REASONS FOR OMISSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22165, 19 July 1935, Page 12

REASONS FOR OMISSION

BOARD'S CONTENTIONS OTHER SERVICES AVAILABLE ADVANTAGES OF ROUTE Four, reasons were given by the Transport Co-ordination Board in support of its derision to omit Palnierston North as a calling point on the national trunk air route, which has been fixed as follows:—Auckland-New mouth-Wanganui-Wollington-Blenheim-Christchurch-Timaru-Dunedin. The licensees an; Great Pacific Airways. The board's reasons were stated as follows: — .

(1) The main object of the service is to connect the four main centres with as rapid a transit as possible. As few ittops as possible—consistent with general convenience—should bo mado on the journey.

(2) Palmerston North is less than 50 miles from Wnnganui, at which place the service is to call.

(.'J> By omitting Palmerston North the service is more direct, and the route followu the sea coast throughout its length, which is a great advantage in bad weather.

(4) Palmerston North will be well served as regards connections with the South Island by Union Airways, which will give a direct service, and it already has excellent r»nd fast connections with Auckland by rail and with .Wellington by rail and road. The hoard adds that, "If as the result of experience, a call at Palmerston North seems desirable after the service has commenced, it will be open to Great Pacific Airways to apply for an amendment of its route."

"ERROR OF JUDGMENT"

VIEWS OF BUSINESS MEN

"If it isi a question of taking off the gloves—weill, let us take off the gloves," said Mr. A. R. Hislop at a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce., when the decision of the Transport Co-ordination Board to exclude Palmerston North from the route of the main Dominion passenger air servire to be conducted by Great Pacific Airways came under discussion. The following motion, moved by Mr. P. E. Pattrick, was carried unanimously:— That this chamber desires to bring before the notice of the Transport Coordination Board its extreme surpri.se and regret that the chamber's request to be heard by the board before it made any variation of the licences it previously granted after hearing evidence at the public inquiry held ou March 22, was apparently disregarded. Furthermore, this chamber considers that the variation decided on by the board is inimical to the best interests of the large area and population served by the capital city in conjunction with the city of Palmerston North, and trusts tbait it is not too late for the board to remedy what this chamber considers to be an obvious and serious error of judgment.

FURTHER PROTESTS MADE WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL [by tei,e<;rafh —press association] WELLINGTON, Thursday Further protests were made to-dav against the proposal of the Transport Co-ordination Board to exclude Palmerston Nori;h from the Auckland-Dunedin trunk air service. Mr. T. C. A. Hislop. Mayor of Wellington, replied at length to the further statement from the board. He said it contained many noticeable inconsistencies. The Wellington City Council had no inkling of the possibility of Palmerston North being excluded until the board's announcement was made in April, and. naturally, had made no representations in that respect. He questioned whether the action of the board in dealing with the Palmerston North issue in camera and in declining to hear the City Council representations was in accordance with the Act; that was a matter for further .consideration, and such action as might be deemed advisable.

A protest in a similar strain was made by Mr. Andrews, Mayor of Lower Hutt, who also said that there had been nothing to suggest the possibility of the ej:ch}sion of Palmerston Notrh.