TRUNK AIR SERVICES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18763, 20 July 1935, Page 5

TRUNK AIR SERVICES

EXCLUSION OF CENTRES DECISION BY BOARD SUBJECT TO AMENDMENT (Pur Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. An application for an amendment to the recent decision of the Transport Co-ordination Board, which excluded Palmerston North from the trunk air mute of Great Pacific Airways (N.Z.), Limited, has been forwarded to the •board by Mr Trevor &. Withers, organiser of the company. The decision to make the application followed the receipt of information which, according to Mr G. Y>, Hutchison, chairman of directors ol Aviatiop Development, Limited, made it clear that the final decisions of the board' relative to the air service licenses were capable of amendment by the board, although apparently no appeal could :bo made against such decisions. ‘‘lnformation was received by the directors to-day that Hie board had recently .amended its final decision relative tp. the, license granted to Union Airways, Limited, bv including Blenheim as a .port of call upon that eompany’s air route,” Mr Hutchison said. “This amendment was made by the simple expedient of a board minute, and Union Airways will accordingly now be allowed to include Blenheim as an airport upon its Palmerston NorthDunedin service, instead of having to operate a direct service between Palmerston North and Christchurch as pro- . vided in the board's original decision. prucejment created “The precedent thus created by the board establishes beyond all doubt .the fact that the board can, if it deems such a course to be in the public interest, give further consideration to the inclusion of Palmerston North upon the trunk route of Great Pacific Airways and that it can, by minute, amend its recent decision in this connection and include Palmerston North, in Great Pacific Airways’ license. The directors', accordingly, have instructed Mr Withers to apply to the board immediately', with a view to having the question of Palmerston North furlhoi investigated at a public sitting of the board.” He added that he was confident that the board would, in view of the many and emphatic protests voiced at tinexclusion of Palmerston North from the Auckland-Dunedin air route, be prepared to give the question the fur thcr investigation it so obviously de manded. Since those interested in Great Pacific Airways did not oppose the amendment of the board’s final decision relating to the inclusion of Blenheim* in the Union Airways route, they suggested that no opposition by Union Airways, Limited, in .regard to Palmerston North should now be expected.