A WEEK TO LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18198, 18 September 1922, Page 8

A WEEK TO LONDON.

PASSAGE BY AIR LINER.

AUSTRALIAN SCHEME. r llt TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Saturday. The opinion that before many years Australia would bo brought within a week's journey of London by air was expressed yesterday by Mr. W. H. Watt, who hss just returned from Melbourne, | where ho discussed with Sir Keith Smith' the proposed airship agreement between i England and Australia. England rea.i»es tho importance of this scheme, he said, but the Imperial Cabinet considers it oniy lair that ii such an or , g-msation is to Le put into operation, Australia must bear her share financially. , Mr. Hughes speeches are optiniiiric on \ this point, but lrom castiai observation Mr, Watt is inclined to think that Austra- | lia is not so enth. siastic as ono might bo led to believe. T\ie airship - has never i been seen in Australia, he continued, and when talked oi.many, if they do not im- j mediately think oi the aeroplane, have visionß of soaie almost prehistoric, gasbag j such as the old army " Beta." The airship used for passenger work wil) be an j air liner—a ship of about 1000 ft. in i length, canying about U.O passengers, j These ships will My by day ana by nignt, making periodical stops en route, and i completing the passage from England to Australia in little mote than a week. The i Australian will be able to take a month's ho iday or business I rip to London, two j weeks travelling and two weeks in town. ) Ono will travel in the greatest comfort, and these ships of the air will bo fitted ■ with most luxurious observation lounges, | from whence one will view the interiors of countries, wonderful and interesting. Tho ! engine ears being suspended from the ! .•liin body of the ship ensure' prnptically a- vibration, and the movement of '', « riiij" \w flight is so slight that under . orvnrO conditions it can hardly be frit, r,o tin.. the discomforts from seasickness wiP oe a j thing of the past. It has been d.ridod that if the airship service between England and Australia is I established, the f»res will be considerably less than those charged for first-class passages in sea-going liners. Sir. Watt states that Sir Keith Smith j left Australia last week for China and Japan, where ho is spending a few weeks before returning to England. Ho hopes j that by the timo of his return early next year nonie definite agreement regarding j the airehip proposal will have been arrived at and that he will bring back with him to Australia further details of j the new airship service. 1