NOTES AND COMMENTS

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6439, 17 January 1924, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD

A complaint has reached us from a correspondent concerning’ the long time which the Main Highways Board is taking to get under way.' It is a reasonable complaint. It took the Government a very long time to discover that the old system of road administration by local bodies was breaking down under the greatly increased strain imposed by motor traffic. It then took the Government a further long period to draw up a national scheme, or, rather, a hybrid between a national and a local scheme combined. There was further delay in getting this legislation passed by Parliament; and now it appears that some time more is to be consumed over an educational course oh road construction and finance, conducted by Government officials.—Dunedin Evening Star.

AIRSHIP DEVELOPMENT

THE British Government was influenced by reasons of economy over two years ago to abandon further expenditure upon airships, but latterly the need for the evolution of an Imperial air chain has been recognised by it to some definite purpose. In the important speech which he delivered at the Imperial Economic Conference in the capacity as Air Minister, Sir Samuel Hoare announced that the Government had accepted in principle Commander Burney’s scheme for an airship service to India and the Dominions beyond, thus promoting a vision of a potential air fleet of Imperial subsidised dirigibles. It may be noted that a British air expert has drawn a comparison between the strength of the Dixmude and the type of airship proposed under Commander Burney’s scheme which is immensely in favour of the latter. —Otago Daily Times.