain of circumstances and not merely with an inquest into the ■wreckage of aircraft in situ. Mr Oram suggested a new accident investigating authority with a Magistrate as permanent chairman, and including representatives of airline pilots, of the civil aviation branch of operators, and of insurers. The latter were most important, as they were the ones with the knowledge, and it was their job to know all facts about an accident before they paid out money They were also interested in getting all the facts to enable a proper adjustment of their insurances for the future. . Mr Oram said his argument was that there were a direct connection between the Waikanae accident and monopolistic control in this country of civil aviation. He said that the morale in the N.A.C. was nothing like the morale that was obtained in Union airways. Under the present organisation if a man fell out with his superior officers he had to get out and seek other employment. Mr Oram said that previously there were alternative avenues of employment and a man who did not like Union Airways could go to Cook Strait Airways. If there was no alternative avenue of employment there was a tendency for a man’s work to depreciate, and in the Waikanae case, where there was a State monopoly, the morale of officers was very much lower than it would have been if there was other competition. Mr A. W. Finlay, Govt. North Shore) said that the member for Manawatu', Mr Oram, had made a grave charge, without any supporting evidence whatever. His charge was too absurd to be reasonable. It was obviously made for political purposes. Mr Shand said he understood that there were not yet complete operational manuals for some aircraft. The Ruapehu and Waikanae disasters were both due to gross breaches, he said, of all rules of good flying. Things had. been done which pilots should never have been able to. get away with, and in that respect the Corporation itself must accept some responsibility 7. Hon. Mr'Jones, in reply,, said he did not know if a committee such as the member for Manawatu suggested should be set up. Would it be correct, in any event, to. appoint a member of the airline pilot’s organisation to such a committee when members of the pilots’ organisation might be involved in inquiries which the committee might handle? The Minister said’ he was surprised at the criticism of the Inspector of Aircraft Accidents, because he did not know of a more competent man in such a capacity. The Inspector of Aircraft Accidents was independent of the Department and of the Air Force, and he could give an unbiassed opinion. The report of .the United Kingdom Mission on Civil Aviation (the Tymm’s report) had not questioned his standing. The report, in inquiries into the air disasters mentioned, showed them to be due to the human factor —error or errors of judgment. Pilots may not have carried out right procedurre, but the corporation could not deal with officers who were dead. Mr Jones maintained that the morale in the Corporation was as good as ever it was.

The Minister said that it was hop-

ed that, with the arrival of the Solent flying boats, the Tasman Empire Airways finances would show an improvement. There might be a possible loss this year, but there was every hope that subsequent years would show a profit. The National Airways Corporation made a substantial loss last year. Its revenue was £912,552, an increase of thirtythree decimal 67 per cent., and its expenditure was £990,620. The direct loss on operating costs was £78,068, depreciation and obsolescence £156,624, and interest capital £30,409, making a total loss of £265,101. From that figure £18,357 should be deducted for transfers to the Pacific service, which was never expected to run at a profit, making the net loss £246,744. "The main cause of our loss is due to the fact that we have to go to Paraparaumu and Whenuapai,” said Mr Jones. The Ministersaid that with the lack of Rongotai, the passenger traffic between. Wellington, Blenheim, and- Nelson had declined. Blenheim-Rongotai * passengers in 1947 totalled 25,557 and in 1948 fell to 15,647; the Nelson-Ron« gotai figure was 17,562 in 1947' and 15,700 in 1948. Additional losses were incurred through closing of the Gisborne aerodrome .increased fuel costs and increased salaries. The three air accidents had not helped plane bookings. National Airways Corporation was providing the best service it could with the aircraft it; had, but the costs of operating Paraparaumu and Whenuapai were very heavy. National Airways Corporation personnel were competent and capable, and did their best to try and provide people of New Zealand with a satisfactory service. Mr Fortune said that if the public only realised it, air travel in New Zealand was probably safer now than it was some months or a year ago. The public had been concerned by the Waikanae and Ruapehu air disasters but it should be realised that no pilot wished to throw away his own life, let alone those of his passengers, and it was likely that as a result of those disasters pilots were now more careful than before. Mr Shand said causes of losses included Government short-sightedness and procrastination. The operations from Paraparaumu were costly to the N.A.C. and to passengers. The Government had known for years that Rongotai could not be used indefinitely in its present form, yet it put off to the last moment a move to Paraparaumu. Similarly the Government was still neglecting to take action on improving Rongotai. Mr R. M. MacFarlane (Govt. Christchurch Central said there had been a rapid expansion of the services, and losses had been unavoidable in the developmental stage. Mr M. Moohan (Govt., Petone) said the loss of life which, had occurred on airlines conducted by private- enterprise in Australia and the loss of six: and a! half million dollars incurred by the privately-owned American airlines last year did not suggest that private enterprise could do any than the N.A.C. had done.

Mr Jones said that so far as the development of Rongotai was concerned, the Government was faced with the problem of shifting 250 people from their homes at a time when the housing shortage was acute. He hoped shortly to give the people of the country some idea of the progress that had been, made in the Rongotai talks. The Government was anxious to get a solution to the problem. The vote was passed.