BETTER THAN SYDNEY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18924, 28 January 1936, Page 11

BETTER THAN SYDNEY

WELLINGTON HARBOUR AIR SERVICE FACILITIES "I am not in any wav exaggerating that point when I assure'you that YYci liugtou offers greater facilities than can be bad in Sydney Harbour." said Mr 15. T. Shicl. a director of Ti'ans-Tasinan -Air Service Development Company, Limited, when discussing certain problems connected with (he establishment of a Tasman air service. "just, as so many once, believed that the Tasman was too difficult a crossing, so people io-day are saying that Wellington cannot become a terminal point of a Tasman air service," lie stated.

"The first belief has been swept aside, and so vast have been the advaiu-es during the last if\v years, even months, I hat the second idea will go the same wav."

The chief operational difficulties were Ihe low cloud conditions and the increased velocities of the prevailing westerly winds on the southern portion of the Tasrnan as compared with the direct crossing Irian Hie northern portion ol the. Dominion, but these weve being overcome by the increased efficiency, or radio and t'he ability of the Hying boats of the Sikorsky Clipper type to carry heavier radio gear at present impossible to carry in the available types of Jimd machines. Similarly, the prevailing westerlies became less important as machines became available with high cruising speeds. Other operational difficulties were being, overcome by aeronautical improvements. .Both Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and Captain P. U. Taylor who had now taken over the technical direction of the company, fully recognised certain advantages possessed by Wellington because of its central location which would result in better service in the rapid distribution of mails to the South Island. It. was for these reasons that Kingsford Smith's company proposed to carry out. an experimental service direct from Sydney to Wellington alternately with Auckland for the first three months of operation to ascertain if it was" practical to include Wellington in the regular schedule.

>"iu mv oninion this will ultimately be possible."* -Mr Slieil said. "Wellington, because of its strategic position, must become a very important, factor in the living boat services of the Empire and of the world."