INDIAN OCEAN FLIGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23830, 9 June 1939, Page 5

INDIAN OCEAN FLIGHT

BRITAIN TO SHARE COST Emphasising the Empire significance of the trans-Indian Ocean survey flight in the ■Guba, American-owned .flying boat, the British Government has informed the Australian Government that it is willing to contribute to the -v cost of the undertaking a' maximum of £3500. This was announced by the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr Fairbairn). -■ , .A : ' The flight, which will start -from Sydney on June ’3—two weeks earlier, than originally intended —has been organised to pioneer art alternative air mail' route between Australia and England, lor use in the event of interruption to the present Singapore'route. Mr Fairbairn said that Captain P. G. Taylor, who would.be in command of ■ the flight, woilld act as the, agent of the. Coininbriwealth Government uv surveying ' ahall-British route across the Indian Ocean to. Kenya Colony, South' Africa. Mr Fa.irbairh stressed that the chartering of the Guba flyingboat did hot mean, that the Empire flying-boats were not suitable for the, purpose. Actually, neither Imperial Airways nor Qantas could make a ship available, because all their craft in commission were working at, high pressure on the existing mail services, ' Consideration had been given, he said, to the proposal to defray the cpst of the flight by carrying' an' air mail. Cabinet, however had decided against the proposal on the ground that this would have been a purely philatelic mail,- which, was not considered desirable either by the'A ustra^an or the Kenya postal authorities. It had also : been, proposed to sell to the highest ' bidder a comprehensive, runriing story , of the flight ■ though routine communications would, in any case, .have been ; available generally. A contract had actually been signed, but Cabinet. ..on further consideration, decided , that it would be against public policy to sell ( any one section of the press exclusive stories of a flight which is a Government venture. Consequently, a new v arrangement, has been made, with the . consent of the organisation concerned, by which . a progress account; of the flight would be released to all newspapers by the Commonwealth Govern-, • ment. • . ' ’• Pleasure at the British Government s , decision was expressed by Captain P. „ G. Taylor. “I endeavoured more than, a year ago to secure the support; of the British Air Ministry.”-he said. “The .. original proposition for. the flight sur- ■ vey. which was accepted by the Com- , monwealth. Government,included- a list of likely commercial earnings. -such " as newspaper - mail, fUm , and v other rights, to be Credited against Hje cost of the flight. These earnings, with the charter of the Cuba' through the cooperation of the owner. Mr Richard Arch-bold.’ which removed the necessity to purchase a'flying boat.: at a., minimum cost of £20,000: kept the outlay estimate down to a small figure. The British Government’s offer will lessen the cost to the Commonwealth Government, which has apparently decided that there is now no’ need for., anv commercial agreements." The- flight from Sydney to Kenya is expected to occupy. 22 days. The sche : dule is: June 3. Sydney to Townsville; June 4. Townsville ndnrStop td Port ' Hedland (Western Australia); June 6 Port Hedland to' Cocos Island: June 9i Cocos Island to Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, arriving on June .10; June 17 Chagos Islands to Seychelles Islands, arriving bn June-18; June 25, Seychelles to . Mombasa' (Kenya) Captain Taylor will leave Mombasa by steamer on July 2, on the return , trip by way of Singapore. The contract for the use of the Guba ends at Mombasa. Captain, Taylor will study the Indian' Ocean islands and their surroundings. He will carefully notetides and nrotected' sheets of water for future flying boat bases, and inspect * sites for land aerodromes. ■ ' 1 ■" The Guba has a range of 4000 miles. The longest hop is Cocos to Chagos 1400 miles.