TRANS-TASMAN FLYING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18765, 23 July 1935, Page 11

TRANS-TASMAN FLYING

PROPOSALS FOR SERVICE “UP. TO NEW ZEALAND” PIONEER PILOT’S VIEWS (Per Press Association.) ' AUCKLAND, this day. “It is up to New Zealand. If your Government says ‘yes,’ the trans-Tasman ■ air service can be put into operation with a minimuni of delay. The Commonwealth'Government is most favorable to ,the scheme»” said. Sir Charles Kingsford l -Stnith oh ,arrival .from Sydney to-day. He said tliiit lihperial Airways, which was a private dividend-earning firm, had neyer copsidered making New Zealand the drisii liitk in its route until he announced that’he was entering the field. Why should! Imperial Airways receive preference? he asked. If a company were formed by New Zealanders and Australians the link could still be made with Die Imperial scheme. “The l Tasman crossing is purely a .domestic service,” said Sir Charles, .vWp have the personnel, the technicians and -tKe capital, and above all wc have the ethical light to conduct, the service. ■ We are the pioneers of the Tasman crossing and so far no outsiders have shown any willingness to spend money on a survey of the route. They are prepared, however, to use all the information we have gathered over recent years and walk into the job. It would not be a fair thing.-’’ Sir Charles said that he would fly to Wellington to-morrow to place before the Government proposals for a service. He would suggest the use of American C flying boats carrying 20 passengers and baggage and a ton of mails. They would ‘cross the Tasman in nine hours. A biweekly service each way was proposed 1 from Sydney to the Auckland harbor. ■ He expressed the opinion that a single fare would be £25 at first, but would be reduced later on. Sir Charles said that if a reasonable subsidy were not forthcoming from the New Zealand Government for a flyingboat service he would propose an alternative service for mails only to be carried by land planes. The American twinengined Douglas plane was under con--1 sideration. It had a speed of 185 to 2CO miles per hour. It had been suggested that the proportion of the subsidy paid by the New Zealand Government should 1 be 60 per cent, and Australia’s 40, but a later suggestion which had been discussed was for a. long-term agreement with both countries contributing equally. Sir Charles will leave Wellington on Friday for New Plymouth and will sail on Saturday from Auckland for Los Angeles. Preliminary written applications for positions in connection With the establishment of tlio service are being sought by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s company, Trans-Tasman Air Service Development Company, Limited, from New Zealanders and Australians with the requisite qualifications. The situations range from senior pilot to junior typists, anil Sir Charles insists that two stewardesses which it is proposed to engage must be qualified nurses. This is in accord with overseas practice. The two senior engineers must have qualified for all categories of their ground-engineers’ licenses, and the radio operators must have had experience of . direction-finding, equipment. ■The company anticipates that the positions will bo filled progressively during the next nine'months, and that in certain cases the successful applicants , will be given the opportunity to gain • overseas training and experience. Now Zealand applicants for positions arc expected to indicate whether they would accept positions in Sydney and New Zealand or in New Zealand only. The posts vacant are:— One senior pilot, two second pilots, two radio < operators with experience direction-find-ing, two stewardesses (must he qualified nurses), two senior engineers (all tickets), two senior aircraftsmen, three junior engineers, three lads to be trained as engineers and/or aircraftsmen, one watchman, one senior clerk, two junior clerks, one senior secretary-typist, two junior typists.