CLIPPER AT AUCKLAND

Southland Times, Issue 23392, 27 December 1937, Page 6

CLIPPER AT AUCKLAND

END OF JOURNEY OVER PACIFIC HUGE CROWDS WATCH VESSEL ALIGHT SECOND SURVEY FLIGHT COMPLETED (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 26. After covering the distance from Honolulu to Auckland in just under 31 hours’ actual flying time, the Pan-American Airways’ Samoa Clipper made a perfect landing on Waitemata harbour just after four o’clock this afternoon. A huge holiday crowd on the waterfront and occupying points of vantage on the hilltops overlooking the harbour saw .the Clipper make her second landing on Waitemata, and subsequently the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) joined with the chairman of the Harbour Board, the Hon. T. Bloodworth, and the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, in extending greetings to Captain Edwin G. Musick and his crew. . Perfect weather conditions ruled for the clipper’s arrival and a mummur of excitement from the crowd greeted her first appearance, flying high over Stanley Point on the north shore of the harbour. The giant flying-boat circled the city and then dropped down over North Head to land in the harbour. Patrol launches had kept the runway clear and before long the clipper had taxied up the harbour and turned in past the eastern tide deflector to run up to the mooring stage fronting the Pan American administrative offices in Mechanics Bay.

An impressive sight was presented as the silvery hull of the flying-boat shone up against the background of tne Blue Star motor-ship Empire Star, just leaving for Napier. The Clipper was quickly moored after the inspection by the port health officer and the Customs and Captain Musick and the crew came ashore for the official harbour board reception. Within a few minutes the flying boat was surrounded by pleasure craft ranging from small yachts to large cruising launches, and swimmers even dived into the harbour off the breakwater to swim under the massive spreading wings and round the giant hull. After the reception the crew of the clipper dispersed to their various hotels. In an interview Captain Musick said that throughout the trip from Honolulu the weather had been perfect and good flying time had been maintained all the way. The schooner Trade Wind was now quartered at Kingman Reef as a permanent depot ship, and at Pago Pago landing and base facilities had been provided similar to those at Auckland. Regarding the Auckland base in Mechanics Bay Captain Musick said the facilities were excellent. Bathed in summer sunshine the city had looked magnificent from the air and he had no doubt that in the near future American passengers would experience the same thrill that his crew had enjoyed on seeing Auckland after the long and uneventful trip from Pago Pago. A REGULAR SERVICE Captain Musick said the purpose of this second flight over the important aerial trade route between America and New Zealand was to make a final survey and inspect the ground facilities constructed at the various points. That important stage of the work was now completed. “When we leave New Zealand on December 29 we will inaugurate a regular air mail and express service on a bi-weekly schedule from New Zealand to America,” Captain Musick said. “Another stage of the service will be inaugurated in due time with large 72 passenger trans-oceanic clippers now being built in Seattle. One of the first o c these ships now nearing completion has been given the name South Seas Clipper, and will provide facilities for passenger carrying on this new airway which parallels one of the most important aerial trade routes in the world. I understand that within a few days Imperial Airways will send one of their ’planes from Australia to New Zealand across the Tasman Sea on a route survey mission similar to that we have just completed across the south Pacific and linking Australia and New Zealand. These undertakings, jointly considered, bring to reality the long planned programme to tie Australia into the rapidly developing airway systems of the world.

AIR MAIL TO BE CARRIED

DELIVERY BEFORE END OF WEEK AUCKLAND, December 26. The first air mail from New Zealand to the United States will definitely be carried by the Pan-American clipper when she leaves Auckland on Wednesday morning for her return flight across the Pacific. Arrangements were completed on Christmas Eve for mails from New Zealand to be carried on a poundage basis and letters posted in Auckland before Tuesday evening will be delivered in San Francisco before the end of the week. The mail will close in Auckland at eight o’clock on Tuesday night and the following postage rates have been fixed for half ounce letters:—To American Samoa 6d, Hawaii 3/-, United States 4/6. Post cards will be carried at half rates. Letters posted in any part of New Zealand other than Auckland will be required to carry the New Zealand air mail fee, and if letters for England are required to be sent across America by air they will have to bear the additional postage required for United States trans-continental air mail.

It is understood that arrangements are being made to have specially addressed mail from Australia forwarded regularly to the United States and to intermediate landing places by the PanAmerican service. Until the transTasman air service is inaugurated air mail from Australia will be brought to New Zealand by steamer and placed on board one of the clippers at Auckland.

BRITISH FLYING BOAT AT SYDNEY

CENTAURUS TO LEAVE FOR NEW ZEALAND TODAY SYDNEY, December 24 The Imperial Airways flying-boat Centaurus landed at Rose Bay, the new

flying-boat base at Sydney, at 8.40 a.m. from* Brisbane. Thousands of people around the harbour and foreshores had a first glimpse of the giant flying-boat. The commander of the Centaurus (Captain J. W. Burgess) during the official welcome by the Minister of Defence (Mr H. V. Thorby) declared that Rose Bay was an ideal base for this type of aircraft. A party of members of Parliament, including the Premier of New South Wales (Mr B. S. B. Stevens), and the Lord Mayor were taken for half an hour’s flight over the harbour and city, which greatly impressed them. Mr Stevens described the Centaurus’s visit as an epoch-making event. The Centaurus leaves for New Zealand on Monday morning.

NO AMERICAN MAIL CONTRACT

COMPANY AWAITING MOVE BY CONGRESS (Received December 26, 6.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, December 23 Considerable significance is attached to the fact that the Samoa Clipper will carry mails from Australia but not from the United States. The Pan-American Airways Company told a correspondent of the Australian Associated Press that the reason was simply that the United States Post Office had not granted a mail contract to Pan-American Airways. “It is solely up to the United States,” was the company’s comment. Asked whether it was extremely unprofitable to operate a line without the essential revenue-producing contract from the United States Post Office and without passengers, the Pan-American company emphasized that the other Pacific routes were still running without profit, and it must be expected that at least a dozen fllights would be carried out before passengers were taken. , , It is indicated that Congress’s failure to extend the Pan-American mail contracts will probably be rectified during the regular session, which begins in January.

DELAY IN TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE

AUSTRALIAN REPLY TO NEW ZEALAND SUGGESTION (Received December 26, 6.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 26. The Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) denied suggestions by the Prime Minister of New Zealand (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) that Australia was responsible for the delay in the inauguration of the trans-Tasman air service. Mr Lyons said the Commonwealth was no more to blame than the Dominion.