AERIAL SURVEY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 112, 8 April 1927, Page 4

AERIAL SURVEY

ACCOUNT FROM GOVERNMENT. DISCUSSED BY RIVER BOARD. An account for £IOO from the New Zealand Permanent Air Force in regard to the aerial survey of the Manawatu-Oroua River Board’s district provoked some discussion at tho monthly meeting yesterday of the board.

Speaking in regard to the matter, the board’s engineer (Mr F. C. Hav) stated that, with the exception of tho Kairanga and Oroua sub-divisions, the work had been completed. The cost had been much more .than the board was charged with; tho expenditure had probably been in the vicinity of £SOO. The Sockburn people had agreed to do the whole of the area but had left with tho work not completely done, and the account was for what had been contracted. The survey was well worth what was charged for it. Three months had been spent on it, but the camera used had not been of the best.

Mr A. Buchanan: Is there any chance of getting tho job completed? Mr Hay replied that, the board would probably bo charged extra. There wa6 now a ’plane specially suited for the work, and an up-to-date camera was He thought that it would well bo worth nn extra charge to get the balance of the work completed. The contractors were not trying to put anything over tho board; they had agreed to do the work at a ridiculously low figure and were sticking to it. Mr Hay added' that, in the photographic work, it had been necessary to have a good light. The aeroplane had come up, at a rush request, to take flood pictures, the cost of which was to be £SO, the mosaic of the remainder making the contract figure up to £IOO. It had cost £l2 an hour for flying time alone.

“Aren’t they going to do the whole of the Palmerston North borough?” enquired the clerk (Mr R. H. Spencer). Mr Hay: lam sure an aeroplane could stay up hero for some time and make money. The Director of Forestry has 40,000 acres at Ruapehu that they can come up and do immediately. I think the Palmerston North Borough could give them a contract, because, with the town planning scheme proposed, there are some topographical features that would be well worth talcing. Moreover, in the selling of aerial pictures there would be a good source of revenue.

Tho chairman (Mr A. Seifert): The farmers didn’t know what the pictures were going to cost. I am inclined to pay the account. To the course suggested by the chairman the meeting agreed, and the discussion lapsed.