TASMAN AIR SERVICE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19138, 6 October 1936, Page 9

TASMAN AIR SERVICE

“VERY NEAR FUTURE” OPINION OF EXPERT SAFE ANI) FAST TRAVEL (Per Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, last, night. That' a trans-Tasman air service would ho inaugurated in the very near future, Captain E. 0. Johnston indicated to an official gathering at the. New Plymouth aerodrome to-day. Captain Johnston, who is the Commonwealth controller of civil aviation, Las been engaged in the air conference at Wellington, and is visiting N?w Plymouth to inspect the aerodrome. He said that the report of the conference would be submitted to the Governments concerned, and ho was not at liberty to disclose its . terms, but his hearers could rest assured that the service would be Started in the very near future. It was already overdue. There were many difficulties, but they were not beyond the capabilities of Australian and New Zealand aviators. “Given proper ground organisation, I am convinced,” lie said, “that, the service will be a success financially.” The two countries had a great deal in common, and the citizens of both would find the service a safe arid speedy means of travel, arid he predicted that there would be a heavy demand for seats. APPROVAL EXPECTED AUSTRALIAN MINISTER MATTER FOR CABINET SYDNEY, Oct. 5. Sir Archdale Parkhill, the Commonwealth Minister of Defence, who returned from New Zealand by the Awatea today, told press interviewers that he was likely to submit the air service proposals debated in New Zealand to the Federal Cabinet this week. He saw no reason why the whole scheme, which he believed to be satisfactory to Australia, should not be adopted within a few weeks. He added that he found fairly general support by the people for the New Zealand Government. The Ministers seemed most earnest and well-meaning, and were working very hard to put their policy into effect .before the close of the present session. Sir Arehdale said that he had also discussed with Mr, P. Fraser and Mr. W. Nash the fruit embargo. Mr. Nash told him that New Zealand was unable to do anything at present.

CAPTAIN TAYLOR’S OFFER

SERVICE TO GOVERNMENTS

HISTORIC FLIGHTS

SYDNEY, Sept. 27. Captain P. G. Taylor, navigator and second pilot of Pacific and lasman flights and chief remaining representative of the Kingsford Smith-Ulm transTasman air link interests, has offered his service®, free of cost, either in New Zealand or Australia, to the pending conference on the proposed Tasman air mail. This advice has been received from New Zealand. The Australian delegation and Mr. F. G. L. Bertram, on* of; the British delegates, are already in New Zealand; the Minister of Defence, Sir Archdale Parkhill,. sailed for the Dominion on Friday night. , • It seems ironical, now that both >-ir Charles Kingsford Smith and Mr. Charles U'lm are. dead, that the lasman. air mail, in which their interests were both vitally wrapped up, is about to eventuate, Mr. Elm formed 1 Great Pacific Airways, visualising, following the Southern Cross flight from Oakland! to Brisbane in 1928, a network of British Pacific airways. He saw these airways linking Australia and New Zealand with Canada, and continuing on an all-red air route avound the world, across Canada over the Atlantic to England, and thence to Australia.

He lost his life in making his final survey flight for his proposed Pacific service

THE FIRST FLIGHT

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith formed the Trans-Tasman Air Service Develop ment Company to commence a service between Australia and New Zealand. He spent much time in the 12 months before he disappeared into the Bay of Bengal in completing organisation for this service.

Since then Captain Taylor, in. between miming a Gull for private charter, has pursued the policy of inaugurating and bundling the flying side of the.service, and in merging the Ulrn and Kingsford Smith pioneer interests. In. view of the approaching conference on the Tasman air mail, a brief resume of tho development of the “run” is interesting. ’ The New Zealanders, Messrs. Hood and Moncrieff, were the first' to make the attempt, setting out frpm Richmond Aerodrome for New Zealand. They were lost, but their effort was not in vain. It- started people thinking of the Tasman Sea in terms of aircraft. Then the Southern Cross flew from Richmond to Christchurch. If was a great adventure but was not regarded as an every day possibility. When Mr. Guy Mcnzies crossed the Tasman solo in an Avro Avian public attention was again focussed 1 on this air route. The flight did not show any aeronautical progress, but it was obviously a fine effort. The next, developmental stage was when the Southern Cross in command of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, with Captain Taylor as navigator and second pilot, flew from Gerringong to New Plymouth, in 1933. Passengers were for the first time carried in a trans-Tasman aircraft.

Since that flight the Tasman has been crossed many times by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Captain Taylor, and by Ulm, with Allan and Bolton in Faith in Australia. They operated their aircraft on a commercial basis, carrying mails and freight, bringing the development route some stages nearer to regular operation. It was decided by those who had pioneered the venture that aircraft for the joh were available, and that staff and administration for the undertaking were to be found in Australia mull New Zealand. The highly successful operation of' subsidised air service and some