LINKING THE EMPIRE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1930, Page 3

LINKING THE EMPIRE

NED - FOR AIR SERVICES. ; I ’ VALUE TO'COLONIES. ’ Empires have always stood or fallen by the effectiveness of their Communications, but before has there been an - Empire which depended so much., oil. rapid, reliable transport, as ours, writes the. Master of Sempill in the Daily Express (I nndonj/ ? , ' Everything which , helps to shorten the distance between the various Do minions and colonies, to bring them more closely together, must be fully de.yeloped if the British Commonwealth of Nations is to . Remain , both healthy and full of vigour. ' fYct, in spite of this fact,' far too .little attention has been, and is. being paid, to the possibilities of aviation-in Imperial development/ The grand conception of a league of free peoples linked together into a coherent whole by a vast network of air lines passing over British territory has barely taken shape. It was not until this summer that a . tentative step was made in. the tion of Imperial aerial development} and this, despite the fact that nations not. standing, nearly so/much in need of rapid transit have been forging ahead, in the air/. . - t -. The London-Karachi air service Js only a beginning; l but it; has already established its -value. - -.Merchants .iff India- are' now clamouring .for its extension beyond rhe present terininus to' Bombay, Calcutta and Rangoon. , Undoubtedly ’ such extensions should be inaugurated witliout further delay, and the promised route to Australia should be rapidly ’ organised. But this, by itself, is not enough; branch Iniefl should connect yvith the main route at various points. / , -' ;The Cape to Cairo . airway has long been', discussed; preliminary surveys Were made a number of years ago. And. this route, which should./ open up tracts of valuable British .territory at present Isolated from; Europe, should be brought . .intQ . being at once. It is a practical proposition,. and, had. the necessary money and initiative been forthcoming, it would most certainly be in operation to-day. - - • JNo part of.the Empire stands to gain more by aerial development than Africa —a'. .continent presenting ■ enormous difficulties to road makers and railway builders.. It is, too» one of the richest of British lands. ’ ■■ Last year-Sir Alan Cobham - surveyed practically the .whole of , the country durina liisl historic 23.000 miles flight. He located no fewer than 50 sites for flying-boat, bases, and planned connecting services into the interior. Govern-.-ment ■officials, traders,'.merchants and industrialists welcomed his scheme, and. everyone showed the. greatest - enthusr* asm. yet extremely'little has been done. We are responsible for the development of the Empire; the funds we have, at our disposal are limited. There is no. way in which they could be more soundly invested so as to cnliance , future prosperity than in Imperial aena development. / We must face , the fact, that bonds or sentiment cannot survive the competition of Hard commercial truths. Lnose who believe in the, Empire must, of necessity, be 'believers .in the- riir. ,