COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 67

COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

PROGRESS IN AUSTRALIA. GENEROUS GOVERNMENT SUPPORT. AUCKLAND, August 28. “ Commercial aviation in Australia has received a tremendous lot of Government support during the last year or two, and subsidised services have been inaugurated in nearly all the Commonwealth States,’’ said Mr Phillip H. Vyner, hon. treasurer of the Australasian Royal Aeronautical Society, an ex-New Zealander, who arrived on a holiday visit by the Maheno to-day. Mr Vyner is an Invercargill boy. and his sister, Miss Madeline Vyner, of Wellington, is judging the dancing sections at the Auckland Competitions. According to Mr Vyner, aero clubs have been formed in all the Australian States, the New South Wales section having 600 members and being the largest of any of the clubs. Each club functions independently, and there is a Federal Council. Mr Vyner says that the public has been taking a very keen interest in aviation during the last three years, this being largely due to the activities of the aero clubs, which take on the responsibility of training airmen under a subsidy from the Government. His society looked after the technical instruction of the pupils, and .monthly meetings . were held at which papers were read on technical subjects. Moths were the planes in general use, but New South Wales also had two Avians which had been presented to the club. Speaking of commercial aviation, Mr Vyner mentioned the Western Australian Airways Company, which, with all the other airway companies, was subsidised by the Government. This company, he said, controlled the service from Perth to Derby, giving a weekly service compared with a six-weekly service formerly provided by steamer. He also spoke of the value of the services to the Northern Territory and to the “ Never, never ” country of Queensland. Mr Vyner is also interested .in the National Roads and Motor Association of New South Wales, the membership of which has grown in the last three years from 25,000 to 50,000. This, association undertook its own insurance, and since the institution of the scheme the membership had grown by leaps and bounds.