“THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR—”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23505, 20 May 1938, Page 8

“THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR—”

The Prime Minister hopes to be able to make an announcement shortly regarding the establishment of an air service across the Tasman. The public must not be provoked by that familiar promise into any over-con-fident state of expectation. What Mr Savage really means, if past experience is a reliable guide, is that he hopes to announce shortly that he may be in a position to make an announcement at some later date. This week’s burst of confidence on the part of the Prime Minister is a consequence of conversations conducted in Wellington between Ministers and the personal representative in Australia of Imperial Airways, Mr A. E. Rudder. When Mr Rudder arrived in Auckland a few days ago he said he was hopeful that arrangements to enable the Tasman air service to function would soon be completed. It is a reasonable deduction, in the circumstances, that the idea has not been abandoned—although a completely baffled people might long ago have been pardoned for suspecting the existence of ineradicable difficulties. For three years the trans-Tasman mail proposal has kept political heads wagging wisely and political tongues talking vaguely. Important developments have been almost a monthly prognostication, delays have occurred without ever being explained away, agreements have been reached and apparently scrapped again, things have been taking practical shape only, it would seem, to lose it in a dither of consultation and contradiction. In the middle of last year the Prime Minister was confident that the service would be in operation before Christmas. When the old year slipped away without even the sound of an air mail engine to disturb its peace, it was discovered that there was a “deadlock” to be overcome, due to some dispute over the proposal, supposed to have been accepted by the New Zealand Government six months before, that the controlling company should be directed in part by nominees of the three Governments concerned —those of Great Britain, Australia and the Dominion. The suggestion was, in February last, that the New Zealand attitude had changed to approval of direct control by the participating Governments, instead of by a joint company. Then, in March, Mr Savage was murmuring that “ within a week ” something would be decided. The something, alas, could only have been a decision to make another announcement. Mr Nash made it, to the effect that day by day in every way agreement was getting nearer and nearer—so much so, in fact, that he hoped to be able to make an announcement before Easter! Since then a fascinated public has been waiting for the next move in the entrancing game of “ Blame My Neighbour ” that is being played ad infinitum, it would seem, between Wellington and Canberra. And it has come, sure enough, in the promise of another announcement. We can do no more than urge patience. Mr Rudder thinks it possible that the Tasman link may be a reality by the end of this year, or the beginning of next. As to that, we are to have a definite announcement—shortly, perhaps.