MAILS BY AIR

Northern Advocate, 25 July 1935, Page 3

MAILS BY AIR

TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE SUM OF £BO,OOO INVOLVED. € NEW ZEALAND TO PAY HALF. [Special to '‘Northern Advocate .” 3 WELLINGTON, This Day. It is understood that when Sir Charles Kingsford Smith met members of the Cabinet yesterday, the former propounded a bi-weekly aerial service across the Tasman involving an annual subsidy of £BO,OOO, half of which it was suggested should be paid by the New Zealand Government. Officially, however, the full details of the scheme have not been disclosed.

The service proposed, it is learned, would be confined at first to the transport of first-class mail, tne postal charges to be determined oy the Government. It, was explained that the proposal was to carry four tons of mail a week. An alternative service, somewhat modified, would involve the payment of a subsidy of £30,000 a year by the New Zealand Government. Protection for five years, it is understood, was asked for.

After the conference, the Acting Prime Minister said that the Cabinet, after hearing Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s full proposals in detail, assured him that the scheme would be given consideration without undue delay. It would be necessary, however, to communicate with both Australian and the British Governments, as all were concerned in the future development of Imperial air services. When that had been done, the Cabinet decision would be forwarded to Sir Charles before his arrival in England. UNION COMPANY’S AIM. attempt probable. (Received 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 24. It is believed that the ultimate ambition of Union Airways, recently formed by the Union Steamship Company, is the establishment of a transTasman air service, linking Australia and New Zealand. Mr N. S. Falla, managing director of the Union Shipping Company, told the “Sun-Herald” that “someone is sure to establish a Tasman air service when the time comes. It is quite probable we will be ready to attempt it. We have no immediate plans, but it is futile to deny that a New Zealand-Australian service is a certainty of the future.”