COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 January 1930, Page 10

COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

There ean.be no doubt as to the progress of commercial aviation in Australia. In that country of vast- distances and. of sparsely watered areas travel by air seems likely to ' solve ' a good many transport problems- inrtil increasing population renders ■ them’ Tess difficult to overcome.- • 111 ■ tire * northwest- of Western Australia, the most, isolated portion of the Commonwealth, air mail and passenger services have been established for five yeai's' and have been maintained with ’ regularity arid .with an almost I of al absence of accident-. The latest service" to''be ’ established is one between Sydney and Brisbane, which is controlled by Squadronleader Kingsford 'Smith' and his colleague in his great trans-ocean flight Flight-commander Ulm. Though there are excellent railway and. steamer services between these two cities travel by either means the expenditure of practically two days’ time. By air the journey can be accomplished in s-ix hours, and it is little wonder that the popularity of travel by aeroplane is increasing. Still more’remarkable is the proposal of an Australian company to transport a mining dredge by airship across New Guinea. That such an undertaking • should be considered practicable demonstrates liow.far the utilitarian aspect of aviaton lias reached. By'its means it is hoped hlri/Muerv in as miinv hours as ii' would

tak% days to transport it overland from the port to the new goldfield that it is proposed to develop. It is satisfactory .to note that in this country an association of those interested in aviation is proposed. The aero clubs that it is suggested should combine are doing excellent preparatory work in the development of aeronautics. It seems evident that until commercial aviation becouies possible, and at reasonable charges, progress in air transport in New Zealand is likely to. be slow. .At present it is left chiefly to the official Air Force to lead the way. Australia has shown that there are better methods than this, and it would be good policy on the part of the proposed Aero Clubs’ Association to investigate thoroughly the commercial possibilities of the latest system of transport.