FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17335, 5 December 1919, Page 7

FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA.

ROSS SMITH LEAVES SIAM. DESCENT AT SENGORA. SINGAPORE TO-DAY. By Telegraph— Association-Copyright. (Received 11.30 p.m.) A. and N.Z. WELTEVRKDEN (Java). Dec. 4. Captain Ross Smith is detained at Sengora, on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, and is arriving at Singapore to-day. POULET STILL AT RANGOON. MISHAP TO HliS MACHINE. R<ruter RANGOON. Deo. 3. Poulet arranged to start to-day, but three tyres burst as the machine was moving. He will try to leave to-morrow. LAST STAGE OVER SEA. PATROLLING THE ROUTE. A. and N.Z. MELBOURNE. Dec. 4. The cruiser Sydney is patrolling between Koepang (Timor) and Darwin in order to assist the aviators flying to Australia. VALUABLE PIONEER WORK. IMPORTANCE NOT REALISED. A. and N.Z. LONDON. Dec. 3. Major Blake, aeronautical correspondent of the Sunday Times, contrasts the immense public excitement over the Trans-Atlantic aerial flight with the indifference regarding the much more important flight to Australia. The former was a " stunt" more or less useless, except as an advertisement. The Australian flight had a direct bearing on the important question of commercial aviation. Major Blake states that Captain Ross Smith will probably win the prize. He adds that the farseeing Chinese Government had already purchased a hundred similar aeroplanes for internal communication.