Two Ladies Start Plane Fund With £5 Each

Northern Advocate, 16 August 1940, Page 6

Two Ladies Start Plane Fund With £5 Each

Northlanders arc well and truly behind the idea of providing a Northland fighter plane. Actions speak louder than words. That's why two Northland ladies have each offered £5 to start the fund going.

One £5 came from a Kaun resident, the other from Tanekaha.

Northland is represented by pilots in the fighting forces defending England, the British Empire and freedom. Why, then, not give them something to fly?

Mr S. Foot, a young Whangarei businessman who is awaiting call to active service in the Air Force, said this when asked for his comment on a leading article in yesterday's ‘’Advocate” sponsoring the idea of the North purchasing a fighter plane for Britain.

The North. Mr Foot said, had done its part m everything else in connection with the war effort and he was sure it would respond to this further appeal. A pilot would be honoured if appointed to fly a plane given by his own district. “He would know that he was net doing his bit in vain and the plane would be tangible proof that people at home were doing- theirs,” said Mr Foot, bringing the young man’s viewpoint to bear on the question. Several businessmen and representative local body members were asked to express opinions on the subject and generally there was approval for the scheme. Sentiment Excellent. “The sentiment behind the project is excellent and shows a happy combination of commonsense and sentiment, as it provides a further means of contributing to the war effort, with the inspiring incentive that planes paid for by tire effort would, wherever possible, be flown by pilots representative of the contributing district,” said the president of the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce (Mr C. Waymouth).

“The courage and skill of our pilots are beyond question, but this scheme will probably result in adding the sporting touch of a competitive element among the young men lucky enough to fly these particular planes,” Mr Way mouth commented. Harbour Board Chairman View. “The idea appeals to me,” said the Whangarei Harbour Board chairman (Mr E. L. Whimp). "Our boys are fighting side by side with our kinsmen overseas and they have a right to expect us to do our part at home. "What a fine moral effect it would have on our Northland lads to realise that we at home are backing up their fine efforts in a practical way by contributing towards Britain’s supremacy of the air.” Mr Whimp said. It was true, Mr Whimp continued, that many were being taxed out of business, but that was not the greatest disaster that could overtake a man at the present time. He believed it should be within the possibility of each province to provide at least one fighter plane, and Northland most certainly would not lag behind any other part of the Dominion. Years ago New Zealand presented a dreadnought to the British Navy, but today little anxiety was felt regarding the supremacy of the Navy. The fight was in the air. “Yes," Mr Whimp concluded, “I think we should do our share in establishing air supremacy. Mother England needs all the assistance and encouragement her children can give and she expects New Zealand to bear her share of the sacrifice.” Means to Assist War Effort.

The view that the scheme would not speed up the production of aeroplanes was expressed by the manager of a leading Wbangarei department store. In his opinion Great Britain was not short of money to purchase planes, but the difficulty appeared to be in obtaining the planes quickly enough. If, however, the bait of an aeroplane bearing Northland's name and to be flown by a Northland pilot tended to make people give more generously to the war fund, then the scheme was well worth supporting, he said.