TASMAN AIRWAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22173, 29 July 1935, Page 11

TASMAN AIRWAY

PKOPOSED SERVICES LINK IN EMPIRE PLAN POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT FACTORS AFFECTING DECISION [by telegraph—own correspondent] WELLINGTON, Sunday A statement that it was necessary to consider many points which had hitherto not been referred to publicly was made by the acting-Prime Minister, Sir Alfred Ransom, in an interview regarding Sir Charles Kingston! Smith's proposals for a Tasman air service.' The Government of Great Britain made a proposal last year for the conveyance of all first-class mail matter within the Empire by air. That proposal involved the cancellation of the present system of surcharging, which tths known by postal authorities to be unsatisfactory in every way and meant the adoption of a minimum postage rate of l£d a half-ounce within the Km pi re. "For the purpose of furthering this proposal," stated Sir Alfred, "Great Britain despatched the deputy-Director of Aviation, the Director of Postal Services and two Parliamentary undersecretaries to Australia by air to discuss with "representatives of Australia and New Zealand the new idea. At the conference held in Sydney in February last it was agreed that the proposal was a very satisfactory one, and the most far-reaching change in the development of postal affairs within the Empire. Twice-weekly Mails "The proposal was that mails should be despatched twice weekly between London and Sydney, and at the conference it was agreed that this service should be extended to New Zealand. Under the proposal we would then have, a twice-weekly service between New Zealand and London, occupying in transit a period of approximately seven or eight days only, at a cost to the public of lid a half-ounce. The present rate is Is 6d a half-ounce,. "The British Government undertook to ascertain the best type of aircraft for the carrying out of this great service, and the Government of New Zealand expects to hear at an early date full particulars oP the type of machine required and the estimated annual cost. At the Sydney conference it was agreed that the cost should fall on the three Governments concerned and that the proportions should be according to the volume of the mail despatched. England would, under that heading, defray 50 per cent of the cost of the Tasman service, 'and on the same basis the proportions to Australia and to New Zealand would be 25 per cent each. Use of Flying Boats "The representatives from Great Britain were insistent that a flyingboat service would be necessary, and this Government expects at an early date to receive full data regarding the cost of a flying-boat service. The British delegates made it clear that such an immense proposition could not be completed until 1937, and when one realises the great distance over which flying would take place—some 12,000 miles—it will.be understood that such a complete scheme could not be brought into being at an earlier date." Sir Alfred drew attention to the fact that it was not merely the flying of the Tasman Sea which had to be considered. It was the completion of the proposed service from London to Sydney, which' would permit New Zealand to receive all first-class Empire mail in the Dominion twice weekly. The estimated weight of mail that would come by each air vehicle would be about one and a-half tons, and New Zealand would despatch approximately one ton twice weekly. At the present v time the Dominion was sending Jess than 501b. of mail a week across the Taj man for transmission by air from Sydney to London "Until the British scheme to bring all first-class mail matter by air comes into and so long as we have to pay Is Gd a half-ounce to have our first-class matter transmitted by air from Sydney to London," added Sir Alfred, "there is no prospect of a sufficient amount of mail being available for carriage across the Tasman Sea. No Monopoly of Tasman "It has been suggested that Australia and New Zealand should control any flying services across the Tasman, hut it has been rightly pointed out from England that Australia and New Zealand have not a monopoly of the Tasman, although no doubt a New Zealand and Australian staff will bo utilised. When it is remembered that England is prepared to pay half of the cost of the Tasman air service, apart from any passenger or goods service which may come into being, it will be realised that England must be consulted before any mail service is established. The alternative is that the cost would fall wholly on Australia and New Zealand, and already we have been informed that that cost would be j £30,000 or £40,000 a year to each ad- ; ministration. j "May J say that the enterprise and intrepidity of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in blazing what might aptly be i termed the Tasman trail is well appreciated by the Government find the people of New Zealand generally. At the same time, 1 feel it is necessary to point out that this does not afford any prescriptive right to an airway between Now Zealand and Australia. The development in air transport has now reached a point when the purely romantic aspect must be shed and .the factors of business, expediency, and public benefit permitted to take their proper place in the consideration of any a] r proposals. Part of Empire Scheme "Briefly, the Tasman air service must be considered as part of a comprehensive Empire scheme, the purpose !?! n 'hich is to accelerate mails between 1 7 ea ' ai) d and overseas countries to reduce the postage between reat Britain and New Zealand to IJd 8 half-ounce: It would hardly be keep"K faith with the Mother Country, ? it Wu'uU] most certainly be an eniarrasMiiont, to say the least of it, to J e broad scheme as envisaged in the which took place in Syd- , e " V ', fl( ' re Zealand at this stage 0 "®come prematurely committed to * separate proposal. Cabinet has undersell to go into Sir Kingsford Smith's Proposals, and will do so at an early ~ J Ina . v add," said Sir Alfred, "that ,®6 Australian Government has been '1 communication with this Dominion since May last on the matter of establishing a, weekly air mail service, and inquiries have been proceeding in this country on the points raised by the Australian Government."