YEAR OF PROGRESS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 18 January 1939, Page 11

YEAR OF PROGRESS

COMMERCIAL AVIATION IN NEW ZEALAND

SURVEY BY MINISTER fUnited Press Association! WELLINGTON, This Day. The view that, considering the comparatively short period which lias elapsed since regular commercial air services were established in New Zea- ! land, the achievement in regard to the j number of passengers carried and the I miles flown had been remarkable, was expressed by the Minister in Charge of Aviation, Mr Jones, in an interview last evening. In all, New Zealand had every reason to be proud of its services and those concerned were justly entitled to congratulations, he said. During the past year, Mr Jones said, Union Airways had flown 820,755 miles—equal to nearly 33 times round the world—had carried 21,500 passengers, 4,420,114 passenger miles, with a 99.88 per cent of trips flown and 99.36 per cent of trips completed out of 2500 scheduled trips. Nearly 80 tons of mails had been carried on Union Airways’ services. COOK STRAIT AIRWAYS The Minister said Cook Strait Airways had an equal record of passengers carried with a very high degree of efficiency for regularity also. Air Travel on the West Coast was a unique service, giving efficiency and maintaining an unbroken record of safety and communication with areas difficult of access with surface transport. “In the comparatively short period that has elapsed since aeroplanes have been used for commercial purposes, wonderful progress has been made in the direction of making flying safe,” the Minister said. “With the enormous increase in the reliability of the machines, the more intensive training of pilots, and greatly improved ground organisation, flying hazards which previously existed have . been enormously reduced. “Not the least important contribution to safe flying is the provision of adequate radio facilities. The installation of this equipment is well under way and the necessary buldings and services will follow at the earliest opportunity. METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE “The meteorological service has been strengthened in order to enable pilots to be furnished with special reports embodying weather forecasts and data regarding upper winds and other particulars of the conditions existing along the route,” he said. “With this information available flying difficulties are reduced to a minimum, and with skill and experience the pilot is invariably able to avoid trouble and except on rare occasions maintain his regular timetable. “Realising the value of meteorological and radio services to aviaton, a conference of representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand was held in Melbourne last month in connection with the contemplated transtasman air service. Their report and recommendations are now having the attention of the Governments of both countries.” THE TASMAN LINK Mr Jones said it was hardly necessary to mention the advantages resulting from the carriage of firstclass mails by air between the Motherland and New Zealand at a wonderfully cheap rate. It was true that the last link in the service—between Auckland and Sydney—had not yet been established, but that would come into operation as soon as the machines now under manufacture had been completed and the necessary radio and meteorological services were available.

The Minister returned to Wellington on Sunday by air from Tauranga, where he officially opened the recently completed aerodrome at Waikarea on Saturday.