AIR TRANSPORT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25289, 24 August 1945, Page 6

AIR TRANSPORT

REMARKABLE RECORD THE SERVICE SQUADRONS (S.R.) WELLINGTON. Thursday The remarkable growth of the air transport service of the Royal New Zealand Air Force is commented upon in the annual report of the Air Department for the year ended March 31, which was tabled in the House ol Representatives this afternoon. In the year under review pilots ol New Zealand transport squadrons covered oyer 5,000,000 miles and since the inception of the air transport service there lias been no accident involving injury to a passenger. _ Regular services are now _ being operated from New Zealand to Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, the Solomons and for considerable distances north and west of this area. In addition to these regular services many special flights of ati urgent couriei nature are operated between New /lealand and practically every airfield in the South Pacific area. , The need for air transport became very pressing with the extension of the activities of the R.N.Z.A.I', farther and farther from New Zealand, according to the report, which was submitted bv the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal L. M. Isitt. The fact that fewer ships had called at New Zealand since the American forces were no longer based here necessitated the transport of practically - all personnel bv air to and from the theatre of operations. An additional transport squadron was formed and both squadrons were given additional aircraft. The four Sunderland flying-boats from the United Kingdom were formed into the flying-boat transport flight based on Mechanics' Bay, Auckland. WAIKATO STATIONS DEMOBILISATION PLANS HAMILTON AND RUKUHIA (0.C.) HAMILTON, Thursday Proposals for the demobilisation of Air Force personnel at Rukuhia and Hamilton were discussed today by the station administration officer, Squadron Leader A. N. Johnson, who will be in charge of the task. He said that arrangements were being made to transfer local operations to the engine repair workshop at Ohakea and that no new work would be undertaken at Hamilton or Rukuhia. Several engines were still being modified and these would be completed before the station was closed. A reduction of 25 per cent in the staff would be made next week, he added. These airmen and Waafs would either be discharged from the station at Hamilton or would be sent to noneffective pools and be discharged from there. Squadron Leader Johnson said that one of the Waaf hostels in Hamilton would be vacated on Monday, and as room became available at Kukuhia by the release of personnel the remaining staff in Hamilton would be moved there. The office buildings, workshops and the Winter Show buildings would be completely cleared as soon as possible. He anticipated that the restoration of the Winter Show buildings to their condition before the Air Force took them over would be effected within three months. NELSON TRAINING SCHOOL TRANSFER TO HOBSONVILLE CUTTING DOWN STRENGTH (P.A.) NELSON, Thursday The B.N.Z.A.F. technical training school at Nelson is to be transferred to Hobsonville, Auckland, as soon as it can be accommodated at the northern station. In the meantime the general demobilisation of the station personnel is to proceed. Air headquarters could today give no definite date for the closing, but it is suggested that all but the maintenance statf will have been, released or transferred to Hobsonville in a fortnight.

The first men to be demobilised will be trainees who have only Recently commenced their courses. Men who have got beyond a certain stage of their training and who wish to complete their course for rehabilitation purposes will be given an opportunity to do so and those who have applied to join the permanent force will also continue at the school. It is expected that the releases now proposed will bring the number at the school down to about 400. The technical training school was established at Rongotai, Wellington, early in the war, transferring to Nelson in June, 1943, when the Nelson station was vacated by the No. 2 General Reconnaissance Squadron. POSITION IN AUCKLAND ESTABLISHMENTS REDUCED Reductions in the establishment of Air Force stations in the neighbourhood of Auckland have been proceeding apace in recent weeks and releases have been made from Whenuapai, Ardmore and Hobsonville. The station at Swanson has been completely closed and is expected to be evacuated by the remaining personnel within about ten days. According t-o the information available in Auckland, the cute being made are in accordance with the plan announced before the end of the war. The effect of. hostilities ending may be even more far-reacliing. Swanson has been used by the Air Force for training personnel 'in ground warfare in conditions as near as possible to those in the Pacific. It was opened for training soon after the New Zealand airfield perimeter on Bougainville was invaded by Japanese troops during the early battles for that island. Hobsonville has been used during the war as an assembly, repair and flighttesting field. It is a well-equipped station and should need little modification to fit it for technical training. RELEASES FROM FORCES LABOUR MEMBER'S HOPE (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Thursday "In spite of the resistance he may meet from some service heads, I hope that the Minister of Defence will make every effort to get every man out of the services at the earliest possible moment," said Mr C. M. Williams (Government —Kaiapoi) when speaking in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives today. Mr Williams added that he sympathised with the Minister, as there might be some men who wanted to hold on to their good jobs, but the sooner all the servicemen were back -in productive industry the better it would be in the interests of the country, STATUS OF KAITAIA BECOMING A BOROUGH (0.C.) KAITAIA, Thursday Advice that, as from September 1, the present town, district of Kaitnia will be constituted a borough, has been received from the Department of Internal Affairs by the Kaitaia Town Board, The election of the first Mayor and councillors is to be held on Saturday, October 27. RUAPEHU ACTIVITY (0.C.) TAUPO, Thursday Mount Ruapehu has been increasing its activity in the past few days. Eruptions with smoke rising to a height of* 12,000 feet are becoming quite common. There was an even larger one at one o'clock this afternoon. The smoke can be seen well over the low-lying bank of clouds which has Covered the mountain at times. I