PACIFIC SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23858, 12 July 1939, Page 12

PACIFIC SERVICE

PAN-AMERICAN AIRWAYS PLANS FOR RESUMPTION WORK WELL ADVANCED CHANGE OF ROUTE APPROVED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 11. “I have been advised by PanAmerican Airways that it is in a position to resume its service to New Zealand in the very near future,” said the Minister in Charge of Aviation (Mr F. Jones) in an interview to-day. Mr Jones added that the company had undertaken to make experimental flights to Suva and to continue to use Suva as a port of call should it be found practicable to do so from the technical and operational points of view. “At the same time the company applied for permission to change its route from Honolulu, Kingman Reef, Pago Pago and Auckland, to Honolulu, Canton Island, Noumea, Auckland,” the Minister continued. “ The New Zealand Government has approved of the variation in the route by the inclusion of Canton Island and Noumea, on the understanding that the position would be open to review should the company find it impracticable in the future to include Suva as a regular alighting place.” Intermediate Bases Rapid progress has been made in recent weeks by Pan-American Airways in preparation lor the resumption of its South Pacific service, which was tragically interrupted by the loss of the Samoan Clipper with all hands off Tutuila, American Samoa. The base at Honolulu from which the company operates its services to San Francisco and also by way of Wake and Midway Islands, Guam and Manila to China is in constant use, but much work has been done at both the intermediate stopping places on the route to New Zealand.

Following an agreement between thj Governments of Britain and the United States concerning the occupation of Canton Island, a party of American engineers led by Mr _F, McKenzie, who supervised the installation of the company’s base in Auckland, has been busy preparing a base there. In addition to installing land stations for radio and meteorological services, the men have had to make sure of safe anchorage for flying boats. The latest reports are that the base is nearing a stage where it could be used.

Negotiations with the Government of New Caledonia, which . were completed earlier this year, resulted in another party of American engineers, including Mr A. L. Lewis, former airport manager at Auckland, going to Noumea to build a base for the company. It was reported some time ago by one of the party on his way back to the United States that good progress had been made. The engineers were favoured by the fact that buildings already existed at Noumea and it was a question of transforming them to suit the company’s purpose.

Activity at Auckland Activity has also been intense at Auckland. The greater part of the necessary operational staff has arrived. A meteorologist (Mr E. B. Buxton) has been compiling the necessary weather history‘of the South Pacific region and the- landing gear brought ashore when the service was interrupted has been prepared for further use.

No announcement has yet been received concerning the South Seas Clipper, the Boeing machine with which the service is to be operated. She is, however, a sister-ship to the Yankee Clipper which is now making regular commercial crossings of the Atlantic, and her ability to fly the long ocean stretches between Honolulu and Auckland is unquestioned. The Clipper, one of the largest flying machines yet built, is over twice the size of the Samoan Clipper or the Imperial Airways flying boat Centaurus.