MILITARY AERODROMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23894, 23 August 1939, Page 8

MILITARY AERODROMES

UNDERGROUND HANGARS IMPRACTICABLE SUGGESTION VIEWS OF AUTHORITIES (From Our Parliamentary Reporter* I WELLINGTON,- Aug, 22. The reasons why the authorities considered it impracticable to place hangars at Ohakea aerodrome underground, as was suggested earlier in the Financial debate by Mr H. G. Dickie (Opposition, Patea), were given by Mr J. O'Brien (Govt.. Westland) during the debate in the House of Representatives to-night. Mr Dickies suggestion, Mr O'Brien said, wats fantastic and ridiculous. ' ' a : Quoting from a statement, which, he said had been cqmpiled by air officers and competent engineers, Mr O'Brien said that in the first place enemy aeroplanes would look for more important objects, such as shipping, railways and petrol supplies, instead of taking the additional risk of travelling inland to bomb what would be empty hangars by the time they arrived there. If Mr Dickie's suggestion were adopted additional cost of placing the Ohakea hangars underground would be approximately £1,200,000, to which sum must be added the cost of installing underground electric equipment and water supplies. . "It is safe to assume that the additional cost of the Ohakea aerodrome would approach £2,000,000," Mr O'Brien said, "and if the same policy were adopted with the existing military aerodromes and those under construction the extra cost would be approximately, £10,000,000. Apart from that, the aerodrome would take years to construct The estimated cost of Ohakea under the present proposals is £460,000." '■•...;.-r : A statement by Mr Dickie that the aerodrome now being constructed at Paraparaumu should have been located at Te Horo was also criticised by Mr O'Brien. He said that the Paraparaumu site was an emergency landing ground and well suited for this, purpose, as in bad weather Kapiti Island provided a good location guide, i It was also closer to Wellington than Te Horo by 20 minutes in a motor car. In future it would provide a municipal aerodrome for what would be a part of Greater Wellington. The land was of little value from an agricultural.point of view, and a good sole of grass was assured as a result of the methods adopted. At Gisborne, the aerodsome had been constructed on sand, and it was now growing grass prolifically. Te Horo f on the other hand, would not be so easy to locate from the ajr in bad weather, and it was further from Wellington. :••.•-