AERIAL TOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 18 July 1929, Page 7

AERIAL TOUR.

VAST OPEN SPACES

NORTHERN A U STRATI A

SYDNEY.. June 27. The Minister for Home and Territories. Mr Abbott, stepped from the | saloon of the air liner Canberra at Mascot yesterday afternoon alter an aerial tour of Central and Northern Australia, which occupied a fortnight, and during which lie travelled approximately 6000 miles. He returned impressed with the possibilities of Australia’s vast hinterland, and with the great- facilities afforded by aerial transport. ‘T have to make a report to the Prime’ Minister." said Mr Abbott, “and L am not at liberty to say much j about the country’s potentialities, but | I will say that the Barkly Tableland is j equal to any country of the same type |in Australia. City people can have iittle idea of the outback .spaces. We | spent one night on a station covering lld.OtH) square miles of territory, and carrying 138.000 cattle. Tn Central Australia, a territory of 350,000 miles, there are only 400 white people.” One thing the trip proved. continued Mr Abbott, was the absolute trustworthiness of air travel with a rcsuonsiole in lot. and lit' went <m to pay a glowing tribute to the Can- ! berra’s oilot. Captain Holden. "At Newcastle Waters.” he said. “J < told Captain Holden I would like to 1 see where the Kookaburra lay. Ti was ! about 40 miles awuv in dense country. ; Holden replied. ‘l’ll sec if 1 can find 1 it." and half an hour later we wore i over tlie spot. We Hew straight there. \ "there was only one dangerous niece r of (lying during the trip, and that was i between Wvndbam and Darwin, over n swamps and mountains. The only way i to travel there regularly in safety, in ;t my opinion, would he hy seaplane. Anyhow. I am convinced that, wliatever development work is. done in the p territory T saw. air transport - must t : play a large part.” ~ ~ OUTBACK POLICE.

Air Abbott expressed bis pleasure at the -success of the overland expedition which he sent to recover the bodies of the Kookaburra- victims.

"A rather interesting tiling happened in connection with "that,” lie said. "Gunstable .Murray, who was in charge, el' the expedition, heard two blacks talking about the alleged murder oF a white settler named Henty, who was supposed to have been shot by a native. On the strength of what lie heard lie left his party, walked through the night to a native camp, held the suspect up at revolver point, and made the man's In bra handcuff him. I saw the native later in the gaol at Alice Spiings. The police !nul been searching fur him for seven months."

That incident was characteristic of the outback police, declared Mr Abbott. They were a tremendous asset to the Government. Police work as seen in the cities was the least of their duties, for there were only 12 constables to maintain law and."order over ii huge territory. Their motto was “got your man. and like the famous .North-West Mounted Police of Canada they lived up to it. .

“Perfectly uneventful hut a nice 1 rip,” was Captain Los. Holden’s nonchalant comment on the flight. “The old Inis ran to schedule all the way, and we had no trouble worth mentioning. The worst night we spent Mas at Newcastle aid's. A\ e ‘dossed* oil the floor of the police station. There were seven of us. and tu'o others came along later. It was a cold night, too. Dunne, the wireless onerator here, lmd the corner.

“No. I did not,” replied Mr Dunne. "All 1 had was a cold draught down mv hack.”