NEW BASES LIKELY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19684, 16 July 1938, Page 7

NEW BASES LIKELY

PACIFIC AIR SERVICE ——> ■ .'Milliili AUCKLAND AS TERMINUS SYDNEY, June 28 Mr. Harold Gatty, representative in New Zealand for Pan-American Airways, who arrived in Sydney yesterday by the Wanganella, said that there would most likely be an alteration in the bases of the United States air route down the Pacific to New Zealand from Kingman Reef and Pago Pago to Canton Island, in the Phoenix Group, and Rose Island, about 200 miles from Apia. Rose Island is United States territory, but Canton Island is portion of the Phoenix Group, which is most likely to be administered by a British and American condominium Mr. Gatty said that Pan-American airways would commence its Pacific service from San Francisco to New Zealand as soon as delivery of the new Boeing flying boats was obtained. Six of those large craft were nearing completion, but the first, it was thought would be assigned to the North Atlantic route. Tasman Service “New Zealand is the final objective of Pan-American Airways,” said Mr. Gatty. “There is no intention of crossing the Tasman to Australia. That was finally decided when the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Captain P. G. Taylor were negotiating for the Sydney-Auckland run. We did not desire to compete with them. PanAmerican Airways has often been accused of making underhand attempts to get into Australia, but no approaches have been made. “There is no arrangement between Pan-American Airways and Imperial Airways, Limited, about Pacific air services. Imperial Airways Limited, has not yet announced its full intentions in "the Pacific. Discussions between Washington and Downing Street are continuing about Pacific Islands, and it is obvious that there will be an amicable settlement between the United States and Great Britain.”

Weather Research Mr. Gatty said that Pan-American Airways’ meteorological experts had just completed the first series of every day weather maps of the South Pacific, covering 12 months. They had compiled these weather maps at Auckland form information made available from all sources, including Australia. The absence of weather information from British meteorological stations was hampering the work. When a meteorological station staff took a holiday the weather did not. The absence of weather information on holidays prevented accurate forecasts. “There should be closer co-operation by shipping in the compiling of weather reports,” saaicl Mr. Gatty. The South Pacific is not like the North Atlantic, where millions of tons of shipping is always traversing the ocean lanes, and it is therefore possible to receive many weather repot ts fiom various positions. Efficient upper air charts of the North Pacific have been prepared aand are regularly published, but facilities for the preparation of a similar service in the South Pacific, particularly in the Tasman, are inadequate, because shipping is not giving the necessary help by full and accurate reports, from the most important positions.”