HAWERA AIRPORT

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 27 February 1935, Page 6

HAWERA AIRPORT

£17,000 Scheme is to Cost Borough Only £2OOO

CLUB PRESIDENT’S EXPLANATION

PROVIDING FOR COMMERCIAL AVIATION

A further explanation of the Hawera Aero Club’s project- to establish a new and bigger aerodrome was given to a representative of the “Havera Star” to-day by Dr. W. F. Buist, president of the club. s Dr. Buist said there was no desire to make a secret of anything in this connection. The subject had been discussed at some length by the Hawera Borough Council and reported in tin. “Hawera Star” on December 18, and he had also been interviewed by the “Star” about that date. Naturally, wliile negotiations wore in progress, tlie club had not been free to publish all, details connected with the scheme, but, to put it in a nutshell, he would say that the fact that the Aero Club was prepared to sink the whole of it--capital of some £6ooo or £7OOO in this scheme—capital which it had boon carefully guarding for a number of years—should lie, in itself, some measure of reassurance to the public that there was nothing about the project of a wild-cat nature.

It might be asked by the public why Hawera, which already had a landing ground at Dunlop Field, should consider establishing another, continued Dr. Buist. The answer was that Dunlop Field, which had been of great value to the town during the last foui years, was inedaquate to meet the demands that were coming from commercial, and, perhaps, military aviation. Also, it was only a leasehold property. During the four years of operations there the club had spent something like £9OQ in development ancl maintenance, ah without making a call upon the public. During that time it had definitely established Hawera as an aviation centre, as witness the fact that Hawera was on the north and south route on the map published by the Aviation Department and the club was the recognised authority for the district. But the Hawera club realised that much as had been done, it could not stand still—it must go forward or go back. > AERODROME, FARM, GOLF COURSE. *

The club had in view the acquisition of a property of 196 acres, formerly occupied by the late Mr.' H. Spratt, Waihi Roach The full development of this property would run into a sum of approximately £17,000. That amount included the cost of plant, buildings, the construction of a golf course, ancl the purchase of farm stock. The club would invest the whole of its capital and could make equitable arrangements about financing the whole of the outlay. The subsidy of £2OO a year for 10 years requested of the Borough Council was needed to insure the financial of the scheme in its .early years of- establishment. The .club’s farming budget for this property had been thoroughly examined by experts and was declared to be on a sound and on a conversativo basis. “The club has not the slightest doubt,” said Dr. Buist, “of the soundness of tho scheme. If it had, it would not dream of risking the whole of its capital, which it has so carefully nursed. . We do not- think it is unreasonable to ask the Borough of Hawera to spend up to £2OOO spread over 10 years to acquire what we are sotting out to give the public . Olio airport will, no doubt, be, in the not very distant future, as important to the town as the railway station. When it is re. membered that other towns have sunk capital sums of £6OOO and £BOOO and more In aerodromes, Hawera can eertainlv count itself fortunate in being offered a prospect of acquiring firstclass ground, and equipment which can be developed to a statcuof perfection second only to Wigram Aerodrome, without involving itself in a greater liability than £2OOO, spread over 10 years. The maintenance of a modern airport costs a lot of money and unless the public is prepared to share the burden and the club can see the financial future secure, tho club if not prepared to shoulder what should properly be a public burden. If the ratepayers preferred to own the aerodrome,” added Dr. Buist, “the club would be quite prepared to give tlie borough £2OOO cash, provided it- would carry out the scheme we have in mind. “The scheme is designed to give Hawera an aerodrome equal to the best in New Zealand at a cost to the rate payers of only one-third of the sum our neighbouring town, Stratford, is prepared to spend upon its aerodrome. For opr scheme the Government is prepared to find up to £250 for the supervision and tools required on constructional work, and the Unemployment Board is willing to co-operate in providing labour.”

UN TtiKHSHuLD OF EXPANSION Asked as to the prospect of, Hawera being able to make good use of such a ground as that contemplated by the club scheme, l>r. Buist said that no one could say what the next ten years held for aviation in this country, but it was quite clear that New Zealand was on the verge of immediate developments far beyond the scope of anything we had yet experienced. “Hawera is on the main route from Auckland to Wellington; it does, according to expert information, provide some very definitely attractive features as a terminus to the trans-Tasman route and it is a strategic point of importance in any aerial defence scheme,'’ continued the president.

“In order to form a Class B aerodrome for the purpose of commercial aviation, and to operate the new fast military machines, an area of at least 90 to 100 acres is required, provided (and this is important) suitable runways can be obtained in all directions, otherwise a larger area must be worked in. In order to establish a Class A airport a very much larger area is required in order to get runways up to one mile in length. These are required in order to put down a heavilyladen machine and, more particularly, for that laden machine to take off safely. Now the land under consideration is of such an area. It is capable of development into an airport second only to Wigram (near Christchurch! A further advantage is its dead level nature soi that the cost of levelling

and putting the area in order for large machines would be very much less in comparison to other aerodromes at present under construction. “Another side of the question as far as it affects us is this.—lf the aero club is to sink all its assets into the scheme for the purpose of establishing a suitable airport for the town and district (1) it is necessary to acquire the large area available; (2) it is necessary to obtain the help of the local bodies; (3) as the Aero Club is prepared to handle all the finance cf the purchase and establishment of the airport, it must have a reasonable area to farm and manage so as to provide income sufficient to meet interest and sinking fund on mortgages, as well as monies to carry on its normal activities as a flying club. “The effect of all this is that any local body is absolved from a verv heavy capital expenditure and. ultimately, the district is provided with the necessary commercial flying facilities at a very small annual cost. Other local, bodies have already expended large caoital sums for the acquisit'4 n of lands. To mention only purely local ones—Wanganui, New Plymouth, Stratford—and these are now being developed by aid of public funds through the Public Works and Avia- - tion "Departments. This would, of "ourse, obtain should we acquire land -w for an aerodrome. However, it is is matter of urgency so far as we are concerned, as the sum devoted to this uurpose is being rapidly auplied for nnd absorbed. In any trunk scheme, those places which have had the vision to provide the facilities, will get first con sideration, ’ *