The Fly Menace

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 966, 8 May 1930, Page 8

The Fly Menace

By Hinfiinnick - I Extract from Monday's news * “Jfiss Amy Johnson. a slim girl with bobbed hair and a cat wt3 smtte, is attempting to breah]t H inkler's record for a solo flight to , tralia" — Extract from Tuesday's .ic.es— Mr. Bert Hinkler proposes to ieoin another flight to -iKStruilu this ireefcfis will use a monoplane-Amphibian macho* of his own design. Mrs. Sinklcr may accompany the Australian airman oe JH, Journey. Extract from almost any day's . ( > v . “Mr. Somcbody-or-othcr has aksm rtf ir his plane for a flight to Australia. Be uin attempt to establish a ,tcu> record.” T Y-lIOEVER it was that first put ft ' ' into Sir Ross Smith's head to ftjto Australia started a craze which promises to be as infectious as parrotfever or cross-word puzzles. There seems to be more popular desire to smash the England-to-Australia flight record than if it were the one and only gramophone record owned by the nearest neighbour, aud a simple mathematical calculation will prove that if the present rate at which flights are being made is carried on, sooner or later there's bound to be an awkward unemployment situation ft, Australia when the whole of Britain's population has flown there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the present unemployed question In Australia was partly due to the influx of overseas flyers. Flying to Australia as a popular pastime will be even more heightened by the infinite variety of records available. To be sure, the First-Man and the First-Woman-to-Fly - to - Australia records have already been established, but the First-Child-to-Fly-to-Australia record has still to be made and. taking into consideration the number and types of records which are claimed nowadays, there Is no reason why everybody should not establish a record of his or her own. Thus there will be the First Mother of Twins to Fly to Australia, the First Reno Divorcee to Fly to Australia, and the First Man with Red Hair and Called George Postlethwaite to Fly to Australia.

•Judging from the opening news item, rite First Slim Attractive Girl with Bobbed Hair and a Constant Smile to Fly to Australia record is even now in the process of being established. In fact, there’s really no limit to the thing and it won’t be long before we’re reading news items like this:

SYDNEY, Tuesday. Au enthusiastic reception was accorded to Mr. Ernest Snibble, who

landed at the Mascot Airdrome today, having established the First Cross-eyed Stamp Collector to Fly to Australia record by his flight from England. On alighting from his plane, Mr. Snibble was met by the Prime Minister aud ar huge cheering crowd, who carried him shoulder-high from tha field.

[Mr. Snibble announces that he will swap two penny British aviation stamps for a Blue Mauritius.} SYDNEY, Thursday.

The record of being the 10,000 th Scotsman to Fly to Australia was claimed by Angus McHaggis when he landed at the Mascot Airdrome today. The intrepid airman was welcomed by a large crowd who silently led him off the field. SYDNEY, Monday. A person who gave his name as William George Brown, and who claimed the distinction of being the 7,165.364 th man called Brown In fly to Australia, landed here today after an adventurous flight from England. He was accorded an enthusiastic recep-

tion by }wo policemen, who dragged him. kicking, from the flying field. CANBERRA, Wednesday. A question was raised in the House today by the Hon. J. S. Boomer (Woop Woop), who asked the Prime [Minister if he was aware that a large number of luxury imports was arriving in the country duty free from England. He referred to the extraordinary number of trans-ocean flyers who were lauding in Australia every minute. Was it not a fact that if these flyers were made to pay a duty on themselves in inverse proportion to their utility, Australia would be tree of her financial troubles in a week? He would like to know what the Government proposed to do in the business. AUCKLAND, Today. William Charles GifTen (54) appeared before the magistrate, Mr. Gurgle, today, on a charge of being idle and disorderly and a public nuisance. Mr. Loofah, for the defendant, said that his client was suffering from shock and mental strain. He i had once Lad a steady job as a su‘*I editor on a newspaper, but after subediting 14.6011.341 accounts of record- | breaking flights to Australia, someI thing had snapped in his brain and I he had never been the same since. Mr. Loofah said that accused had i been offered a job in the country. The magistrate ordered the man to ■ be remanded for observation. LONDON, Thursday. An extraordinary story of a nu'ft who has refused to fly to Austral i |is reported from Somerset. It is lt'used to make any attempt on t. e , flight, but has said that he has t.o j 'lesire whatever to break any recores. I The police are inquiring into the caa«-